Geography
New Roads is located at 30°41′47″N 91°26′20″W / 30.69639°N 91.43889°W / 30.69639; -91.43889 (30.696305, -91.438980) and has an elevation of 30 feet (9.1 m).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.8 km²), all of it land.
Gradually sloping from a high of 36 feet (11 m) above sea level on Main Street immediately adjacent to False River to a low of 25 feet (7.6 m) along Portage Canal in the north, the city lies on a Mississippi River flood-plain but has never flooded to any great extent since 1912. Levee breaks or "crevasses" on the Mississippi River to the north and east overbanked False River and submerged all of New Roads in 1867, 1882 and 1884. The 1882 flood was the most severe, with four feet on water standing in Main Street during the height of the crises. During the floods of 1912 and 1927, however, the southern portion of the town, including the main business district, remained dry, as the flood waters to the north and east were held back by the Texas & Pacific Railroad embankment.
Read more about this topic: New Roads, Louisiana
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