Orleans Parish, Louisiana

On April 10, 1805, the Territory of Orleans was divided into 12 counties, including Orleans County. On April 14, 1807, the territory was also divided into 19 civil parishes while keeping the previous system of counties intact. Based on the boundaries and names of earlier ecclesiastical parishes, Orleans County was divided into Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines parishes, with New Orleans inside the Orleans Parish limits. The county remained responsible for elections and taxation, while the parishes took over responsibility for civil, criminal, probate, and other judicial matters. The system of counties was never explicitly abolished, but the Louisiana Constitution of 1845 dropped any reference to counties and gave their powers to the parishes.^[1]

At its establishment, the Orleans Parish government was led by a police jury, which had only limited authority within the city of New Orleans. In 1822, when the police jury began to be elected popularly, the New Orleans City Council was granted a veto over fiscal matters. In 1840, the parish was divided in two along the Mississippi River. A second police jury was established and given authority over Algiers. It was formally named the Police Jury of the Parish of Orleans on the right bank of the River Mississippi. By 1846, the original police jury had become inactive and was abolished, resulting in the consolidation of the left bank with New Orleans.^[2][3] In 1870, the remainder of Orleans Parish was consolidated when the city became coextensive with the parish.^[4]

The completion of Chef Menteur Highway in the 1850s connected far-flung communities such as Irish Bayou.^[5]

Orleans Parish is coextensive with New Orleans. Both are bounded by St. Tammany Parish and Lake Pontchartrain to the north, St. Bernard Parish and Lake Borgne to the east, Plaquemines Parish to the south, and Jefferson Parish to the south and west. The parish is part of the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area.

Orleans Parish originally extended as far west as present-day Kenner and as far south as Grand Isle. In 1824, uncertainty over the relative locations of Grand Isle and Cheniere Caminada resulted in a territorial dispute between Orleans Parish and Lafourche Interior Parish (now Lafourche). The dispute was resolved in 1825 with the creation of Jefferson Parish, which included these areas.^[1]

In 1852, New Orleans annexed the city of LaFayette (now Faubourg Lafayette) while keeping the parish boundaries unchanged, causing the city to extend into Jefferson Parish.^[1] However, subsequent annexations of Jefferson in 1870 and Carrollton in 1874 included the redrawing of both city and parish boundaries.^[1][6] Since 1870, Orleans Parish has been coextensive with New Orleans. In 1979, parish boundaries through Lake Pontchartrain were defined, resulting in a gain of territory for the parish.^[1]

As of 2017^[update], Orleans Parish is the third most populous parish in Louisiana, behind East Baton Rouge Parish and neighboring Jefferson Parish.^[8]

Since consolidation, Orleans Parish has retained a nominal, sui generis status under Louisiana state law that guarantees the city's home rule. It has been effectively abolished as a distinct governmental unit, and the United States Census Bureau considers New Orleans and Orleans Parish to be a single consolidated city. However, various parish offices remain with a degree of independence from the city government, while in other matters, the city represents the parish. Examples of parish entities include the Orleans Parish School Board, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, and formerly the Orleans Levee Board.^[9]

Prior to the consolidation of Orleans Parish and New Orleans, the parish had several distinct communities and municipalities, including:^[1]

• Algiers
• Irish Bayou
• Michoud
• New Orleans

Some additional communities were at one point part of Orleans Parish but were later included in other parishes, such as:^[1]

• Grand Isle (to Lafourche Interior Parish in 1824, but disputed; to Jefferson Parish in 1825)
• Cheniere Caminada (to Lafourche Interior Parish in 1824, but disputed; to Jefferson Parish in 1825)