Rapides Parish, Louisiana

Rapides Parish () is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,613. The parish seat is Alexandria, which developed along the Red River of the South. Rapides is the French word for "rapids". The parish was created in 1807 after the United States acquired this territory in the Louisiana Purchase.Rapides Parish is included in the Alexandria metropolitan area, Louisiana.