by Alana A. Carmon

Named in honor of the nation’s third president, Thomas Jefferson, the parish of Jefferson was created on February 11, 1825 with territory from Orleans and Plaquemines parishes. Once a sparsely populated farmland, Jefferson now has more than 448,000 residents, classifying it as the second largest parish in the state.

During the eighteenth century, early settlers to the area included the French, the Spanish, and after 1765, Acadian refugees from Canada settled upriver on the Acadian Coast. With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, an influx of Americans re-located south but their arrival had little impact on society and culture; plantations and their architecture remained in the hands of French and Spanish descendents.

Important industries during the antebellum period included sugar cultivation and lumbering. Today, the economy of Jefferson Parish is based on shipbuilding, shipping, retailing, manufacturing, and oil and gas production. The largest industrial employer in Louisiana, Avondale Industries, is located in Jefferson. Located only minutes from New Orleans, Jefferson Parish offers many activities for all. History lovers are sure to enjoy the National Historic Districts of Algiers Point and Gretna, which each contains an array of museums and historic sites. For fishing enthusiasts, there is Grand Isle on the Gulf of Mexico, home to some of the best fishing in the world. Grand Isle is equally well known as the setting of Kate Chopin's groundbreaking novella The Awakening. Visitors should also partake in a marshland excursion at Jean Lafitte National Park and tour Rivertown U.S.A. Early spring is one of the best times to visit the area, as the Mardi Gras season is well underway by then. This internationally renowned festival brings weeks of parades, balls, and king cakes.