Gonzales, Louisiana | |
City | |
2009 aerial photo of Gonzales
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Country | United States |
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State | Louisiana |
Parish | Ascension |
Elevation | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
Coordinates | 30°13′38″N 90°55′11″W / 30.22722°N 90.91972°WCoordinates: 30°13′38″N 90°55′11″W / 30.22722°N 90.91972°W |
Area | 22.0 km2 (8.5 sq mi) |
- land | 21.7 km2 (8.4 sq mi) |
- water | 0.3 km2 (0.1 sq mi), 1.36% |
Population | 9,781 (2010) |
Density | 450.7/sq mi (174.0/km2) |
Government | Mayor-council |
Mayor | Barney Arceneaux Police Chief Sherman Jackson (both elected 2012) |
Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
- summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
Area code | 225 |
Website: www |
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Police Chief Sherman Jackson (both elected 2012)
Gonzales is a small city in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 9,781. Known as the "Jambalaya Capital of the World", it is famous for its annual Jambalaya Festival, which was first held in 1968. Stephen "Steve" F. Juneau came up with the idea for the Jambalaya Festival and served as the first president of the Jambalaya Festival Association President.
District 59 State Representative Eddie J. Lambert of Ascension Parish practices law in Gonzales, as does State Senator Jody Amedee, who represents Ascension, Livingston, St. James, and St. John the Baptist parishes. Lambert, a Republican in 2004 succeeded former Representative Juba Diez, a Democrat, who held the position since 1976.
Former Gonzales Mayor Johnny Berthelot, a Republican, holds the District 88 seat in the Louisiana House. In 2012, he succeeded Mert Smiley, who was instead elected as the Ascension Parish tax assessor.
Edward Joseph Price, an African-American Democrat and a Gonzales businessman, has held the District 58 House seat for Ascension, Iberville, and St. James parishes since 2012. Another District 58 representative was Melvin Irvin, a black educator and businessman from Gonzales who held the seat from 1984 to 1992. He died in 2014.