Avoyelles Parish | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
 Louisiana's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 31°04′N 92°00′W / 31.07°N 92°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Founded | March 31, 1807 |
| Named for | Avoyel Native Americans |
| Seat | Marksville |
| Largest city | Marksville |
| Area | |
| • Total | 866 sq mi (2,240 km2) |
| • Land | 832 sq mi (2,150 km2) |
| • Water | 33 sq mi (90 km2) 3.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 39,693 |
| • Density | 46/sq mi (18/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | www |
Avoyelles (French: Paroisse des Avoyelles) is a parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the Red River where it effectively becomes the Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,693.[1] The parish seat is Marksville.[2] The parish was created in 1807, with the name deriving from the French name for the historic Avoyel people, one of the local Indian tribes at the time of European encounter.[3]
Today the parish is the base of the federally recognized Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe, who have a reservation there. The tribe has a land-based gambling casino on their reservation. It is located in Marksville, the parish seat, which is partly within reservation land.
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Avoyelles Parish". Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism. Retrieved September 5, 2014.