Lafayette (/?læfi'j?t/; French: [lafaj?t]) is a city located along the Vermilion River in southwestern Louisiana. The city of Lafayette is the fourth-largest in the state, with a population of 120,623 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Lafayette, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, and also the larger, Combined Statistical Area of Lafayette-Opelousas-Morgan City CSA with a population of 611,774 according to 2012 estimates. Lafayette is the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. Its nickname is The Hub City.
The American city was founded as Vermilionville in 1821 by Jean Mouton, a French-speaking man of Acadian descent. In 1884, it was renamed for General Lafayette, who fought with and significantly aided the American Army during the American Revolutionary War. The city's economy was primarily based on agriculture until the 1940s, when the petroleum and natural gas industries became dominant.
Lafayette is considered the center of Acadiana, the area of Cajun and Creole culture in Louisiana and the United States. It developed following the relocation of Acadians after their expulsion by the British from eastern Canada in the late 18th century following France's defeat in the Seven Years' War. There is also a strong Louisiana Creole influence in the area.
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History
Geography
Lafayette is located at 30°13?N 92°2?W (30.2139, -92.0294) and has an elevation of 36 feet (11.0 m). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.2 square miles (127 km2), of which 49.1 square miles (127 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.19%) is water.
Lafayette is located on the West Gulf Coastal Plain. What is now Lafayette was part of the seabed during the earlier Quaternary Period. During this time, the Mississippi River cut a 325-foot-deep (99 m) valley between what is now Lafayette and Baton Rouge. This valley was filled and is now the Atchafalaya Basin. Lafayette is located on the western rim of this valley.
This land, called the southwestern Louisiana Prairie Terrace, is higher up and not made of wetland like much of the surrounding areas to the south and west of Lafayette. Because of this, Lafayette does not suffer significant flooding problems. The Vermilion River runs through the center of Lafayette. Other significant waterways in the city are Isaac Verot Coulee, Coulee Mine, Coulee des Poches and Coulee Ile des Cannes, which are natural drainage canals that lead to the Vermilion River.
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Climate
Lafayette's climate is described as humid subtropical using Köppen climate classification. Lafayette is typical of areas along the Gulf of Mexico in that it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. (See table below for average temperatures for Lafayette.)
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 120,623 people, 43,506 households, and 27,104 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,316.7 people per square mile (894.5/km²). There were 46,865 housing units at an average density of 984.7 per square mile (380.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.23% White, 28.51% African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.44% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.88% of the population. In 2010, 84.2% of the population over the age of five spoke English at home, and 11.5% of the population spoke French or Cajun French, a dialect that developed in Louisiana.
There were 43,506 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. Nearly 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city, the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,996, and the median income for a family was $47,783. Males had a median income of $37,729 versus $23,606 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,031. About 11.6% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education and healthcare
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
The public schools in the parish are run by the Lafayette Parish School System. The system has 33 schools, 21 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and seven high schools. The LPSS offers nine career academies at the high school level, school curricula designed to prepare students in certain career fields.
The nine academies are:
- The Academy of Business & Finance (Acadiana High School)
- The Academy of Engineering (Northside High School)
- The Academy of Environmental Sciences (Northside High School)
- The Academy of Health Careers (Lafayette High School)
- The Academy of Information Technology (Carencro High School)
- The Academy of Performing Arts (Lafayette High School)
- The Academy of Visual and Applied Arts (Ovey Comeaux High School)
- The Early College Academy (South Louisiana Community College)
- Thibodaux Career and Technical High School
The LPSS also offer schools of choice, a program to improve racial diversity at schools. Accepted students are allowed to attend schools outside their school zone (but still within the parish) to receive their state-mandated core curriculum using specialized themes or programs. This is available at all levels, elementary, middle, and high schools, and is designed to provide a more interesting learning experience for the students in the program.
Private schools
Lafayette is home to a large Roman Catholic population and, because of this, Lafayette Parish has many private parochial schools, with grades from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Universities and colleges
Lafayette has one university, one community college, and two vocational colleges. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is part of the University of Louisiana System. It is the second-largest university in the state, with an enrollment of approximately 17,508. Schools and colleges related to the institution have been located in Lafayette since 1898.
One of the newest college systems in Louisiana, South Louisiana Community College is headquartered in Lafayette. SLCC partnered with Acadian Ambulance to form the National EMS Academy, which offers EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic certification. SLCC is part of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Louisiana Technical College (Lafayette campus) is part of the Louisiana Technical College system, which in turn is part of the Louisiana Community and Technical college system. It offers associate degrees in several fields. is a vocational school that offers a few bachelor's degree programs, many associate degree programs, along with a few diploma programs.
Public library system
Healthcare
Lafayette's major healthcare facilities are:
- Lafayette General Medical Center
- Lafayette General Surgical Hospital
- Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital
- University Hospital and Clinics (formerly University Medical Center)
- Women's and Children's Hospital
- Lafayette General Southwest - (Formerly The Regional Medical Center of Acadiana)
- Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center
- Heart Hospital of Lafayette
- Park Place Surgical Hospital
- Cardiovascular Institute of the South(CIS) or Cardiovascular Institute of the South
Government and politics
See also Notable local politicians
Since the consolidation of city and parish governments, Lafayette has had a city-parish president as its chief executive, rather than a mayor. The current city-parish president is Republican Joel Robideaux.
On election day, October 22, 2011, Lafayette parish voters rejected a proposal to separate parish and city governments. Under consolidation, the City of Lafayette and Parish of Lafayette have a common representative body and executive officer. Public Works and other services, such as Land Use and Plat Review, are operated by Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) to serve the City of Lafayette and unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish, and by contract to some, but not all of the area municipalities. Zoning Rules apply only within the City of Lafayette. Some neighboring municipalities have adopted their own planning and zoning protocols. The suburban and rural cities and towns maintain independent city councils, local executives, police and fire departments, as well as other public services. The Lafayette Parish School System operates independently of any municipality, and its jurisdiction is coterminous with the Parish of Lafayette.
Law enforcement
Lafayette is served by five police agencies:
- Lafayette City Police (LPD)- The main municipal police department of the city
- Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office (LPSO) - The parish level police agency
- University Police (ULPD) - The police force of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- Lafayette City Marshal - The City Marshal
- Lafayette Park Police enforce state jurisdiction and local ordinance for the city and parish owned recreational facilities and surrounding neighborhoods in the City and Parish of Lafayette.
- Note: City Police and Parish Sheriff's office were not combined during consolidation.
Military
Lafayette is home to the National Guard headquarters of the 256th Infantry Brigade, a military unit of more than 3,000 soldiers, which served in Iraq in the years of 2004-2005. The brigade was deployed again in January 2010. Lafayette was also home to the United States Marine Corps Reserve Unit, F. Co. Anti-Terrorism Battalion commanded by Captain Cole Clements. This unit went on several deployments, many related to the Iraq War. In 2014 F. Co. Anti-Terrorism Battalion was decommissioned, to be replaced with H&S Co. Det. 4 4th Tanks Tow and Scouts, 4th MARDIV.
Utilities
Electricity, water, and waste water service Lafayette is served by Lafayette Utilities System, a city-parish government-run, publicly owned utility company. Started over 100 years ago as an electrical company, LUS has expanded into a full-service utilities company. It provides electricity, drinking water, and sewage treatment throughout the City of Lafayette, as well some unincorporated parts of the parish, along with bulk sales to the water systems of most surrounding municipalities. In 2009 LUS installed infrastructure for a fiber telecommunications network. Called LUSFiber, the network provides digital cable, telephone service, and high speed internet to all households in Lafayette.
Natural gas service Natural gas service is supplied by Atmos Energy.
Telephone service Local land line telephone service is served by AT&T. Cox Communications and LUS Fiber provide Voice over Internet Protocol phone service.
Television Cable television service in Lafayette is provided by Cox Communications. Lafayette Utilities System provides FTTH video services through LUSFiber. DirecTV and Dish Network both include Lafayette TV stations in their local packages.
Economy
Lafayette has some manufacturing and fabrication businesses, including Frank's Casing Crew and CIS Hammers.
Information technology
The city has an IT community including such businesses as:
- Center for Business and Information Technologies(CBIT)
- Rader Solutions
- National Incident Management Systems and Advanced Technologies (NIMSAT) Institute
- Louisiana Immersive Technology Enterprise (LITE)
- Presidio Networked Solutions
- CGI
Culture and contemporary life
Cultural Organizations and Institutions
Cultural organizations include the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and Conservatory of Music, Chorale Acadienne, Lafayette Ballet Theatre and Dance Conservatory, The Lafayette Concert Band, and Performing Arts Society of Acadiana.
Sports
Lafayette is home to the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, the athletic teams of The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It is home to the Louisiana Hurricanes, a semi-pro football team that plays at STM Stadium. Between the years of 1995 and 2005, Lafayette was home to the Louisiana IceGators ECHL hockey team; in 2009, the IceGators returned as a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League. As of 2009, Lafayette is home to the Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League. It is also home to the Lafayette Bayou Bulls, a semi-pro football program that started in 2003. Lafayette is home to three sports venues: the Cajundome, Cajun Field and Blackham Coliseum.
Media
- The Daily Advertiser, daily Gannett broadsheet style newspaper
- The Advocate, daily newspaper with local coverage from Baton Rouge.
- The Independent, monthly locally owned newspaper (compact style)
- The Times of Acadiana, weekly Gannett tabloid format
- AcadianaMoms magazine
- Acadiana Gazette, weekly newspaper published by Ron Gomez
- Acadiana Profile magazine, established in 1968 by Robert Angers
- The Vermilion, University of Louisiana at Lafayette student newspaper
- Acadiana Catholic, monthly Catholic magazine of the Lafayette Diocese
Television
Lafayette is served by Cox Communications, and by Lafayette Utilities System's LUSFiber.
Lafayette is home to:
- KATC: 3.1, Cable 5 - (ABC); 3.2, Cable 10 (The CW, 3.3 Grit)
- KLFY-TV 10.1, Cable 11 - (CBS); 10.2, Cable 131 (GetTV); 10.3 Cable 70 (Ion Television)
- KADN-TV 15.1, Cable 6 - (Fox); 15.3, Cable 13 (MyNetworkTV)
- KDCG-CD 22.1, Cable 9 - (H&I)
- KLAF-LD 46 / 15.2, Cable 3 - (NBC)
- KLWB, 50.1, Cable 23 - (MeTV)
- KLPB-TV, 24.1, Cable 12/122/123 - (PBS) Louisiana Public Broadcasting
- KXKW-LD 32.1 (This), 32.2 - (AntTV)
- KAJN-CD 40.1, Cable 97 - Family Vision
Lafayette is also served by:
- KPLC-TV, 7.1 (NBC), located in nearby Lake Charles
- WVLA-TV, 33.1 (NBC), located in nearby Baton Rouge
- WBRZ, 2.1, Cable 17, (ABC), located in Baton Rouge
- WAFB, 9.1, (CBS), also located in Baton Rouge
- KALB-TV, 5.1, 5.2 (NBC & CBS), located in Alexandria
- WGMB-TV, 44.1, Fox Broadcasting Company located in Baton Rouge
Radio
See List of Lafayette radio stations for full list. Popular radio stations in Lafayette:
- KYBG (FM), 102.1 - BIG102.1 Classic Hits (102.1)
- KFTE (FM), Planet Radio 105.1 - Alternative and Modern Rock (105.1)
- KMDL(FM), 97.3 The Dawg - Country Music, New Orleans Saints radio network affiliate (97.3)
- KPEL (AM), ESPN 1420 - Sports Radio (1420)
- KPEL-FM (FM), NewsRadio 96.5 - News radio (96.5)
- KHXT (FM), Hot 107.9 - Rhythmic Contemporary (107.9)
- KZJM (LPFM), The People Station - Urban Contemporary (92.7) - Air Date:2005
- KROF (AM), 960 The Gator, Cajun Variety (960)
- KTDY (FM), 99.9 KTDY, Adult Contemporary (99.9)
- KSMB (FM), 94.5 KSMB, Top 40 (CHR) (94.5)
- KNEK-FM (FM), Magic 104.7, Urban AC (104.7)
- KRRQ (FM), Q 95.5, Urban Contemporary (95.5)
- KXKC (FM), 99.1 KXKC, Country Music (99.1)
- KYFJ (FM), Rock 93.7, Active Rock (93.7)
- KRVS (FM), Public Radio for Acadiana, World Ethnic (88.7)
- KAJN-FM (FM), Agape Radio, Contemporary Christian (102.9)
- KIKL (FM), Positive and Encouraging K-Love, Contemporary Christian (90.9)
- KLWB-FM (FM),103.7 The Game, NBC Sports Radio
- KCKR-FM (FM), Sonlife Radio, Christian Talk & Gospel Music (91.9)
Places of interest
- Acadiana Center for the Arts
- Acadian Village is a reconstructed Cajun bayou community (of moved and reassembled authentic buildings) and has a representative collection of Cajun furnishings
- Alexandre Mouton House Museum - a historic house museum, this was the home to Louisiana's first Democratic governor, Alexandre Mouton; contains a collection of antiques, historical documents, and old Mardi Gras costumes
- Borden's Ice Cream - the last Borden's Ice Cream location in the United States
- Children's Museum of Acadiana
- Cité des Arts
- Downtown Lafayette
- Girard Park
- Heymann Center - performing arts center
- Acadian Cultural Center of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
- Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium
- Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) - a 70,000-square-foot facility at the Research Park; owns the world's first six-sided, digital virtual reality cube as well as the world's largest digital 3-D auditorium
- Katog Choling Tibetan Cultural Center
- Vermilionville - One of the world's largest Cajun and Creole living history museums with 7 restored historic structures from the 1765-1890 era.
- Zoo of Acadiana - located nearby in Broussard
Events
- Cajun Heartland State Fair - An eleven-day state fair held on the grounds of the Cajundome and Convention Center.
- Drums Across Cajun Field - An annual DCI show hosted by the Pride of Acadiana
- Festivals Acadiens et Creoles - An annual collection of festivals celebrating Cajun and Creole cultures.
- Festival International de Louisiane - An annual international festival of arts and music, celebrating Lafayette and the surrounding area's French heritage.
- Le Festival de Mardi Gras à Lafayette - The second largest Mardi Gras celebration in Louisiana.
- Downtown Alive! - A 25-year-old series of free, family-friendly outdoor concerts in the fall and spring.
- 2nd Saturday Artwalk - An artwalk downtown held every 2nd Saturday of every month.
- Bach Lunch - A spring outdoor concert series hosted by the Lafayette Natural History Museum and Planetarium, held in Parc Sans Souci downtown.
- Gulf Brew - An annual beer tasting festival.
- Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands - A popular high school marching band festival.
- Movies in the Parc - A fall outdoor children's movie series in Parc International downtown.
- Hopefest - A charity festival put on by high school students in the area
- Crouchstock - An annual music festival held to raise funds for the Jacob Crouch Foundation, a suicide prevention, awareness and education foundation.
- Southern Screen Film Festival - Fostering the art and education of filmmaking in Lafayette, LA!
- South Louisiana Blackpot Festival & Cookoff - An annual festival celebrating great music, dancing, food, camping & jamming!
- INNOV8 Lafayette - A festival of innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship, founded and led by volunteers of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.
Transportation
- Air: Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) is located on US Highway 90, on the southeast side of the city with daily scheduled passenger airline services to Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, and Atlanta. Charter services depart Lafayette Regional as well as helicopter services and cargo jets.
- Interstate Highway: I-10 and I-49 (Lafayette serves as I-49's southern terminus, at its intersection with I-10)
- Passenger rail: The Amtrak Sunset Limited offers service three days a week from New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California with selected stops in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Connections are available in New Orleans to Chicago and to the East Coast via Atlanta. Service eastward to Orlando, Florida remains suspended in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
- Intercity passenger bus: Greyhound operates a station downtown on Lee Avenue with destinations east and west on I-10, north on I-49 and southeast on US Hwy 90
- Public transit: Lafayette Transit System (formerly City of Lafayette Transit (COLT)) provides bus service. Public transportation is provided only within Lafayette City Limits.
- Bicycle facilities: Lafayette is dedicated to growing into a bicycle-friendly community, with a strong push from both the community and government. The Lafayette MPO Bicycle Subcommittee meet once a month and has developed long-term goals for bicycling in the area. BikeLafayette is the areas's bicycle advocacy organization that is very active in promoting bicycle awareness, safety, and education in Acadiana. TRAIL is an organization that promotes bicycling, canoeing, and pedestrian activities. Right now Lafayette has a growing number of dedicated commuter and recreational bicycling facilities, including a bicycle lane on each side of Johnston Street from UL-Lafayette area at Lewis Street to near Ambassador Caffery, ending at Ridge Road. Henderson Levee has opened a 55-mile trail, and there is a mountain bike park in Acadiana Park. UL-Lafayette has installed an off-road paved bicycle path beginning at its Horticultural Center on Johnston Street extending up Cajundome Boulevard to Eraste Landry Road. A number of out of use bicycle/pedestrian sidewalk paths remain from the 1970s and 1980s but are unsigned. A recreational trail extending from Downtown Lafayette into the Cypress Island region of Saint Martin Parish is under development. This path will connect neighboring Breaux Bridge and Saint Martinville with Lafayette.
- Main road arteries: U.S. Routes 90 (co-signed with Evangeline Thruway, Mudd Avenue and Cameron Street within the city limits) and U.S. Route 167 (co-signed with I-49, Evangeline Thruway and Johnston Street). Ambassador Caffery Parkway, named for Jefferson Caffery, serves as a partial loop connecting I-10 at Exit 100 on the west and US 90 on the south. Other arterial roads include Verot School Road (LA 339), West Congress Street, Kaliste Saloom Road (LA 3095), Ridge Road, Carmel Drive/Breaux Bridge Highway (LA 94), University Avenue (LA 182), Pinhook Road (LA 182), Camellia Boulevard, Guilbeau Road, Moss Street, Willow Street, Louisiana Avenue, Pont Des Mouton Road, Eraste Landry Road, and South College Road.
Sister cities
Lafayette has six sister cities:
- Le Cannet, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France (Twinned May 26, 1967)
- Longueuil, Quebec, Canada (Twinned December 3, 1968)
- Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada (Twinned October 19, 1971)
- Poitiers, Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France (Twinned April 22, 1975)
- Namur, Belgium (Twinned June 19, 1979)
- Agnibilékrou, Ivory Coast (Twinned October 5, 1999)
Six intersections in the downtown area are each named after one of its sister cities.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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