Louisiana is the only state that is separated by Parishes and not counties. But why is that? The answer is actually quite simple. Louisiana was officially Roman Catholic under both France and Spain’s rule. The boundaries dividing the territories generally coincided with church parishes. In 1807, the territorial legislature officially adopted the ecclesiastical term. Through each change in history, Louisiana never deviated and the primary civil divisions have been officially known as parishes ever since. In this article, written by worldatlas.com, you can read more about the history of Louisiana including Colonal Louisiana, The Louisiana Purchase, and more detailed information about the 64 Louisiana Parishes.

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