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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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St. James Parish, Louisiana
St. James Parish History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Convent
Year Organized: 1807
Square Miles: 246 |
Court House: P.O. Box 106
Parish Courthouse
Convent, LA 70723-0106
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Etymology - Origin of Parish Name
The parish was named in honor of Saint James.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
St. James Parish was created on March 31, 1807. It is one of the 19 parishes, which were created by dividing the
Territory of New Orleans. The parish was named in honor of Saint James. The Parish seat is Convent.
History records that Hernando de Soto was one of the first Europeans to enter what is now the State of Louisiana,
claiming the region for Spain as part of Florida in 1541. Later, LaSalle sailed down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers
and claimed the territory for France, naming it "Louisiana" in honor of the French King Louis XIV.
Prior to its creation as a civil parish, St. James Parish formed a part of the "Comte' d'Acadie" or County of Acadia,
which was composed of the old ecclesiastical parishes of St. James and "The Ascension", commonly referred to then as the
First and Second Acadian Coasts.
The original seat of government was in St. James on the west bank of the river, but in 1869 it was changed to the east
bank, near the "Convent of the Sacred Heart" and a new courthouse was erected. This structure was destroyed by fire in
1904 and another was built in the same location. In 1971 the present courthouse was constructed. The area is now known
as Convent and is at present the parish seat. St. James Parish is bounded by Ascension Parish on the north, St. John the
Baptist on the east, Assumption on the west and southwest, and Lafourche on the south.
Neighboring Parishes:
- Northeast: St. John the Baptist Parish
- Southeast: Lafourche Parish
- Southwest: Assumption Parish
- Northwest: Ascension Parish
Cities and Towns:
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- Convent
(County Seat) |
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- Gramercy |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Lutcher |
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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