Minden, LA µSA

Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish Courthouse in Minden (dedicated May 1, 1953) was a project of the contractor George A. Caldwell.
Location in the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1871
Named for	Daniel Webster
Seat	Minden
Largest city	Minden
Area
• Total	615 sq mi (1,593 km2)
• Land	593 sq mi (1,536 km2)
• Water	22 sq mi (57 km2), 3.5%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	40,021
• Density	69/sq mi (27/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.websterparishla.org/index.html

Webster Parish (French: Paroisse de Webster) is a parish located in the northwestern section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden.

As of the 2010 census, the Webster Parish population was 41,207. In 2017, the population estimate was 39,710, a decline of nearly 3.8 percent since the 2011 estimated count of 41,259. The decline represents an average loss of 258 persons per year. Public officials who have long sought to increase the industrial potential of the parish, expressed concern over the downward spiral. Jim Bonsall, the president of the Webster Parish Police Jury, the parish governing body, cited the ending of the Haynesville Shale boom as the primary reason for the population losses. The parish has long depended on jobs in the petroleum and natural gas fields.

The parish is named for 19th-century American statesman Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It was created on February 27, 1871 from lands formerly belonging to Bienville, Bossier, and Claiborne parishes. The parish centennial celebration was held in May 1971. Speakers included Police jury president Leland Garland Mims and Judge Enos McClendon of the Louisiana 26th Judicial District Court, who gave a biographical sketch of Daniel Webster. Many officials and parish employees dressed in period costume of the 1870s for the event.

Webster Parish is part of the Shreveport-Bossier City, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area.