Natchitoches, Louisiana

'Natchitoches, Louisiana is a city in northwestern Louisiana and the seat of Natchitoches Parish. The 2010 census placed the population at 18,323, a 2.6 percent increase over 2000 tabulation of 17,865. Natchitoches is majority African American.

Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, Natchitoches is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, four years older than New Orleans. It was incorporated on February 5, 1819. The city is named for the Natchitoches Indian tribe. Its sister city is Nacogdoches, Texas.

Natchitoches is the home of Northwestern State University and is particularly known statewide for its annual Christmas Lights Festival on the Cane River, the former course of the Red River. The city is within the Cane River National Heritage Area.