Shreveport is located in Caddo Parish and it is the parish seat. It lies just east of the Texas state line along Interstate 49, on the banks of the Red River.

Shreveport was founded in 1836 by the Shreve Town Company at the junction of the recently cleared Red River and the Texas Trail. The river had been rendered navigable by Captain Henry Miller Shreve of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Company and Shreve Town were named after him. In 1839, the village of Shreve Town was incorporated as the town of Shreveport. The river remained navigable until 1914 when disuse, due to railroads, allowed it to silt up. By the 1990s, Shreveport was again accessible by the river.

Shreveport and adjacent Bossier City are well known for five riverboat casinos and thoroughbred racing. The port is currently under re-development as a shipping center. A narrated tour of the Red River is available, among other historic tours and attractions.

Shreveport is part of the Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana metro area.