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Louisiana State...
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Louisiana Parishes
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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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Iberville Parish, Louisiana
Iberville Parish History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Plaquemine
Year Organized: 1807
Square Miles: 619 |
Court House: P.O. Box 389
Parish Courthouse
Plaquemine, LA 70765-0389
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Etymology - Origin of Parish Name
The parish was named in honor of an explorer named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, the brother of Jean-Baptiste
Le Moyne de Bienville
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Iberville Parish was created on 1807, from Assumption and Ascension Parishes and the parish was named in honor of an
explorer named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, the brother of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The Parish seat is
Plaquemine
Iberville was “discovered” by French explorer Pierre LeMoyne, Sieur d’Iberville in 1699, but its rich delta soil and
many waterways had been discovered by Indian tribes long before Iberville ever set foot here. While it was initially an
agricultural area, Iberville has changed through the centuries to accommodate the changing times. The parish has always
had plenty of sugarcane and soybean fields, but through the years the hardwood timber industry, river commerce and now
industrial development have been essential to a thriving parish economy.
From the 1800s until the mid-1900s, Louisiana produced more sugar than any other state in the nation, and Iberville, as
the state’s leading sugarcane producer, drew the name “Sweet Iberville.” By the late 1800s Bayou Plaquemine, running
through the heart of Iberville, became the most common route from the Mississippi River into the interior of Louisiana,
and this water traffic brought a boom in the parish’s timber and sawmill industries and a variety of commercial
establishments catering to travelers. It also resulted in the construction of the historic Plaquemine Lock.
With the agricultural, timber, sawmill, and water commerce industries powering the economy, Iberville prospered into the
1960s, when the Lock was finally closed, replaced by a bigger structure closer to Baton Rouge. But by this time the
chemical industry had realized the many advantages that Iberville offered with its access to the Mississippi River,
interstate travel, electrical power and hard-working people. Today, the chemical and agriculture industries power the
economy, and exist in harmony with the tourism industry.
The parish now has six municipalities - Plaquemine, the largest city and capital of the parish, St. Gabriel, White
Castle, Rosedale, Grosse Tete and Maringouin. It is experiencing an economic burst, with several chemical and industrial
plants announcing new plant start-ups and expansions totaling well over $1 billion. A parish rich in history, Iberville
is also a parish moving into a new and dynamic chapter of its long life.
Neighboring Parishes:
- North: West Baton Rouge Parish
- Northeast: East Baton Rouge Parish
- East: Ascension Parish
- Southeast: Assumption Parish
- Southwest: Iberia Parish; St. Martin Parish
- Northwest: Pointe Coupee Parish
Cities and Towns:
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- Grosse Tete |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Maringouin |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Plaquemine
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Rosedale |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- St. Gabriel |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- White Castle |
town |
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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