Rich Heritage

Bountiful Opportunity

People from all over the world visit Jefferson Davis Parish to enjoy and experience rich Cajun and Native American culture. Jeff Davis Parish’s location, natural beauty, climate and small-town atmosphere offer a unique place for your family or business.

Diverse

The parish’s economic base includes health care services, shipbuilding, construction, agriculture, manufacturing, including a Rum Distillery and oil field services. The parish has many industrial sites including the Lacassine Industrial Park on I-10 and T.O. Allen.

Strategic

Four main transportation arteries run through the parish with I-10, US 90 and US 190 east to west, and US 165 to the north and Jeff Davis is strategically located between two major markets. The Jennings Airport has a 5,000-foot runway and can land a small jet and is conveniently located next to Interstate 10.

Connected

Additionally, the Union Pacific Railroad is centrally located within the parish and the Mermentau River, which connects to the Intracoastal Waterway and has a channel depth of nine feet, provides access to the Port of Mermentau.

Intersection of Opportunity

INDUSTRIAL, AGRICULTURAL & COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Spanning more than 650 square miles in the Southwest portion of Louisiana, Jeff Davis Parish is strategically located between Lake Charles and Lafayette. These positions the parish to be located near several major highway networks, airports, railways and waterways – all making travel and distribution in and out of the area quick and convenient.

Prime Location

Ready for Business

Located within the parish is an industrial park consisting of hundreds of acres of prime industrial real estate and is located one half-mile from I-10. The park features two-mile-long rail spurs, state-of-the-art scale house, and all the amenities required to do business within the park.

  • Porocel and Quanta, catalyst produces catalyst for the chemical plants in Lake Charles.

  • The Southwest Louisiana Rail Facility, loads rough rice and other grains to ship via rail directly to Mexico.

  • Zagis USA – a 20-million-dollar cotton-spinning mill processing 50 million pounds of cotton annually is located West of the Park.

  • Bayou Rum is handmade in the largest privately-owned rum distillery in the USA, utilizing traditional methods with state-of-the-art technology for all four steps: fermentation, distillation, maturation, and bottling. The beautiful facility in Lacassine, Louisiana offers distillery tours, rum tasting bar and an incomparable gift shop experience for those who visit the home of Bayou Rum.

The Right Location is Waiting for You

We’ve got acres of opportunity.

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Something for Everyone

Diverse People & Communities

The diversity of the people and the communities that surround Jennings combine to form something for everyone.  The area offers excellent Cajun cuisine, local music, a world-renowned fine arts museum, a turn-of-the-century general store museum and a museum dedicated to the history of the telephone.  Also, a wide range of antique and gift shops, historic homes and buildings, scenic wetland and byways, parks, majestic live oak and cypress groves, outdoor recreation including boating, hunting and fishing.

From the Native Americans to the Cajun and Creole French, African American and the mid-western settlers brought in by the railroad industry, Jeff Davis Parish has a something for everyone.  Aspects of these influences are evident in today’s communities across the area and the blend has resulted in a pride and hospitality uniquely ours.

Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge

Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge is nearly 35,000-acre freshwater marsh habitat. The refuge preserves a major wintering site for waterfowl in the United States.

Historical wintering duck populations and geese at Lacassine are among the largest in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Most wildlife species found on the refuge are those indigenous to the marshes of coastal Louisiana. Nesting colonies of wading birds, alligators, and furbearers such as mink, otter, and raccoon are found on the refuge. Threatened and endangered species that have used the refuge include bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and Louisiana black bear. Recreational opportunities are available. Hunting, fishing, and bird watching are all popular refuge activities.

“Cradle of Louisiana Oil”

Oil history in Louisiana began on September 21, 1901, when the state’s first oil well, located in the Jennings Field, was brought in.

A quintet of men from Jennings, after securing enough leases and free sale of simple tracts of land to justify development, presented the proposition to W. Scott Heywood, who was then on his way to fame as an oil operator. Heywood organized the Jennings Oil Company and started the first well. When drilling for his first well, a depth of 1,000 feet was reached without discovery. The situation looked discouraging, but the men had faith in the project and drilling was continued. Oil sand was encountered at 1,700 feet. After the drillers penetrated 110 feet of very prolific oil sand, the well came in pumping at a rate of 7,000 barrels per day. Today the oil and gas industry remain a key element in the economic development of the area and the town of Jennings is known as the “Cradle of Louisiana Oil.”

Parish Partners

Leveraging Our Strengths

Jeff Davis Parish’s local and area agencies and organizations work collaboratively to leverage the strengths of each entity to create opportunities for business expansion and to bring new businesses into the area, both of which will create better paying jobs; thereby, improve living standards and ensuring sustainable growth.