The Louisiana Quarter was released in 2002, and is number 18 in the series. The state has a rich musical heritage that it is proud of. Jazz was born here, which is why the image of the trumpet and the music notes are on the top of the quarter. Below that, the Louisiana quarter features a map of the United States, with the Louisiana Purchase territory outlined clearly.
This real estate deal was considered the greatest one in history because it almost doubled the size of the United States and unified the East and West coasts, which had been completely divided by the territory in between. The ideas for the design came from school children in the state. These were sent to the U.S. Mint, from which Governor Mike Foster chose the Louisiana Purchase design of the five that he was offered.
Louisiana is located in the Southern United States, bordered by Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. The state was part of the Louisiana Purchase, and is the only state divided into parishes instead of counties, even though they are essentially the same thing. The French had a big influence on Louisiana, which was named after King Louis XIV. It was actually called La Louisiane, which meant “Land of Louis.”
The state was inhabited by many groups of Native Americans when Europeans first arrived in the 16th century, which is not uncommon for the United States.