North Louisiana

North Louisiana (Louisiane du Nord), also known locally as Sportsman's Paradise, (a name sometimes attributed to the state as a whole) is a region in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The region has two metropolitan areas: Shreveport-Bossier City and Monroe-West Monroe, two micropolitian areas: Ruston Micropolitan Area and Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area, and two combined statistical areas: Shreveport–Bossier City–Minden CSA and Monroe–Ruston Combined Statistical Area. The Shreveport area has the largest metropolitan and CSA by population in North Louisiana.

Geography
The northwestern portion of Louisiana is culturally and economically attached to Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas. Combined they comprise the Ark-La-Tex area, just as the northeastern portion of Louisiana, Southeast Arkansas, and Northwest Mississippi are known as the Ark-La-Miss. The Louisiana Central Hill Country, the hilly areas of LaSalle, Grant, Winn, Caldwell, Natchitoches, Jackson, Lincoln, and Bienville parishes, extend into portions of North Louisiana's border with Central Louisiana.

Metropolitan and micropolitan areas
There are two combined statistical areas, two metropolitan statistical areas, and two micropolitan statistical areas that include North Louisiana parishes.
 * Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area
 * Monroe-West Monroe metropolitan statistical area
 * Ruston micropolitan statistical area
 * Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area
 * Monroe–Ruston Combined Statistical Area
 * Shreveport-Bossier City-Minden combined statistical area

Parishes
North Louisiana consists of the following 20 parishes:


 * Bienville
 * Bossier
 * Caddo
 * Caldwell
 * Claiborne
 * DeSoto
 * East Carroll
 * Franklin
 * Jackson
 * Lincoln
 * Madison
 * Morehouse
 * Ouachita
 * Red River
 * Richland
 * Tensas
 * Union
 * Webster
 * West Carroll
 * Winn