The city of Donaldsonville is the parish seat of Ascension Parish in the US state of Louisiana, and is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census. The city of Chicago, as seen from the sky A city is an urban area that is differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or legal status. ... A parish seat is the administrative center of a parish in the US state of Louisiana. ... Ascension Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states which have membership of the federation known as the United States of America (USA or U.S.). The separate state governments and the U.S. federal government share sovereignty. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ...

History and Culture

Donaldsonville is named after a landownder William Donaldson. In 1806 he commissioned architect and planner Barthelemy Lafon to plan a new town, near New Orleans. This served briefly as the Louisiana capital (1830 - 1831) after New Orleans was deemed "too noisy". Donaldsonville is a small town and has many historic sites. The bricks that were used for the former statehouse of Louisiana are now blocking the waters of Bayou Lafourche. Donaldsonville has a museum (River Road African American Museum), parks, shopping centers, civil war grounds, etc. Barthelemy Lafon (1769-29 September 1820 was a notable architect, engineer, city planner and surveyor in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... An old brick wall in English bond laid with alternating courses of headers and Brick is an artificial stone made by forming clay into rectangular blocks which are hardened, either by burning in a kiln or sometimes, in warm countries, by sun-drying. ... Bayou Lafourche is a bayou in southeastern Louisiana, United States, that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

The official journal of the city is the Donaldsonville Chief, which has been published since 1871. It is available online at http://www.ascensioncitizen.com/chief/.

Notable people

As would be expected of a Mississippi River town above New Orleans, Donaldsonville has made significant contributions to early jazz history. Donaldsonville was the childhood home of jazz great "King" Joe Oliver and the home of bandleader Claiborne Williams. Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans at around the start of the 20th century. ... Joe King Oliver, (December 19, 1885 – April 8, 1938) was a bandleader and jazz musician. ...

Members of the Claiborne Williams band included famed Dave Bartholomew, "Papa" John Joseph, Richard Jones, and Walter Lewis. Area pioneer jazz musicians that were interconnected also include Harrison Verrett (Fats Domino's bro-in-law, played with Kid Ory), Manny Sayles, "Pops" Foster, and others. Louis Armstrong was "mentored" by Joe Oliver, and Armstrong played in the Original Tuxedo Orchestra of "Papa" Celestin, of Napoleonville (14 miles south). Sound engineer Ron Capone (1971 Grammy Award winner for Shaft, engineered (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay) and saxophonist Plas Johnson (of The Pink Panther Theme fame) also lived here. Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards, commonly abbreviated as the Grammys or GRAMMYs ), presented by the Recording Academy known as NARAS, (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards... Shaft is an album by Isaac Hayes and is the soundtrack album to the movie of the same name. ... (Sittin On) the Dock of the Bay is a song co-written and first performed by Otis Redding, with the co-writer Steve Cropper. ... John Johnson Jr. ... The Pink Panther Theme is an instrumental composition by Henry Mancini written as the theme for the 1963 film The Pink Panther and subsequently nominated for the 1964 Academy Award for Original Music Score. ...

• Other residents and affiliates of Donaldsonville include:
  • Edward Douglass White Sr. - governor of Louisiana (1834-1838), father of the US Chief Justice
  • Henry Johnson - governor of Louisiana (1824-1828)
  • Francis T. Nicholls - governor of Lousiana (1877-1880, 1888-1892), Conf. General
  • Stephen Hopkins - Brig. General, War of 1812/Battle of New Orleans, La. House Speaker 1812
  • Nicholas Trist - negotiator of Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, whereby most of the American west was acquired from Mexico
  • Duncan Kenner - built Ashland, Conf. Ambassador to France, England, horse racer, founder of Kenner
  • Victor Maurin - commander of the Donaldsonville Cannoneers, core of the Louisiana "Tigers"
  • Father St. Cosme - first recorded person at site of St. Louis, founder of oldest extant Catholic church US (Cahokia), killed by Chitimachi south of "La Fourche" (Donaldsonville)
  • Farragut - the 'damn the torpedo' man destroyed old Donaldson, including the courthouse and its old records

Also, Allen Thomas (US Ambassador to Venezuela), Prevost (2nd recorded Caesarian section) resided here Edward Douglass White, Sr. ... List of Governors of Louisiana First French Era Sieur Sauvole de la Villantry 1699-1701 Jean Baptiste de la Moyne, Sieur de Bienville 1701-1713 Antonine de la Mothe Cadillac 1713-1716 Jean Baptiste de la Moyne 1716-1717 De lEpinay 1717-1718 Jean Baptiste de la Moyne 1718... Henry Johnson (1783-1864) was the Governor of Louisiana, and served the state as a United States Representative and as a United States Senator. ... Francis Redding Tillou Nicholls served two terms as Governor of Louisiana after Reconstruction. ... Combatants United States Native Americans Great Britain, Canadian provincial forces Native Americans First Nations Peoples Commanders James Madison Henry Dearborn George Prevost Tecumseh† Isaac Brock† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates:6 •Other vessels... Combatants United Kingdom United States Commanders Sir Edward Pakenham† John Lambert Alexander Cochrane Andrew Jackson Strength 8,000 men 3,500-4,000 men Casualties 385 killed 1,186 wounded 484 captured 13 killed 58 wounded 30 captured The Battle of New Orleans, also known as the Battle of Chalmette... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... The Mexican Cession (red) and the Gadsden Purchase (orange) The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War. ... Kenner is a suburb of New Orleans that has a population of 70,517 (census 2000). ...

Specific historical factors of Donaldsonville can be acquired through the books of Sidney Marchand (historian, mayor, legislator, attorney). Mr. Marchand as a state Senator was a contemporary of Huey Long. It was during the administrations of Sidney Marchand Sr and Sidney Marchand Jr that significant infrastructure was constructed in Donaldsonville (including miles of paving, the sewerage system).

When Pierre Landry won the 1868 election, he became the first African-American mayor in the United States.

Geography

Donaldsonville is located at 30°5′60″N, 90°59′39″W (30.099947, -90.994046)^GR1. Image File history File links LAMap-doton-Donaldsonville. ...

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²), all land. Do you know that this was once the capital of Louisiana? It was said that New Orleans got "too loud". The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ...

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 7,605 people, 2,656 households, and 1,946 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,151.5/km² (2,986.9/mi²). There were 2,948 housing units at an average density of 446.4/km² (1,157.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 29.82% White, 69.13% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population. 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... Race, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is a self-identification data item in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ...

There were 2,656 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were married couples living together, 30.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.35. Matrimony redirects here. ...

In the city the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 81.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,084, and the median income for a family was $29,408. Males had a median income of $31,849 versus $17,528 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,009. About 32.8% of families and 34.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.0% of those under age 18 and 22.2% of those age 65 or over. The per capita income for a group of people may be defined as their total personal income, divided by the total population. ... Map of countries showing percentage of population who have an income below the national poverty line The poverty line is the level of income below which one cannot afford to purchase all the resources one requires to live. ...

External links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 30.099947° -90.994046°
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  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA