Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
| Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana | |
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Plaquemines Parish Courthouse
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 Location in the U.S. state of Louisiana |
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 Louisiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1807 |
| Named for | Louisiana French word for persimmons |
| Seat | Pointe à la Hache |
| Largest community | Belle Chasse |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,567 sq mi (6,648 km2) |
| • Land | 780 sq mi (2,020 km2) |
| • Water | 1,787 sq mi (4,628 km2), 70% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 23,495 |
| • Density | 30/sq mi (12/km²) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www |
Plaquemines Parish (/ˈplækᵻmɪnz/; Louisiana French: Paroisse des Plaquemines) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census the population is 23,042. The parish seat is Pointe à la Hache. The parish was formed in 1807.
Plaquemines Parish is part of the New Orleans–Metairie, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was severely damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in hurricane events in 2011.
The name "Plaquemines," in French Creole, was derived from the Atakapa word, piakimin, meaning the local fruit persimmon. The French used it to name a military post they built on the banks of the Mississippi River, as the site was surrounded by numerous persimmon trees. Eventually the name was applied to the entire parish and to a nearby bayou.
The oldest European settlement in the parish was La Balize, where the French built and inhabited a crude fort by 1699 near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The name in French meant "seamark", a tall structure of wood built as a guide for ships. By 1721 the French built one 62 feet (19 m) high. A surviving map from about 1720 shows the island and fort, and the mouth of the river.
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