BIENVENUE A' LA POINTE COUPEE!

Welcome to Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, one of the oldest settlements in the entire Mississippi Valley, a community steeped in history and tradition, vibrant in the present and rich in promise for the future.

Situated at the apex of Louisiana's "French Triangle", Pointe Coupee Parish, with a recorded history dating from the time of the Iberville exploration in 1699, has a fascinating Creole culture embodying elements of the French, African and other nationalities who having called this place "home" for nearly three centuries.  Breathtaking vistas of sparkling waters, moss hung oaks, cedars and pecan trees, fields of sugar cane and cotton, stately antebellum mansions and quaint cottages, old churches, cemeteries and country stores combine with modern facilities, visitors' accommodations, fine dining and antique shopping to give a wonderful contrast of the old and the new.

Famous natives of Pointe Coupee have included Julien Poydras, one of the most noted figures in Louisiana history, a planter, merchant, banker, poet, educator and philanthropist, who lies buried beneath the monument bearing his name in New Roads; Major General John Archer LeJeune, veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and from whom Camp LeJeune, North Carolina is named and whose statue stands on the courthouse square in New Roads; Corinne "Lindy" Claiborne Boggs, former United States ambassador to The Vatican; and renowned author Ernest Gaines.

Pointe Coupee Parish enjoys the benefits of modern health facilities, educational systems and a representation of all the major religious bodies, adequate transportation and communication networks, up-to-date law enforcement and emergency agencies and viable commercial and industrial opportunities.  The parish is traversed by U. S. Highway 190, Louisiana Highway 1 and lesser routes, and lies directly in the path of the proposed Zachary Taylor Parkway, making the area accessible to other population centers of Louisiana and southwest Mississippi.  The Louisiana capital city of Baton Rouge is only 35 minutes distance from New Roads.

Pointe Coupee has a resident population of nearly 25,000, but plays host to many times that number who visit the parish for each year for the state's oldest second Mardi Gras celebration in New Roads, plus a host of other community-oriented events, fairs, farmers' and crafters' markets, home and garden tours, patriotic observances, aquatic sports and Christmas festivities.  Surrounded by the Mississippi, Atchafalaya and Lower Old Rivers and blessed with the oxbow lakes called False River and Raccourci-Old River, Pointe Coupee Parish is a paradise for sportsmen, including hunters, anglers, boaters and skiers.

Many have been the visitor who, captured in the spell and potential that is Pointe Coupee, have decided to make the parish his or her home.  Like them, newcomers to the area can also be assured of a caring, neighborly atmosphere, the benefits of responsive governmental bodies and the richness of Pointe Coupee's legendary joie de vivre, or joy of living, for lagniappe.

Whether your visit to Pointe Coupee Parish is a brief one or a permanent move, we will do our best to make your stay a rewarding one.

Sincerely,

Owen J. Bello
Parish Administrator