Rapides Parish, Louisiana

Rapides Parish (French: Paroisse des Rapides) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 130,023.^[1] The parish seat is Alexandria.^[2] Rapides is the French spelling of "rapids" and is pronounced ra-PEEDS (I.P.A. [ɹæ.pid͜z]).

Rapides Parish
Parish
Upper portion of the Rapides Parish Courthouse in Alexandria
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°12′N 92°32′W
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	1807
Named for	The local river rapids
Seat	Alexandria
Largest city	Alexandria
Area
• Total	1,361 sq mi (3,526 km2)
• Land	1,320 sq mi (3,420 km2)
• Water	41 sq mi (106 km2)  3.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	130,023
• Density	98.5/sq mi (38.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	318
Congressional district	5th
Website	www.rppj.com

The parish was created in 1807 after the United States bought this territory in the Louisiana Purchase.^[3]