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Louisiana

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.

St. Martin Parish, Louisiana

St. Martin Parish History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Saint Martinville
Year Organized: 1815
Square Miles: 740

Court House:

301 W. Port Street
Parish Courthouse
Saint Martinville, LA 70582-3923

Etymology - Origin of Parish Name

The parish was named in honor of Saint Martin.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

St. Martin 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 Martin. The Parish seat is St Martinsville.

St. Martin Parish Courthouse - 1859

The first courthouse was built by slave labor long before the Civil War, while the present court house was built in 1859 and has had at least five major additions and renovations. It is now a parish landmark.

Neighboring Parishes:

North: Pointe Coupee Parish
Northeast: Iberville Parish
Southeast: Assumption Parish; St. Mary Parish
Southwest: Iberia Parish
West: Lafayette Parish
Northwest: St. Landry Parish

Cities and Towns:

- Breaux Bridge	city	Incorporated Area
- Henderson	town	Incorporated Area
- Parks	village	Incorporated Area
- St. Martinville (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area

Parish Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."