Overview
A diamond-shaped area of south-central Louisiana, the “Bayou Region” encompasses the parishes of Assumption, Lafourche, and Terrebonne. Bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, the region boasts a trained and exceptionally productive workforce that is the heart and soul of future industrial growth in the area. This is the work force that built the Louisiana oil industry; men and women who not only whip up spicy jambalaya and catch sacks of juicy crawfish, but who are also skilled boat builders, well drillers, farmers, chemists, seafood processors, technicians, managers and construction workers.

Location
Centrally located 60 miles from New Orleans and 100 miles to Baton Rouge and Lafayette, the Bayou region has prospered because of its people, its location and its natural resources – the building blocks of many successful businesses.

Workforce
Today, a young labor pool of skilled and unskilled hard-working people lives in the region, where the population exceeds 160,000. As a "Right-to-Work" state, Louisiana enjoys excellent labor-management relations and low unionization in the manufacturing sector. With a civilian labor force of approximately 94,000, the Bayou Region offers an abundant labor supply.

Ports
Two public ports and several private ports are located on or linked to the Intracoastal Canal, which cuts through the Bayou Region. These ports offer various facility sites complete with utilities and access to low cost shipping on the canal. Five million to seven million tons of freight are shipped annually on the Intracoastal Canal through South Louisiana, destined for ports on the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River, and major U.S. and foreign destinations. Located off the shores of South Louisiana just beyond Port Fourchon, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) serves as the central unloading and distribution point for all incoming supertankers to the Gulf Region. The LOOP is located 19 miles southeast of Port Fourchon in water 100 feet deep with shore support facilities at the port.

Transportation
U.S. Highway 90 transversely intersects all three parishes, connecting them to nearby interstates I-10, I-310, I-49, I-59 and I-55. The Southern Pacific Railroad and three additional railroads serve the area, as do 10 motor freight carriers, private/public bus lines and four special delivery services. Three airports offer aviation services to freight and charter services. The parishes within the Bayou Region are all within two hours from major commercial airports in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge.

Higher Education
The Bayou Region is the home of Nicholls State University. Nicholls enrolls more than 7,000 students annually in its colleges of business administration, education, arts and sciences, and life sciences and technology. Graduate programs are offered in several fields and University College classes are available at off-campus locations throughout the region. These educational opportunities are enhanced by a unique educational opportunity in marine science discipline. The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) located on the Gulf of Mexico at Cocodrie is an organization of Louisiana's 13 public universities. LUMCON provides modern facilities for marine science research, education and technology.

Health Care
A variety of South Louisiana facilities provide exceptional health care, including community and acute care hospitals, chemical dependency units, and walk-in emergency clinics. Specialists cover almost the entire range of medical care and have access to the most sophisticated equipment. Additional health care facilities are only an hour away in New Orleans.

Quality of Life
When it comes to good times, the folks of the Bayou Region know just how to do it right! During a seven-month period, from May to November, more than 30 weekend fairs or festivals occur in the three-parish area of South Louisiana. Cajun food, music and fais-do-do (dancing) as well as crafts and exhibits make these events unique and special. Area restaurants feature some of the best Cajun cooking available (of course), as well as Chinese, Italian, American and Mexican cuisine. South Louisiana also offers 632 square miles of inland waters and 194 miles of coastline, including Gulf beaches at Grand Isle. Fresh and salt water fishing, hunting, camping, canoeing, crabbing, crawfishing, skiing, boating and sailing are always only minutes away.