States with Parishes Instead of Counties 2025

Louisiana

Most states found within America divide their jurisdictions into counties, but Louisiana is the only one that divides the state into parishes. This has been the modus operandi since the early 19th century when Louisiana was initially divided into parishes that were governed by the Catholic church. Louisiana was not part of the original 13 colonies and was not conquered in a warlike manner. Before 1803, Louisiana was passed between both Spanish and French rule, who had taken turns colonizing the region. Both countries had Roman Catholicism as their state religion, meaning that all colonies would adopt the same system for their governance.

This is also the reason why Louisiana is so diverse in culture, accent, and food, as they are a combination of not only their French and Spanish colonizers, but many migrants that have come from their respective colonies, including the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and Africa. Louisiana was purchased from the Spanish in 1803, known as the Louisiana Purchase. Before the Viceroyalty of New Spain had taken the colony in the late 18th century, it was initially ruled and colonized by the French for nearly 100 years. This is also the reason why some words in Louisiana to this day are a deviation from their French origins.

Since the boundaries were split between territories that were ruled by the Roman Catholic government, one parish was built for the congregation within that territory. This method of ecclesiastical governance was made simple, especially since everyone was required to attend services, particularly on Sundays.

When Louisiana was granted statehood in 1812, Louisiana was divided into parishes. The term has not been changed to this day, and the state is still segmented into 64 different parishes. This could have been preserved for the sake of culture, but it was most likely to avoid the fallout and administrative disasters among the community when transitioning to an American lifestyle.

Alaska

Alaska is the only other state in the U.S. that does not have counties but instead has boroughs. The name was agreed upon after Alaska was granted statehood, but many other divisions were considered, such as cantons. Boroughs are widely used in the United Kingdom as a way to divide jurisdiction into many separate administrative and judicial areas, and this has been done since the early creation of England, and the subsequent annexation of the surrounding kingdoms and territories.

There are 19 boroughs in Alaska, but it is very unorganized when compared to the other states in the union. This is because of several different factors, many of which include land mass and population. Alaska not only has one of the lowest populations in America, but it also has the largest amount of land - some of it uninhabitable or facing extreme conditions. In many ways, Alaska is still very much a burgeoning frontier - and splitting it into counties would be extremely difficult, as it would be difficult to appoint a sheriff for many different smaller sections.