Editing Donaldsonville, Louisiana

{{Redirect|Donaldsonville|the community in Indiana|Donaldsonville, Indiana}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Donaldsonville, Louisiana
| settlement_type                 = [[List of cities in Louisiana|City]]
| image_skyline                   = DonaldsonvilleCourthouse.jpg
| imagesize                       = 
| image_alt                       = 
| image_caption                   = The Old Ascension Parish Courthouse is located on Railroad Avenue in Donaldsonville
| image_flag                      = 
| image_seal                      = 
| etymology                       = 
| nickname                        = 
| motto                           = 
| anthem                          = 
| image_map                       = File:Ascension Parish Louisiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Donaldsonville Highlighted.svg
| mapsize                         = 
| map_alt                         = 
| map_caption                     = Location of Donaldsonville in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
| image_map1                      = Louisiana in United States (US48).svg
| mapsize1                        = 
| map_alt1                        = 
| map_caption1                    = Location of Louisiana in the United States
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| coordinates                     = {{coord|30|6|0|N|90|59|39|W|type:city_region:US-LA|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint                   = 
| coordinates_footnotes           = 
| grid_name                       = 
| grid_position                   = 
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = United States
| subdivision_type1               = State
| subdivision_name1               = Louisiana
| subdivision_type2               = Parish
| subdivision_name2               = [[Ascension Parish, Louisiana|Ascension]]
| subdivision_type3               = 
| subdivision_name3               = 
| established_title               = Founded
| established_date                = 
| founder                         = 
| named_for                       = 
| seat_type                       = 
| seat                            = 
| seat1_type                      = 
| seat1                           = 
| government_footnotes            = 
| government_type                 = 
| governing_body                  = 
| leader_party                    = 
| leader_title                    = Mayor
| leader_name                     = Leroy Sullivan, Sr. (elected 2012)
| leader_title1                   = 
| leader_name1                    = 
| total_type                      = 
| unit_pref                       = Imperial
| area_footnotes                  = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_22.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2                  = 9.84
| area_total_sq_mi                = 3.80
| area_land_km2                   = 9.78
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 3.78
| area_water_km2                  = 0.06
| area_water_sq_mi                = 0.02
| area_water_percent              = 
| area_metro_footnotes            = 
| area_metro_km2                  = 
| area_metro_sq_mi                = 
| area_rank                       = 
| elevation_footnotes             = 
| elevation_m                     = 
| elevation_ft                    = 26
| elevation_point                 = 
| elevation_max_footnotes         = 
| elevation_max_m                 = 
| elevation_max_ft                = 
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| elevation_min_footnotes         = 
| elevation_min_m                 = 
| elevation_min_ft                = 
| elevation_min_point             = 
| elevation_min_rank              = 
| population_as_of                = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes            = 
| population_total                = 6695
| pop_est_as_of                   = 
| pop_est_footnotes               = 
| population_est                  = 
| population_rank                 = 
| population_density_km2          = 684.23
| population_density_sq_mi        = 1772.10
| population_metro_footnotes      = 
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| population_density_metro_km2    = 
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| population_density_rank         = 
| population_demonym              = 
| population_note                 = 
| timezone1                       = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset1                     = -6
| timezone1_DST                   = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST                 = -5
| timezone2                       = 
| utc_offset2                     = 
| timezone2_DST                   = 
| utc_offset2_DST                 = 
| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code                     = 70346
| postal2_code_type               = 
| postal2_code                    = 
| area_code_type                  = 
| area_code                       = [[Area code 225|225]]
| geocode                         = 
| iso_code                        = 
| blank_name                      = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info                      = 22-21240
| blank1_name                     = 
| blank1_info                     = 
| blank2_name                     = 
| blank2_info                     = 
| blank_name_sec2                 = 
| blank_info_sec2                 = 
| blank1_name_sec2                = 
| blank1_info_sec2                = 
| blank2_name_sec2                = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2                = 
| website                         = http://www.donaldsonville-la.gov/
| footnotes                       = 
}}

'''Donaldsonville''' (historically {{langx|fr|Lafourche-des-Chitimachas}})<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecajuns.com/oldnew.htm |title=Cajun and Cajuns: Genealogy site for Cajun, Acadian and Louisiana genealogy, history and culture<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129211248/http://thecajuns.com/oldnew.htm |archive-date=2009-01-29 |url-status=live }}</ref> is a city in, and the [[parish seat]] of [[Ascension Parish, Louisiana|Ascension Parish]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Louisiana]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=2011-05-31 }}</ref> Located along the River Road of the west bank of the [[Mississippi River]], it is a part of the [[Baton Rouge metropolitan area|Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area]]. At the [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]], it had a population of 6,695.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=QuickFacts: Donaldsonville city, Louisiana|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/donaldsonvillecitylouisiana/POP010220|access-date=21 October 2021|website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

Donaldsonville's historic district has what has been described as the finest collection of buildings from the [[antebellum era]] to 1933, of any of the Louisiana [[Mississippi River|river]] towns above [[New Orleans]].<ref name="10best">>[http://modiphy.dnsconnect.net/~choiceti/main/uploads/File/10%20Free%20Things%20to%20do%20in%20Ascension%20Parish%20Updated.pdf "10 Best Free Things to Do in Ascension Parish"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019175345/http://modiphy.dnsconnect.net/~choiceti/main/uploads/File/10%20Free%20Things%20to%20do%20in%20Ascension%20Parish%20Updated.pdf |date=2013-10-19 }}</ref> Union forces attacked the city, occupying it and several of the river parishes beginning in 1862. [[Fort Butler (Donaldsonville, Louisiana)|Fort Butler]] was built on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The fort was successfully defended on June 28, 1863, against a Confederate attack. This battle was one of the first occasions when free blacks and fugitive slaves fought as soldiers on behalf of the Union. The fort is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].

After the war, in 1868 Donaldsonville residents elected as mayor [[Pierre Caliste Landry]], an attorney and Methodist minister; he was the first African American to be elected as mayor in the United States.<ref name="ambrose">{{cite book |last=Ambrose |first=Stephen E. |author-link=Stephen Ambrose |title=The Mississippi and the Making of a Nation: From the Louisiana Purchase to Today |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |year=2002 |page=62 |isbn=0-7922-6913-6}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:AscensionChurch1772.jpg|thumb|left|Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church in 1772.]]

The French were the first Europeans to colonize the area. They named the site ''Lafourche-des-Chitimachas,'' after the regional indigenous people and the local bayou, which they gave the same name.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecajuns.com/oldnew.htm |title=Old and New Names |access-date=2008-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129211248/http://thecajuns.com/oldnew.htm |archive-date=2009-01-29 |url-status=live }}</ref> They developed agriculture in the parish, mainly as sugar cane plantations worked by [[Ethnic groups of Africa|African]] [[History of slavery in Louisiana|slave labor]].

[[Acadians]], [[Great Upheaval|expelled by the British]] from [[Acadia]] in 1755, began to settle in the area from 1756 to 1785, where they developed small subsistence farms. Spanish [[Isleños]] also settled here. In 1772 when the territory was under Spanish rule, the militia constructed ''La Iglesia de la Ascensión de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo de Lafourche de los Chetimaches'' (the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church of Lafourche of the Chitimaches) to serve the area. The region returned later to French control for a time.<ref name="marker"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ascensioncatholic.com/about_us.html|title=A Eucharistic Community Since 1772|last=Sayett|website=www.ascensioncatholic.com|access-date=2018-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216205309/http://www.ascensioncatholic.com/about_us.html|archive-date=2018-02-16|url-status=live}}</ref>

This area was included in the [[Louisiana Purchase]] in 1803 and became part of the United States.<ref name="marker">{{cite web
|title=Donaldsonville Historical Marker
|author=Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism
|url=http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/Ascension/Donaldsonville/
|access-date=2009-08-05
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229122759/http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/Ascension/Donaldsonville/
|archive-date=2012-02-29
|url-status=live
}}</ref> Americans began to move into the area. Landowner and planter William Donaldson in 1806 commissioned the architect and planner, [[Barthelemy Lafon]], to plan a new town at this site. It was renamed Donaldsonville after him.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n106 107] | access-date=2016-10-14 }}</ref>

[[File:Louisiana State Capitol Donaldson 1830.jpg|thumb|right|The Louisiana State Capitol in Donaldsonville (1830)]]
Donaldsonville was designated as the Louisiana [[Capital city|capital]] (1829&ndash;1831),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.donaldsonville-la.gov/about-us/donaldsonville-history/|title=Donaldsville History - Donaldsonville, LA|website=www.donaldsonville-la.gov|access-date=2018-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216205045/http://www.donaldsonville-la.gov/about-us/donaldsonville-history/|archive-date=2018-02-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> as the result of conflict between the increasing number of [[English American|Anglo-Americans]], who deemed [[New Orleans]] "too noisy" and wanted to move the capital closer to their centers of population farther north in the state, and [[Louisiana Creole people|French Creoles]], who wanted to keep the capital in a historically-French area.

As a result of the wealth [[Planter (American South)|planters]] gained from [[Sugarcane|sugar]] and [[cotton]] [[commodity crop]]s, they built fine [[mansion]]s and other buildings in town during the [[Antebellum era|antebellum years]].

===Civil War===
In the summer of 1862, Donaldsonville was bombarded by [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] forces during the [[American Civil War]] as part of the Union's effort to gain control of the Mississippi River. The Union sent gunboats to the town and warned that if shots were fired, the [[Union Navy]] would strike the area for six miles to the south and nine miles to the north and destroy every building on every [[Plantations in the American South|plantation]]. Admiral [[David G. Farragut]] destroyed much of the former capital city and put Ascension Parish under [[martial law]], extending that to other [[Mississippi River|River]] parishes.

[[Historian]] [[John D. Winters]], in his ''The Civil War in Louisiana'' (1963), describes the scene:

<blockquote>The irate naval commander, Admiral Farragut, ordered the bombardment of Donaldsonville as soon as it could be evacuated. All of the citizens of Donaldsonville . . . "left their homes and went to the bayou . . . a detachment of Yankees went to shore with fire torches in hand." The hotels, warehouses, dwellings, and some of the most valuable buildings of the town were destroyed, Plantations . . . were bombarded and set afire. . . . A citizens' committee met and decided to ask [[Governor of Louisiana|Governor]] [[Thomas Overton Moore|Moore]] to keep the [Confederate] Rangers from firing on Federal boats. These attacks did no real good and brought only crude reprisals against the innocent and helped to keep the [[Negro]]es stirred up.<ref>[[John D. Winters]], ''The Civil War in Louisiana'', [[Baton Rouge]]: [[Louisiana State University Press]], 1963, {{ISBN|0-8071-0834-0}}, p. 153</ref></blockquote>

A citizen complained that the Rangers were useless and lawless, unable or unwilling to protect Confederate property. The citizen added that the Confederate people "could not fare worse were we surrounded by a band of [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]]'s mercenary hirelings. Our homes are entered and pillaged of everything that they [Rangers] see fit to appropriate to themselves."<ref>Winters, p. 153</ref>

Union forces established a base at Donaldsonville for their occupation of river parishes. They took over some plantations, running them as U.S. government plantations to supply the forces and produce cotton.<ref name="butler"/>

==== Fort Butler ====
Many escaping slaves entered the Union lines to gain freedom. General [[Benjamin Butler (politician)|Benjamin Butler]] had declared them "[[Contraband (American Civil War)|contrabands]]" of war and would not return them to slaveholders. They stayed and worked with Union forces, helping build the star-shaped [[Fort Butler (Donaldsonville, Louisiana)|Fort Butler]] in the town. A work of earth and wood, it was 381 feet long on the side by the Mississippi River, the other was protected by [[Bayou Lafourche]], and the land sides by a deep moat.<ref name="butler">[http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20080716/NEWS/307169932 "Fort Butler Memorial"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019094914/http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/article/20080716/NEWS/307169932 |date=2013-10-19 }}, ''Donaldsonville Chief'', 16 July 2008, accessed 18 October 2013</ref> A stockade surrounded the fort, which contained a high and thick earth parapet. There was further security from a strong log. The fort was built to accommodate 600 men, but in 1863 there were a small garrison of 180 Union men, commanded by Major Joseph Bullen of the 28th Maine; the forces were also made up of the [[1st Louisiana Volunteers]], a few [[Louisiana Native Guard (United States)|Louisiana Native Guard]] convalescents, and some fugitive slaves.<ref name="butler" />

In June 1863, Confederate forces attacked Fort Butler at night. Led by [[Thomas Green (general)|General Tom Green]], more than 1,000 Texas Rangers attacked the fort. Free blacks and fugitive slaves joined in the successful defense of the fort, in one of the first times they fought as soldiers on behalf of the Union. The ''[[New York Tribune]]'' wrote; "When action took place the negroes were stimulated to daring deeds."<ref name="butler"/> Historian Don Frazier, wrote; "Not only did black hands build this citadel of freedom, they defended it to the death."<ref name="butler"/> The Union kept control of the fort and ultimately won the war. It has been listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].

===Post-Civil War===
After the war, Donaldsonville became the third-largest [[Black people|black]] community in the state, as more freedmen moved there to join those who had settled near Union forces for safety during the war. In 1868 the city elected the first African-American mayor in the United States, [[Pierre Caliste Landry]],<ref name="ambrose"/> a former slave who been educated in schools on a plantation owned by the Bringier family. After the war, he had advanced to become an attorney and state politician, serving in both houses of the legislature. He also became a Methodist Episcopal minister.<ref name="amistad">[http://www.amistadresearchcenter.org/archon/?p=creators/creator&id=133 Shannon Burrell, "Dunn-Landry Family"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019093651/http://www.amistadresearchcenter.org/archon/?p=creators%2Fcreator&id=133 |date=2013-10-19 }}, Amistad Research Center</ref>

Donaldsonville is the home of one of the [[Oldest synagogues in the United States|oldest synagogue building]]s still standing in the United States.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues |first=Mark W. |last=Gordon |journal=American Jewish History |volume=84 |issue=1 |year=1996 |pages=11–27 |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_jewish_history/v084/84.1gordon.html |doi=10.1353/ajh.1996.0013 |s2cid=162276183 |access-date=2009-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106213258/http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_jewish_history/v084/84.1gordon.html |archive-date=2016-11-06 |url-status=live }}</ref> The wooden structure was built in 1872 by Congregation Bikur Cholim, which disbanded in the 1940s. It is now used as an [[Ace Hardware]] store.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.smallsynagogues.com/donaldsonville.htm |title=Small Synagogues<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2018-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915190340/http://www.smallsynagogues.com/donaldsonville.htm |archive-date=2017-09-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Jewish Cemetery dates to 1800s and is located on the corner of St. Patrick Street and Marchand Drive.

Mechanization of agriculture and other changes resulted in a major loss of population in Ascension Parish from 1900 to 1930, particularly from 1920 to 1930. This was the period of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]], when tens of thousands of African Americans left the rural South to go for opportunities in northern and midwestern cities. Such changes also drew off business from the parish seat. Ascension Parish lost more than 16% of its population in that decade. In the [[Great Depression]], the area struggled economically.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

[[File:Group Watching Magician Donaldsonville LA Fair 1938.jpg|thumb|right|An audience watches a magician perform at the Louisiana State Fair in Donaldsonville (1938)]]
Historian [[Sidney A. Marchand]], who was also an attorney, was elected as mayor of the city and state legislator during that period. He served as a state Senator and contemporary of Governor [[Huey Long]]. During the mayoral administrations of Sidney A. Marchand and his son Sidney Marchand, Jr., they directed the construction of significant infrastructure in Donaldsonville (including about 12 miles of paving, and the still-extant sewerage system). Today the Donaldsonville Historic District has what is described as the "finest collection of buildings from the pre-Civil War to 1933 period" of rivertowns above New Orleans.<ref name="10best"/> It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the 21st century, Donaldsonville is a small city with numerous historic sites. Since 2008, the [[River Road African American Museum]], located in the city, has been included on the [[Louisiana African American Heritage Trail]].<ref>[http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/travel/25trail.html?scp=4&sq=Louisiana&st=nyt Ron Stodghill, "Driving Back Into Louisiana's History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520043048/http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/travel/25trail.html?scp=4&sq=Louisiana&st=nyt |date=2011-05-20 }}, ''New York Times'', 26 May 2008, accessed 7 July 2008</ref> It also has parks, Civil War grounds, and shopping centers.

The official newspaper of the city is the ''[[Donaldsonville Chief]]'', which has been published since 1871.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/ |title=''Donaldsonville Chief'' |access-date=2009-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103200740/http://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/ |archive-date=2009-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.5|sqmi|km2}}, all land. Coming upriver on the Mississippi, Donaldsonville is the point of the first expanse of land beyond the narrow natural levee. The city sits approximately 25 feet above sea level. Donaldsonville is located where [[Bayou Lafourche]], a [[distributary]] of the Mississippi River, formerly branched off until the entrance was dammed in 1905.<ref>{{cite book|author=Martin Reuss|title=Designing the Bayous: The Control of Water in the Atchafalaya Basin, 1800-1995|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WpYh250Fo6wC&pg=PA90|date=2 June 2004|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|isbn=978-1-60344-632-7|pages=90–}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Weather box
|location = Donaldsonville, Louisiana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)
|single line = yes
|Jan record high F = 92
|Feb record high F = 88
|Mar record high F = 94
|Apr record high F = 97
|May record high F = 100
|Jun record high F = 102
|Jul record high F = 102
|Aug record high F = 105
|Sep record high F = 103
|Oct record high F = 100
|Nov record high F = 92
|Dec record high F = 90
|year record high F = 104

|Jan avg record high F = 77.4
|Feb avg record high F = 79.6
|Mar avg record high F = 83.5
|Apr avg record high F = 86.7
|May avg record high F = 91.2
|Jun avg record high F = 94.2
|Jul avg record high F = 95.4
|Aug avg record high F = 95.9
|Sep avg record high F = 93.8
|Oct avg record high F = 89.5
|Nov avg record high F = 83.4
|Dec avg record high F = 79.7
|year avg record high F = 96.7

|Jan high F = 62.1
|Feb high F = 66.1
|Mar high F = 72.4
|Apr high F = 78.4
|May high F = 84.9
|Jun high F = 89.2
|Jul high F = 90.6
|Aug high F = 90.8
|Sep high F = 87.6
|Oct high F = 80.3
|Nov high F = 70.9
|Dec high F = 64.4
|year high F = 78.1
|Jan mean F = 51.9
|Feb mean F = 55.6
|Mar mean F = 61.7
|Apr mean F = 67.8
|May mean F = 75.0
|Jun mean F = 80.4
|Jul mean F = 82.1
|Aug mean F = 81.9
|Sep mean F = 78.3
|Oct mean F = 69.4
|Nov mean F = 59.8
|Dec mean F = 54.1
|year mean F = 68.2
|Jan low F = 41.7
|Feb low F = 45.2
|Mar low F = 51.0
|Apr low F = 57.1
|May low F = 65.1
|Jun low F = 71.6
|Jul low F = 73.5
|Aug low F = 73.1
|Sep low F = 69.1
|Oct low F = 58.6
|Nov low F = 48.6
|Dec low F = 43.7
|year low F = 58.2

|Jan avg record low F = 25.6
|Feb avg record low F = 30.4
|Mar avg record low F = 34.1
|Apr avg record low F = 42.1
|May avg record low F = 53.4
|Jun avg record low F = 64.8
|Jul avg record low F = 69.0
|Aug avg record low F = 68.4
|Sep avg record low F = 57.9
|Oct avg record low F = 42.4
|Nov avg record low F = 33.5
|Dec avg record low F = 29.1
|year avg record low F = 24.3

|Jan record low F = 10
|Feb record low F = 3
|Mar record low F = 24
|Apr record low F = 32
|May record low F = 41
|Jun record low F = 54
|Jul record low F = 59
|Aug record low F = 60
|Sep record low F = 43
|Oct record low F = 26
|Nov record low F = 21
|Dec record low F = 9
|year record low F = 3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 5.78
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.11
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.03
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.88
|May precipitation inch = 5.64
|Jun precipitation inch = 6.97
|Jul precipitation inch = 6.51
|Aug precipitation inch = 6.37
|Sep precipitation inch = 5.39
|Oct precipitation inch = 4.65
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.21
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.86
|year precipitation inch = 63.40
|Jan snow inch = 0.0
|Feb snow inch = 0.0
|Mar snow inch = 0.0
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.0
|Dec snow inch = 0.1
|year snow inch = 0.1
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 10.6
|Feb precipitation days = 8.9
|Mar precipitation days = 8.0
|Apr precipitation days = 7.4
|May precipitation days = 8.0
|Jun precipitation days = 12.3
|Jul precipitation days = 13.4
|Aug precipitation days = 12.9
|Sep precipitation days = 8.9
|Oct precipitation days = 6.7
|Nov precipitation days = 7.3
|Dec precipitation days = 9.0
|year precipitation days = 113.4
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 0.0
|Feb snow days = 0.0
|Mar snow days = 0.0
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.0
|Dec snow days = 0.2
|year snow days = 0.2
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= NOAA >
{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=lix
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = August 28, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00162534&format=pdf
| title = Station: Donaldsonville 4 SW, LA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = August 28, 2021}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 1475
|1870= 1573
|1880= 2600
|1890= 3121
|1900= 4105
|1910= 4090
|1920= 3745
|1930= 3788
|1940= 3889
|1950= 4150
|1960= 6082
|1970= 7367
|1980= 7901
|1990= 7949
|2000= 7605
|2010= 7436
|2020= 6695
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Donaldsonville racial composition as of 2020<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2221240&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-28|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 1,208
| 18.04%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 5,176
| 77.31%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 1
| 0.01%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 13
| 0.19%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 136
| 2.03%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 161
| 2.4%
|}
At the [[census]] of 2000,<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> there were 7,605 people, 2,656 households, and 1,946 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|2,986.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,948 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,157.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. In 2020, the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] determined 6,695 people lived in the city, down from 7,436 in 2010.<ref name=":0" /> There were 3,031 households and 1,846 families in the city at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].

In 2000, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 29.82% [[White Americans|White]], 69.13% Black or African American, 0.12% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.12% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.37% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|other races]], and 0.45% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]] of any race were 1.10% of the population. By 2020, the racial and ethnic makeup was 18.04% [[Non-Hispanic whites|non-Hispanic white]], 77.31% African American, 0.01% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 2.03% from two or more races, and 2.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref name=":1" />

In 2000, 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. From 2014 to 2019, its median household income increased to $25,551 and $36,667 for families.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2014-2019 Annual Income Estimates|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2221240&tid=ACSST5Y2019.S1901&hidePreview=true|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-21|website=United States Census Bureau|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021222622/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2221240&tid=ACSST5Y2019.S1901&hidePreview=true |archive-date=2021-10-21 }}</ref> At the 2021 [[American Community Survey]], the median income was $20,052, while families had a median income of $26,061, down from the 2000 census.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2021 ACS Income Estimates |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=income&g=1600000US2221240 |access-date=2023-01-17 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Bernette Joshua Johnson]] (1943 - ) Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, (2013 – 2020) and Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from the 7th district (1994 - 2020) 
* [[D-D Breaux]] – head coach of the [[LSU Lady Tigers gymnastics]] team<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=174080|title=LSUsports.net - The Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics|website=www.lsusports.net|language=en|access-date=2018-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216205009/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=174080|archive-date=2018-02-16|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Jarvis Green]] – defensive end, NFL's [[New England Patriots]]
* [[Howard Green (American football)|Howard Green]] – defensive end, [[NFL]]
* [[Jack P. F. Gremillion]] (1914–2001) – Attorney General of Louisiana, 1956–1972
* [[Henry Johnson (Louisiana)|Henry Johnson]] – Governor of Louisiana (1824–28)
* [[Plas Johnson]] – saxophonist
* [[Duncan F. Kenner]] (1813–1887) – built [[Ashland Plantation]], [[Confederate States of America|C.S.A.]] ambassador to France & England, horse racer, founder of [[Kenner, Louisiana|Kenner]]
* [[Joseph Aristide Landry]] (1817–1881) – Congressman
* [[Pierre Caliste Landry]] – first African-American mayor in the US (1868)<ref>[http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/travel/25trail.html?scp=4&sq=Louisiana&st=nyt Ron Stodghill, "Driving Back Into Louisiana’s History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520043048/http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/travel/25trail.html?scp=4&sq=Louisiana&st=nyt |date=2011-05-20 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', 25 May 2008, accessed 7 July 2008</ref>
* [[John Harvey Lowery]] (1860–1941) – physician and philanthropist
* [[Francis T. Nicholls]] – Governor of Louisiana (1877–80, 1888–92), [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] general
* [[Joe "King" Oliver|King Oliver]] (1881–1938) – [[jazz musician]]
* [[Stephen Sullivan (American football)|Stephen Sullivan]] – NFL tight end for [[Carolina Panthers]]
* [[Nicholas Trist]] – negotiator of the [[Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo]]
* [[Sarah S. Vance]] – judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
* [[Edward Douglass White, Sr.]] – [[Governor of Louisiana]] (1834–38), father of the [[Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court|US Chief Justice]]
* [[Claiborne Williams]] (1868–1952) – bandleader

==See also==
* [[Landry Tomb]], in Ascension Catholic Cemetery, Donaldsonville
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Ascension Parish, Louisiana]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.donaldsonville-la.gov/ City of Donaldsonville website]
* [http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/louisiana/don.htm National Park Service web page on Donaldsonville Historic District]

{{Commons category}}
{{Ascension Parish, Louisiana}}
{{Louisiana parish seats}}
{{Louisiana}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Donaldsonville, Louisiana| ]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1806]]
[[Category:Former state capitals in the United States|Louisiana]]
[[Category:Cities in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Cities in Ascension Parish, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Parish seats in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Cities in the Baton Rouge metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Louisiana Isleño communities]]
[[Category:Louisiana populated places on the Mississippi River]]