Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

is a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

located in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. According to the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, Louisiana is the 25th most populous state with inhabitants and the 33rd largest by land area spanning of land. Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes, which are equivalent to

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

, and contains 304

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

consisting of four consolidated city-parishes, and 304 cities, towns, and villages. Louisiana's municipalities cover only of the state's land mass but are home to of its population. According to the 2015 Louisiana Laws Revised Statutes, residents of any unincorporated area may propose to incorporate as a municipality if the area meets prescribed minimum population thresholds. Municipal corporations are divided based on population into three classes: cities, towns, and villages. Those having five thousand inhabitants or more are classified as cities; those having less than five thousand but more than one thousand inhabitants are classified as towns; and those having one thousand or fewer inhabitants are classified as villages. The governor may change the classification of the municipality if the board of aldermen requests a change and a census shows that the population has increased or decreased making it eligible for a different classification. Municipalities are granted powers to perform functions required by local governments including the levy and collection of taxes and to assume indebtedness. The largest municipality by population in Louisiana in 2020 is

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

with 383,997 residents, and the smallest is

Mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher ...

with 12 residents. The largest municipality by land area is

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, which spans , while Napoleonville is the smallest at . The first municipality to incorporate was Natchitoches in 1712 and the newest is Central in 2005.

List of municipalities

LPD18USSNewOrleansPassingNewOrleans.jpg, alt=Skyline of New Orleans, Skyline of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, the largest municipality in Louisiana Baton Rouge Louisiana waterfront aerial view.jpg, alt=skyline of Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, capital and second largest municipality in Louisiana Downtown Shreveport, LA.jpg, alt=Skyline of Shreveport, Skyline of Shreveport, Louisiana's third largest municipality Lafayetteair.jpg, alt=Downtown Lafayette,

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

, Louisiana's fourth largest municipality Downtown Lake Charles.JPG, alt=Lake Charles, Lake Charles, fifth largest municipality in Louisiana

Notes

References

{{featured list L Citiestowns

List of municipalities

See also

Notes

References