Why does Louisiana not have counties?
 Seal of the State of Louisiana |
The State of Louisiana does not have "counties" as regional governments below the state level, but instead has "parishes". The only state besides Louisiana not to have counties is Alaska, which has "boroughs".
Louisiana was officially Roman Catholic under the rule of both France and Spain. The boundaries dividing the territories generally coincided with church parishes. In 1807, the territorial legislature officially adopted the ecclesiastical term "parish".
The original parishes were established in 1807. In 1910, the final four parishes were created, i.e., Evangeline, Allen, Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis.
List of Louisiana Parishes and Parish Seats
Today, Louisiana has 64 parishes, as shown in the table below.
| Parish Names | Parish Seats |
|---|---|
Acadia |
Crowley |
Allen |
Oberlin |
Ascension |
Donaldsonville |
Assumption |
Napoleonville |
Avoyelles |
Marksville |
Beauregard |
DeRidder |
Bienville |
Arcadia |
Bossier |
Benton |
Caddo |
Shreveport |
Calcasieu |
Lake Charles |
Caldwell |
Columbia |
Cameron |
Cameron |
Catahoula |
Harrisonburg |
Claiborne |
Homer |
Concordia |
Vidalia |
DeSoto |
Mansfield |
East Baton Rouge |
Baton Rouge |
East Carroll |
Lake Providence |
East Feliciana |
Clinton |
Evangeline |
Ville Platte |
Franklin |
Winnsboro |
Grant |
Colfax |
Iberia |
New Iberia |
Iberville |
Plaquemine |
Jackson |
Jonesboro |
Jefferson |
Gretna |
Jefferson Davis |
Jennings |
Lafayette |
Lafayette |
Lafourche |
Thibodaux |
Lasalle |
Jena |
Lincoln |
Ruston |
Livingston |
Livingston |
Madison |
Tallulah |
Morehouse |
Bastrop |
Natchitoches |
Natchitoches |
Orleans |
New Orleans |
Ouachita |
Monroe |
Plaquemines |
Pointe a la Hache |
Pointe Coupee |
New Roads |
Rapides |
Alexandria |
Rred River |
Coushatta |
Richland |
Rayville |
Sabine |
Many |
Saint Bernard |
Chalmette |
Saint Charles |
Hahnville |
Saint Helena |
Greensburg |
Saint James |
Convent |
Saint John the Baptist |
Edgard |
Saint Landry |
Opelousas |
Saint Martin |
Saint Martinville |
Saint Mary |
Franklin |
Saint Tammany |
Covington |
Tangipahoa |
Amite |
Tensas |
Saint Joseph |
Terrebonne |
Houma |
Union |
Farmerville |
Vermilion |
Abbeville |
Vernon |
Leesville |
Washington |
Franklinton |
Webster |
Minden |
West Baton Rouge |
Port Allen |
West Carroll |
Oak Grove |
West Feliciana |
Saint Francisville |
Winn |
Winnfield |
Map of Louisiana Parishes
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