Paradis, LA

Paradis is a St. Charles Parish census-designated place with 1,242 residents in the 2020 census, set on the parish’s west bank between the river communities and the wetlands to the south. Louisiana Highway 631 links Paradis with Boutte to the northeast and U.S. 90 near Des Allemands to the southwest, while Old Spanish Trail remains part of the older local map. St. Charles Parish Public Schools connect the area with schools in Paradis and Hahnville. Oil, railroads, and the former cypress industry all left marks on the surrounding parish.

Edouard Paradis came from Quebec in 1856 to supply crossties for railroads being built through St. Charles Parish. After his widow sold the town site in 1906, Illinois investors led by Julius Funk planned a model community meant to impress passengers looking out from the train. A school, church, bank, stores, park, and hotel formed the early center. A 1914 Presbyterian church is now St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, and the old Paradis theater building still stands. Oil was discovered at Paradis in 1939, adding the town to the parish’s industrial map. Paradis is a Louisiana place where railroad planning, German Coast settlement, schools, and oil-country work meet.