The community of Watson is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in Louisiana’s Livingston Parish and is situated north of Denham Springs at 30°34′30″ N, 90°57′10″ W. The intersection of Louisiana 16 and Louisiana 1019 is used to describe the general location of Watson.
Watson is an unincorporated community, but it has a Post Office. Residents and businesses with a Post Office Box use ZIP Code 70786. All other residents and businesses must use an address of Denham Springs, which is the nearest incorporated municipality, with ZIP Code 70706.
Because Watson is an unincorporated community, there are no elected local representatives. Livingston Parish has jurisdiction over this community. There is no official community website, but the unofficial site WatsonLA.com is active and lists many current and upcoming events for the area. The site also contains a convenient listing of community businesses with telephone numbers.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Watson has three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The elementary schools educate children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade levels. From 2010 to 2011, 677 students attended Live Oak Elementary School. North Live Oak Elementary School had an enrollment of 844 students during this same time period, and 555 students attended South Live Oak Elementary School. The Live Oak Middle School, which contains grades six through eight, had a total enrollment of 963 students from 2010 to 2011. The Live Oak High School had an enrollment of 1,175 students for this same period.
The Livingston Parish Public Library is not a member of any library system or cooperative service, but it does have six local branches. Any member of the Livingston Parish Public Library may download eBooks and audio books from multiple service sites and physically check out books from any branch. The Watson Branch is located at 36581 Outback Road in Denham Springs.
The Watson area hosts 12 churches. The majority of these churches are Southern Baptist congregations, but other denominations are represented as well. The Live Oak United Methodist Church at 34890 Highway 16 is reportedly one of the oldest churches in the area. It was originally a log structure that the Union Army burned to the ground during the Civil War, but it was rebuilt shortly thereafter. A wood frame building was constructed in 1893 and was used until the 1950s.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Map Service Center provides access to National Flood Insurance Program maps for Livingston Parish and all communities within that jurisdiction. As an unincorporated community, Watson does not have a unique FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map panel, and all special flood hazard area data must be obtained from the larger Livingston Parish maps. The community is approximately 65 feet above sea level.
As with all of Louisiana, the climate of Watson is considered subtropical and extremely humid. The winter season is short and relatively warm, and the summer season is long and hot. Air conditioning is not a luxury item in this region, and air conditioning service is always in demand. Mold spores grow easily in humid environments, and many types of mold can cause dangerous respiratory illnesses in humans. Air conditioning units dehumidify the air as they cool it, and less humid air is usually healthier air.
S & E Heating, Air and Plumbing, located at 103 Business Park Avenue in Dunham Springs, understands the importance of properly functioning plumbing, heating and air conditioning systems to the health and comfort of a family or business. They service all makes and models of residential heating and cooling systems and service commercial systems up to 25 tons. S&E also can take care of home and business plumbing service needs. Their factory-trained technicians can replace damaged parts, install new systems, or simply provide preventive maintenance to keep an existing system operating for many years to come.
S & E Heating & Air is a family owned and operated company with competitive pricing and live operator answering service available 24 hours per day to handle emergency air conditioning repair calls.