Louisiana is known as the “Pelican State” due to the abundance of brown pelicans found along its Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River shores. The brown pelican has symbolized the state of Louisiana since European colonists first noted the prevalence of the birds and their protective parental instincts.[1] The brown pelican became the official state bird in 1966.[1]
Louisiana became the 18th state of the United States on April 30, 1812.[2] The total area of Louisiana includes about 4,600 square miles (12,000 square km) of inland waters.[3] It’s the 31st largest state in terms of pure land mass.[4] As of 2020, the population of Louisiana was 4,657,7576. The estimated population in 2024 is 4,559,475.[4]
Louisiana’s economy ranks 27th in size among states and Washington, DC.[5] The state’s economic growth rate in the 3rd quarter of 2023 was 6.6% per year. The unemployment rate in Louisiana was 3.5% in November 2023.[5] Louisiana is among the country’s leading oil and gas-producing states.[6] The state’s economy was based mainly on agriculture in the 1700s and 1800s, with cotton as the primary crop in the northern part of the state and sugarcane the principal crop in the south.[7] Some of the state’s most attractive features include the vibrant culture and nightlife of New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz and home of the famous Mardi Gras festival. The National World War II Museum and Jackson Square in New Orleans are also popular attractions. The state is also known for its natural beauty, such as the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, the largest river swamp in the US.
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History of LouisianaHistory of Louisiana
The recorded history of Louisiana began in the late 17th century when French explorers from Canada reached the Ohio River.[8] The French established trading posts in Louisiana as early as the 1660s.[9] The earliest known explorers, Alonso Alverez de Piñeda in 1519 and Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1528, possibly crossed present-day Louisiana or floated by Louisiana’s coastline.[10]
In the 17th century, Louisiana was colonized by French Canadians in the name of the King of France.[11] In the years that followed, additional waves of settlers came from French Canada to Louisiana, notably the Acadians, after their deportation by British troops in 1755.[12] The influx of Acadians into Louisiana did not begin until after the promulgation of the Treaty of Paris in 1763.[13]
The Louisiana Purchase was a significant land deal between the United States and France, where the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million.[14] The land grant system, used in Louisiana and throughout the Spanish world, was a means to promote and control settlement and to reward military officers and members of the Spanish government.[15] Spain effectively used land grants in what is now Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.[15]
Louisiana declared that it had seceded from the Union on January 26, 1861.[16] It joined the Confederate States of America as one of the original seven states in that union. New Orleans, the largest city in the South, was strategically important as a port city due to its southernmost location on the Mississippi River and its access to the Gulf of Mexico.[16] By May 1, 1862, New Orleans was occupied by Union army forces.[16]
The economic system of the 19th-century Louisiana, centered around agriculture and plantations, heavily relied on enslaved labor. As a result, enslaved Africans and their descendants were an integral part of Creole society.[17] Slavery was abolished in Louisiana during the American Civil War, with the state constitution of 1864 abolishing it in Union-controlled areas and President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation abolishing it in the rest of the state. A lumber boom occurred at the turn of the 20th century, and Louisiana underwent rapid industrialization after World War II.[3] Later in the 20th century, expansion of service opportunities—especially in tourism, retail, and government —helped position the service sector as the state’s top employer. Despite these developments, Louisiana’s economic growth has been slower than that of most other states and has trailed well behind the national average.[3]
Demographics of LouisianaDemographics of Louisiana
The demographic distribution of Louisiana is as follows:[14]
- White: 60.25%
- Black or African American: 31.91%
- Two or more races: 3.81%
- Asian: 1.73%
- Other race: 1.71%
- Native American: 0.55%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.05%
Most common surnames in LouisianaMost common surnames in Louisiana
Researching family history in LouisianaResearching family history in Louisiana
The Louisiana State Archives has an extensive genealogy research library, two exhibit halls, and over 30,000 cubic feet of archival material. Louisiana Digital Media Archives preserves and makes accessible film and video materials produced in or about Louisiana. The National Archives at Fort Worth has collections of records from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Louisiana Digital Library (LDL) is an online library of more than 400,000 digital items from Louisiana archives, libraries, museums, and other repositories. The Louisiana Historical Society is joined by many local parish archives.
Louisiana Parish ListLouisiana Parish List
In the context of Louisiana, a parish is equivalent to what other states refer to as a county; Louisiana is unique in this regard and it reflects the state’s French heritage.[18] The term “parish” has been used in the Louisiana region since before the Louisiana Purchase. It dates back to when Louisiana was controlled by both France and Spain, both of which had Roman Catholicism as the official religion. The ecclesiastical division coincided with church parishes.[19] Louisiana has 64 parishes.
| Acadia | Allen | Ascension | Assumption |
| Avoyelles | Beauregard | Bienville | Bossier |
| Caddo | Calcasieu | Caldwell | Cameron |
| Catahoula | Claiborne | Concordia | De Soto |
| East Baton Rouge | East Carroll | East Feliciana | Evangeline |
| Franklin | Grant | Iberia | iberville |
| Jackson | Jefferson | Jefferson Davis | La Salle |
| Lafayette | Lafourche | Lincoln | Livingston |
| Madison | Morehouse | Natchitoches | Orleans |
| Ouachita | Plaquemines | Pointe Coupee | Rapides |
| Red River | Richland | Sabine | St. Bernard |
| St. Charles | St. Helena | St. James | St. John The Baptist |
| St. Landry | St. Martin | St. Mary | St. Tammany |
| Tangipahoa | Tensas | Terrebonne | Union |
| Vermilion | Vernon | Washington | Webster |
| West Baton Rouge | West Carroll | West Feliciana | Winn |
See alsoSee also
Explore more about LouisianaExplore more about Louisiana
MyHeritage.com has 21 collections of valuable genealogical records for research in Louisiana. These collections include, Louisiana Death Index, 1819-1969, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, Louisiana Obituaries, and Louisiana Orleans Parish Births. There are additional valuable genealogical records in the Louisiana Collection Catalog.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Why Is Louisiana Called the Pelican State? (with pictures)
- ↑ 21 Interesting and Fun Facts About Louisiana [Explained]
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Louisiana | History, Map, Population, Cities, & Facts | Britannica
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Louisiana Population 2024 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Economy of Louisiana Statistics and Data Trends: GDP ranking, unemployment rate, and economic growth | USAFacts
- ↑ 97 Interesting Facts About Louisiana
- ↑ Louisiana - Agriculture, Oil, Manufacturing | Britannica
- ↑ France in the New World - Definition, Facts & Importance
- ↑ History of the Colonial French Louisiana
- ↑ Early European Explorers - Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)
- ↑ French-speaking Louisiana and Canada
- ↑ French-speaking Louisiana and Canada
- ↑ Acadian Immigration into South Louisiana, 1764-1785
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Louisiana Purchase: Date, Cost, Importance, and Results | History Cooperative
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Spanish Louisiana Land Grants | The Historic New Orleans Collection
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Civil War Louisiana
- ↑ Discover 19th Century CREOLE Culture - Dive in NOW!
- ↑ Why does Louisiana have parishes but everything else is counties?
- ↑ Did You Know Why Louisiana Uses Parishes Instead Of Counties?