West Baton Rouge

Formed December 31, 1807 (17^th parish)

West Baton Rouge Parish (27,201), Port Allen (4,937), Addis (6,728)

A stately, pillared Modern Greek Revival structure is the 1957 courthouse.  The tan brick and concrete structure is located on 8^th Street between Louisiana and Michigan Avenues.  Louisiana State Highway 1 passes one block west of the location.  An 1882 courthouse was also located in Port Allen.  Saint Michael was the first parish seat.  The parish was formed on December 31, 1807 as the 17^th parish.  The parish was originally part of Pointe Coupee County.  Goodman, Miller, and Farrens were the designers.  The parish’s names came from a red cypress tree which stood where the city of Baton Rouge was founded and given the French name “red stick”.  The parish seat honors American hero, Ethan Allen.  He is also the namesake for Allen Parish. 

West Baton Rouge Parish government consists of a President, a sheriff, a clerk, a treasurer, and a coroner (executive).  It has 9 Council Members (legislative.)  Four District Court Judges serve West Baton Rouge, Iberville, and Pointe Coupee parishes and Six Justice Court Judges serve West Baton Rouge Parish (judicial.) The parish is in the southeast just to the west of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The Mississippi River forms the eastern border.  The parish center is 7.8 miles West of Port Allen.  The parish is surrounded clockwise by West Feliciana, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, and Pointe Coupee parishes. 

The area of the parish is 203 square miles.  It is 64 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 35 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 134.0 persons per square mile making it 13 out of 64 in the state.  West Baton Rouge Parish has 52.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 10 enters from East Baton Rouge Parish, east, and exits into Iberville Parish, west.  United States Highway 190 comes from East Baton Rouge Parish and goes into Pointe Coupee Parish, northwest.  The parish is shaped like a bear claw facing east.  Port Allen is on the Mississippi River.  Addis is near the southern border.  Port Allen is the parish seat and Addis is the largest city.  Port Allen is 18.2% of the parish population while Addis is 24.7% of the parish population.  The parish is pronounced EEST BA-TUN ROOJ.  This parish is in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.