Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office
| Jefferson Parish, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
 City Hall in Gretna
| |
 Location in the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
 Louisiana's location in the U.S. | |
| Founded | February 11, 1825 |
| Named for | President Thomas Jefferson |
| Seat | Gretna |
| Largest community | Metairie |
| Area | |
| • Total | 665 sq mi (1,722 km2) |
| • Land | 296 sq mi (767 km2) |
| • Water | 370 sq mi (958 km2), 56% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 436,275 |
| • Density | 1,463/sq mi (565/km2) |
| Congressional districts | 1st, 2nd, 6th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC−6/−5 |
| Website |
www |
Jefferson Parish (French: Paroisse de Jefferson) is a parish in the state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 432,552. The parish seat is Gretna.
Jefferson Parish is included in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jefferson Parish was less affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and has rebounded at a more rapid pace than neighboring Orleans Parish. (Jefferson Parish also surpassed Orleans Parish in population for that reason, and it is now the second-most-populous parish in the state, behind East Baton Rouge Parish.)
Jefferson Parish was named in honor of US President Thomas Jefferson of Virginia when the parish was established by the Louisiana Legislature on February 11, 1825, a year before Jefferson died. A bronze statue of Jefferson stands at the entrance of the General Government Complex on Derbigny Street in Gretna. The parish seat was in the city of Lafayette, until that area was annexed by New Orleans in 1852. In that year the parish government moved to Carrollton, where it remained for twenty-two years.
Originally, this parish was larger than it is today, running from Felicity Street in New Orleans to the St. Charles Parish line. However, as New Orleans grew, it absorbed the cities of Lafayette, Jefferson City, Carrollton, and several unincorporated areas (faubourgs). These became part of Orleans Parish. The present borders between Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish were set in 1874. The Jefferson Parish seat was moved to Gretna at the same time.
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