| Prairieville, Louisiana | |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Louisiana |
| Subdivision Type2: | Parish |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ascension |
| Pushpin Map: | Louisiana |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Prairieville in Louisiana |
| Coordinates: | 30.3031°N -90.9719°W |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 57.18 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 22.08 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 22.00 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.08 |
| Elevation Ft: | 23 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 33197 |
| Population Density Km2: | 582.67 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1509.09 |
| Timezone1: | CST |
| Utc Offset1: | -6 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 70769 |
| Area Code: | 225 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 22-62385 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Land Km2: | 56.97 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.21 |
Prairieville is a census-designated place in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is south of Baton Rouge and north of Gonzales.
Prairieville is an expanding bedroom suburb of Baton Rouge. Its name is derived from the once plentiful pastures and prairies that were visible from Highway 73 (Jefferson Hwy.) and Airline Highway, which is now covered with development. Prairieville started off as a quiet community with few people.
In recent decades, Prairieville has benefited from migration out of Baton Rouge, with new residents particularly drawn to the area by its high-performing public schools and low crime rate. Prairieville had a 2020 census population of 33,197 inhabitants.[2] If it was incorporated it would be the largest city in Ascension Parish. Prairieville is in one of the fastest-growing areas in Louisiana. Prairieville's population is bigger than the parish's two largest incorporated cities, Donaldsonville (6,695) and Gonzales (12,231) combined.
Prairieville is vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical systems due to its proximity to the coast of southeast Louisiana. Hurricane Gustav caused major damage to the Prairieville area; many trees were downed and power lines were down for weeks.
The most notable local property was the Phillips Farm. The farmhouse is still a local landmark in Prairieville, although the original owner died in 2005. The house is lined with live oaks and a white planked fence surrounds the grounds. The pasture was sold in 1992 at the start of the suburban development and a 250-resident subdivision named "Seven Oaks" surrounds the farm where the pastures were.
In 2006, the farmhouse was sold at auction following the death of Dr. Carey A. Phillips. The 40acres tract of land (including the house) has been made into a cemetery now called Oak Lane Memorial Park.
Prairieville is also known for the historic school PRairiville Middle, which was changed and established around the 1930s or later. It has remained the number one Middle school in the parish for its outstanding students and excellent grades. It scored the best score for LEAP time after time compared to other schools and the parish.
In 2020, Bluff Middle School opened,[3] and is one of the newer middle school's in Ascension Parish. [4]
Prairieville was first listed as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.
| White alone (NH) | 21,390 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 23,477 | 79.53% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 70.72% | |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,295 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 4,835 | 12.25% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 14.56% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 79 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 50 | 0.29% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.15% | |
| Asian alone (NH) | 482 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 825 | 1.79% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 2.49% | |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 23 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 11 | 0.09% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.03% | |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 36 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 106 | 0.13% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.32% | |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 251 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 1,124 | 0.93% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 3.39% | |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,339 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 2,769 | 4.98% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 8.34% | |
| Total | 26,895 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 33,197 | 100.00% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 33,197 people, 10,928 households, and 8,428 families residing in the CDP.[7]