DUTCHTOWN - Brian Schuetee moved his family from Baton Rouge to the
Dutchtown area of Ascension Parish about ten years ago because of the lower property taxes and schools.

"The school system here far exceeds what they offer in public schools
in Baton Rouge, so we don't have to pay for private schooling," Schuetee said.

And the Schuetees are not alone in their move. Ascension Parish is the
fastest-growing parish in the capital region, and second fastest in Lousiana.

More than 10,000 people have moved to Ascension since 2010,
that's an 18 percent increase in population, with more than 126,000 people now calling the parish home.

"The people I live around are great, especially in this neighborhood," Schuetee said.

But the parish now has a moratorium in place to help control the growth. It has a nine-month waiting period when construction can start on new subdivisions, so parish officials can make sure new developments will not cause flooding or traffic issues.

"It's growing so fast that I don't know that the infrastructure can really handle it. The traffic is just horrible on some this these roads," Schuetee said.

West Baton Rouge is the second-fastest-growing parish in the region, with a population increase of 11 percent and more than 26,000 residents in 2020.