Jefferson Davis

Formed January 1, 1913 (64^th parish)

Jefferson Davis Parish (32,250), Jennings (9,840)

A Modern brown brick building built in 1966 is the courthouse for Jefferson Davis Parish.  The structure is located on State Street at Plaquemine Street.  It is two blocks to the west of United States Highway 90.  An Annex was built in 1998.  A previous courthouse was built in Jennings, the only parish seat, in 1916.  Jefferson Davis Parish was created on January 1, 1913 as the 64^th and one of the final 3 parishes.  The parish was originally part of Opelousas County.  Perry Segura & Associates were the architects for the building.  Railroad engineer, Jennings McComb, is the namesake for the parish seat.  The parish was named after the Confederate President Jefferson Davis. 

Jefferson Davis Parish government consists of a President, a sheriff, a clerk, a treasurer, and a coroner (executive).  It has 12 Police Jury Members (legislative.)  One District Court Judge and Six Justice Court Judges serve Jefferson Davis Parish (judicial.) Jefferson Davis Parish is in the southeast part of the state just east of Lake Charles.  The parish center is 13.1 miles West-Northwest of Jennings nearer Welsh.  The parish is surrounded clockwise by Allen, Evangeline, Acadia, Vermilion, Cameron, Calcasieu, and Beauregard parishes. 

The area of the parish is 659 square miles.  It is 35 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 33 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 48.9 persons per square mile making it 29 out of 64 in the state.  Jefferson Davis Parish has 52.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 10 crosses from Acadia Parish, east, to Calcasieu Parish, west.  United States Highway 90 parallels Interstate Highway 10 from Acadia to Calcasieu parishes.  United States Highway 165 enters from Allen Parish on the north and exits west into Calcasieu Parish.  United States Highway 190 cuts the extreme northeast part going from Evangeline Parish to Allen Parish, east to west.  Bayou Nezpique forms the eastern border of the parish.  A backward capital letter D best describes the parish shape.  Jennings is in the eastern quarter of the parish.  Jennings is the parish seat and the largest city.  It is 30.5% of the parish population.  This parish is in the Jennings Micropolitan Statistical Area.