Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana

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. The parish seat is Marksville. 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.

Avoyelles Parish
Parish
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°04′N 92°00′W
Country United States
State Louisiana
FoundedMarch 31, 1807
Named forAvoyel Native Americans
SeatMarksville
Largest cityMarksville
Area
  Total866 sq mi (2,240 km2)
  Land832 sq mi (2,150 km2)
  Water33 sq mi (90 km2)  3.8%
Population
 (2020)
  Total39,693
  Density46/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district5th
Websitewww.avoypj.org

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.

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