2015 Map of North Bend

About this map

Bayou Sale and the Intracoastal Waterway define the hydraulic character of this St. Mary Parish landscape, where a dense network of coulees and bayous meet engineered canals and channels. The settlement pattern follows the higher ground along the waterways, with linear communities like Shadyside, Fairfax, and Ricohoc positioned near the BNSF Railway corridor. Numerous family and community burial sites, including Douglas Cem and Shadyside-Fairfax Cem, are preserved across the lowlands, reflecting a deep-seated genealogy tied to the coastal prairies. The map details the transition from agricultural land to the marshy outlets of the Wax Lake Outlet and Wax North Channel, illustrating the complex water management systems of the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway. South of North Bend, the landscape opens into a maze of named channels like Bayou Blue and Plume Bayou, showing the natural deltaic progression toward the coast.