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Welcome to Rapides Parish ...

Time Zone: Rapides Parish lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time.

The community of Alexandria is the Seat for Rapides Parish.

Rapides Parish is one of the original parishes of Louisiana and was founded in 1807.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Rapides had a population of 129,648 people. This is a decrease of 1.6% since the last Census (which gave a population of 131,760 people in 2010).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Rapides represented 2.91% of the total population of Louisiana.

Below are some of the communities located in Rapides Parish:

  • Alexandria
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ball
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Ball is located in Rapides Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,906 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ball <2>
  • Boyce
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Boyce is located in Rapides Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyce
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 968 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyce <2>
  • Cheneyville
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Forest Hill
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Glenmora
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Glenmora is located in Rapides Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmora
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,301 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glenmora <2>
  • Lecompte
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Lecompte is located in Rapides Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lecompte
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,151 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lecompte <2>
  • McNary
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • McNary is located in Rapides Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNary
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
  • Pineville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodworth
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)

Websites of Interest ...

Footnotes ...

<1>On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count. The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.