Parish seat

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 it's 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. 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.