Bossier

Formed February 24, 1843 (38^th parish)

Bossier Parish (128,736), Benton (2,050), Bossier City (62,719)

The government style Modern building was built in 1972 with black marble around the main entrance.  The new addition was added to the courthouse in 2007.  The courthouse is on Burt Street east of Louisiana State Highway 3.  There was an earlier courthouse in Benton built in 1893.  Fredonia and Bellevue preceded Benton as parish seats.  The parish was created on February 24, 1843 from Claiborne Parish as the 38^th parish.  The courthouse structure is in the southern part of the small town of Benton.  The architect firm of Merideth and Kelly did the designs for this tan brick and concrete building.  The county seat is named for Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton.  Early settler and soldier Pierre E. J. P. Bossier was the namesake for the parish. 

Bossier Parish government consists of a President, a sheriff, a clerk, a treasurer, and a coroner (executive).  It has 12 Police Jury Members (legislative.)  Five District Court Judges serve Bossier and Webster parishes and Five Justice Court Judges serve Bossier Parish (judicial.) The far northeast part of Louisiana is the locale of Bossier Parish.  Shreveport, Louisiana is just to the west and Arkansas borders on the north.  The Red River forms the western border of the parish.  The parish center is 8 miles Northeast of Benton nearer Midway.  The parish is surrounded clockwise by Arkansas and Webster, Bienville, Red River, and Caddo parishes. 

The area of the parish is 867 square miles.  It is 20 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 12 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 148.5 persons per square mile making it 12 out of 64 in the state.  Bossier Parish has 56.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 20 comes from the east, Webster Parish, and goes to the west, Caddo Parish.  United States Highway 71 enters from Caddo Parish, west, and travels south into Red River Parish.  United States Highways 79 and 80 parallel Interstate Highway 20 from Webster to Caddo parishes.  A pencil pointing south is the shape of the parish.  Benton is along the western part of the parish.  Bossier City is in the southwest quarter of the parish.  Benton is the parish seat and Bossier City is the largest city.  Benton is 1.6% of the parish population while Bossier City is 48.7% of the parish population.  The parish is pronounced BOE-ZUR.  This parish is in the Shreveport-Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.