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Louisiana State...
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Louisiana Parishes
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Click Image to Enlarge
Louisiana Parishes
Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes in the same way that 48 of the other states of the United
States are divided into counties (Alaska is divided into boroughs and census areas).
On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature divided the state into 19 parishes, without getting rid of the
old counties (which continued to exist until 1845).
In 1811, a
constitutional convention organized the state into seven judicial districts, each consisting of groups of
parishes. In 1816, the first official map of the state used the term, as did the 1845 constitution. Since then,
the official term has been parishes. |
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Evangeline Parish, Louisiana
Evangeline Parish History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Ville Platte
Year Organized: 1908
Square Miles: 664 |
Court House: 200 Court Street
Parish Courthouse Building
Ville Platte, LA 70586-4463
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Etymology - Origin of Parish Name
the parish was named in honor of the Acadian heroine of the poem "Evangeline" by Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Evangeline Parish was created on January 1, 1911, from St Landry Parish and the parish was named in honor of the
Acadian heroine of the poem "Evangeline" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Parish seat is Ville Platte.
In 1890, there were almost no roads and few bridges causing the distance of 30-40 miles to the parish seat of Opelousas,
St. Landry Parish, a hardship for many people to travel to pay their taxes, attend court, etc. Talk began of forming a
new parish from St. Landry. In 1908, one of the political issues was the formation of a new parish. P. L. Fontenot, from
Ville Platte, LA, introduced a bill requesting the formation of this new parish. This new bill passed the house and on
January 1, 1911.
Neighboring Parishes:
- North: Rapides Parish
- Northeast: Avoyelles Parish
- Southeast: St. Landry Parish
- South: Acadia Parish
- Southwest: Jefferson Davis Parish
- West: Allen Parish
Cities and Towns:
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- Basile |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Chataignier |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Mamou |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Pine Prairie |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Turkey Creek |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Ville Platte
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
Parish Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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