A parish seat is the administrative center of a parish in the US state of Louisiana. Unlike the vast majority of states of the United States (all others except Alaska), and largely because of its rich cultural ties to France, Louisiana is divided into Parishes, as opposed to Counties. Therefore, a parish seat is a city which is the capital of a parish. It is generally equivalent to the county seat in other U.S. States. Note that in the United Kingdom, the term "county town" is usually used for the same purpose.
Parish-wide politics and government are conducted here. The parish courthouse and parish administration are usually located in the parish seat.
Calcasieu Parish was created March 24, 1840, from the Parish of Saint Landry, one of the original nineteen civil parishes established by the Legislature in 1807.
This parishseat was incorporated as a town in 1857 as Charleston and was reincorporated in 1868 as Lake Charles.
In 1912, the three parishes of Allen, Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis, with a total area of approximately 2,548 square miles, were cut off from the Parish of Calcasieu.
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