Originally established as Vermilionville in the 1820s and incorporated in 1836,[9] Lafayette developed as an agricultural community until the introduction of retail and entertainment centers, and the discovery of oil in the area in the 1940s. Since the discovery of oil, the city and parish have had the highest number of workers in the oil and natural gas industry in Louisiana as of 2018.[10] With the issuance of a bond ordinance for a series of roads connecting nearby settlements, the establishment of theUniversity of Louisiana System's Lafayette campus, and the continued diversification of its economy, Lafayette and its metropolitan area have experienced population growth since the1840 census and was promptly nicknamed "The Hub City."[11][12] The city and parish of Lafayette are also known as the "Heart of Acadiana."[13]
Lafayette is named afterMarquis de Lafayette.[25] Little is known about early settlements or if the area had a different name prior toEuropean colonization. The city was originally founded in 1821 as Vermilionville.
TheAttakapa Native Americans inhabited this area at the time of the first European encounter. French colonists founded the first European settlement,Petit Manchac, a trading post along the Vermilion River.[26] In the mid-to-late eighteenth century, numerousAcadian refugees settled in this area,[27] after beingexpelled fromCanada afterGreat Britain defeatedFrance in theSeven Years' War.[28] They intermarried with other settlers, forming what became known asCajun culture, which maintained use of the French language and adherence to theRoman Catholic Church.[29][30]
Jean Mouton, an Acadian settler, donated land to the Roman Church for construction of a small Catholic chapel at this site. In 1824, this area was selected for the Lafayette Parish seat and was named Vermilionville,[9] for its location on the river; in 1836, theLouisiana State Legislature approved its incorporation.
The area was initially developed by Europeans for agriculture, primarilysugar plantations, which depended on the labor of numerousenslaved Africans andAfrican Americans. They made up a large percentage of the antebellum population.[26] According toU.S. census data in 1830, some 41 percent of the population of Lafayette Parish was enslaved.[31] By 1860, the enslaved population had increased to 49.6 percent. Somefree people of color lived in Lafayette Parish, as well;[32][33] they made up 3 percent to a low of 2.4 percent between 1830 and 1860.
In 1884, Vermilionville was renamed forGeneral Lafayette, a French aristocrat who had fought with and significantly aided theContinental Army during theAmerican Revolutionary War.[34] The city and parish economy continued to be based on agriculture into the early 20th century. After theAmerican Civil War, most of the labor was done byfreedmen, who worked assharecroppers. From the 1930s, mechanization of agriculture began to reduce the need for farm workers.[35]
By 1898, theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette was established in the city as the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute. It opened in 1901, and changed its name to the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1960.[36] The university's current name was chosen in 1999.
In the 1940s, after oil was discovered in the parish, the petroleum and natural gas industries expanded to dominate the economy. By 2018, Lafayette had the highest number ofoil and natural gas industry workers in the state.[10]
In 1996, the city and parish consolidated;[38][39][40][41] the governments of the city and parish were merged, though five other incorporated municipalities continued to operate with their own municipal governments and departments. Since the beginning of the 21st century, a committee proposed the deconsolidation of the city and parish.[42][43][44] In 2014, Lafayette was named the "Happiest City in America.”[45][46]
The city of Lafayette is located in southern Louisiana'sAcadiana region on theGulf Coast of the United States. It was part of the seabed during the earlierQuaternary period. During this time, theMississippi River cut a 325-foot-deep (99 m) valley between what is now Lafayette and Baton Rouge. This valley was filled and is now theAtchafalaya Basin. The city is located on the western rim of this valley.
The Lafayette area is part of the southwestern Louisiana Prairie Terrace; it is higher and not made ofwetlands like much of the surrounding areas to the south and west of Lafayette. Lafayette does not suffer significant flooding problems, outside of local flash flooding. Lafayette has developed on both sides of theVermilion River. 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.[53]
Lafayette lies approximately 135 miles (217 km) fromNew Orleans,[54] 59 miles (95 km) from the state capital ofBaton Rouge,[55] 75 miles (121 km) fromLake Charles,[56] and 89 miles (143 km) fromAlexandria.[57] The city has an elevation ranging from 36 feet (11.0 m) to 49 feet (15 m) above sea level.[58][59] According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 55.65 square miles (144.1 km2), of which 55.57 square miles (143.9 km2) is land and 0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2) (0.19 percent) is covered by water.[60]
The city of Lafayette's architecture is diverse, with a collection of more than eight downtown structures listed within theNational Register of Historic Places. Downtown Lafayette landmarks include Old Lafayette City Hall and the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist. Near these structures,Chase andDoubletree have been the area's tallest buildings at 15 and 16 stories.
With the announcement of the latest addition to the city in over 40 years, twohigh-rise towers were planned and would stand 4 stories higher.[61] In October 2021, it was announced only one high-rise tower would be constructed citing lack of interest in condominiums within the area;[62][63] the project was halted in January 2022 citing further difficulties.[64] The attempted construction of new high-rises within the heart of the city followed efforts to redevelop the downtown area in the 2010s and attract further residents.[65][66] Alongside high-rise construction projects throughout the downtown area, a 70-unit apartment development began in early 2022 spurring continued interest in urban development.[67]
Lafayette's climate is described ashumid subtropical usingKöppen climate classification. It has year-round precipitation, especially during summertime. Lafayette's highest temperature was 110 °F (43 °C) on August 27, 2023 and the lowest temperature was 4 °F (−16 °C) onJanuary 22, 2025; it has hot, moist summers and warm, damp winters.
Map of racial distribution in Lafayette, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person:⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Multiracial⬤ Native American/Other
Lafayette, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Attakapa Native Americans were originally the primary residents of the Lafayette area beforeFrench colonization, concentrated along the Vermilion River.[26] After theLouisiana Purchase, American settlers began moving into the area and intermarrying among the French,enslaved Africans, andfree people of color. Since 1860, Lafayette has grown from 498 to 121,374 residents at the2020 U.S. census.[6][74] Following the American Community Survey's 5 year estimates program, the city has continued population growth with an additional 2020 estimate at 126,674 residents.[75]
According to 2021 estimates from theU.S. Census Bureau, its non-Hispanic or Latino white population have been prevalent throughout the city proper's geographic foothold with exception to its northern neighborhoods.[82] More than 34% of its Hispanic and Latino American population lived in the central-west portion of the city, and Black and African Americans primarily dominated the northern half of Lafayette city proper. Its Asian American community was dispersed throughout the whole city alongside multiracial Americans, and people of other races and ethnicities primarily lived near downtown or the city's border withCarencro.
Having historic growth from the 20th and 21st centuries attributed primarily to the oil and gas industry, theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Acadiana tourism,[83] an estimated 3.8 percent of the city's population was foreign-born from 2014 to 2019; of the foreign-born population, 33.6 percent were naturalized U.S. citizens.[78] AltogetherEnglish,French, andSpanish were the most spoken languages at home among the native and foreign-born populations.[84] In 2022, the city's foreign-born population grew to 5.8%.[6]
Poverty remains an issue in the city with an estimated 18.6 percent at or below the nationalpoverty threshold in 2019,[85] themedian income for a family was $54,139 in 2020 and Lafayettiens had amean household income of $79,216;[86] among non-family households, the median income stood at $34,588. The city had an employment rate of 60.4 percent, up from the state's 55.4 percent from 2014 to 2019.[87]
While in the predominantly conservativesouthern U.S., Lafayette has maintained a substantiallesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community since at least 1969, when some members of the Mystic Krewe of Apollo, a gay cultural, social, and service organization in New Orleans, arrived in the city.[88] The area's LGBT population have describedAcadiana as "welcoming," though some members of the community in the 1970s declined to be photographed at public and private LGBT events.[89] While regarded as welcoming, Lafayette's government was once under theHuman Rights Campaign Foundation's focus regarding non-discrimination in city employment; a local government spokesperson responded with reports of no complaints from the local LGBT community.[90] In 2023, the community celebrated the second annual Pride Acadiana.[91]
In a separate religious study bySperling's BestPlaces in 2020,[99]Judaism andIslam were tied as the second largest non-Christian religions within Lafayette and its metropolitan area. Jews began immigrating to the area in the 1800s,[100] and one of Louisiana's oldest continuously operated synagogues (Temple Shalom) has been present in the city since 1869. The historic synagogue of Temple Shalom originally functioned as anOrthodox Jewish congregation before joining theReform Judaism movement.[101] Lafayette's Jewish community has assisted in economic and cultural development of the area since their arrival.[102]
Ranking as one of the best places to retire in Louisiana according toForbes in 2018,[111] Lafayette was also ranked one of the best places for businesses and careers in 2019; according toForbes, it was #25 in the cost of doing business, #200 in job growth, and #175 in education nationwide.[112] PerU.S. News & World Report, its cost of living has contributed to it being ranked as the second best place to live in Louisiana.[113]
The city of Lafayette lies at the center of the Louisiana cultural region known as Acadiana. Acadiana is known as the home of the Acadian (Cajun) settlers, which immigrated from eastern Canada. TheLafayette metropolitan area has a largeLouisiana Creole,Cajun, and substantialforeign-born population; an estimated 14,676 Lafayettiens were foreign-born residents in 2019.[114] Additionally, more than 36% of foreigners came fromAsia from 2014 to 2019. This diversity of culture has undoubtedly contributed to Lafayette's unique blend of food, lifestyle and events. While these cultures have evolved overtime, the French influences deriving from the arrival of the Cajuns is still quite prevalant in everyday life.
Alpha Blondy, from the Ivory Coast, performed in 2016 at Festival International de Louisiane
Many annual events celebrate the diverse cultures of Lafayette. Highly regarded for its diverse food and restaurant culture, Lafayette has been regarded as having the fourth-most restaurants per capita in Louisiana since 2015.[115] Further, Lafayette has consistently been named as one of the top culinary destinations in the south.[116]
Although only a small percentage of Lafayette's population actively speak French, the language can be observed in everyday usage of local vernacular as well as business names or slogans and surnames of residents.[117] Examples of Cajun and Creole influenced usage are "Bon Temp Grill", "Lagneaux's", "T-Coon's", "Cafe des amis" (now closed), "Prejean's", "Parish Brewery" and many more. When speaking English, many locals will use French inspired phrases, often unknowingly. For example, "I have the envies for barbecue tonight", which means "I'm craving barbecue tonight" leveraging the French word for craving/desire. Another example might be the use of. Some local businesses try to capture this in their products, using "Mais bruh".[118][119]
In addition, the sport of trampoline developed in Lafayette.Jeff Hennessy's gymnastics program at theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette popularized the sport and produced more world champions — including his daughter,Leigh Hennessy — than any other location. Jeff Hennessy was also instrumental in getting trampoline into the Olympic Games, and several athletes fromTrampoline & Tumbling Express in Lafayette have represented the United States at the Olympics.
Lafayette Parish CourthouseJohn M. Shaw U.S. Courthouse
Lafayette has a consolidated city–parish government, known as the Lafayette Consolidated Government;[130] parish voters agreed toconsolidation of the city and parish governments in 1996.[38][42] Lafayette's chief executive was initially called the city-parish president, but is now known as the mayor-president for the Lafayette Consolidated Government.Republican Monique Blanco-Boulet was elected to this office most recently.[131]
The consolidation of the city and parish has been the subject of continuous public debate over the years. In 2011, a charter commission recommended deconsolidation, though parish voters rejected the recommendation. In 2018, voters separated the single city–parish council into a city council to represent the city of Lafayette and a parish council to represent Lafayette Parish. The mayor-president is still elected parishwide. In 2021, the city council passed a resolution calling for another charter commission to look at amendments to the charter and, if necessary, deconsolidation. The Lafayette Parish Council did not agree to the charter commission proposal.[43] Public works and other services, such as land use and plat review, are operated by the Lafayette Consolidated Government to serve the city of Lafayette and unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish, and by contract some of the area municipalities. Zoning rules apply only within the city and unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish.[132]
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, and other public services. The LPSS operates independently of any municipality, and its jurisdiction is coterminous with Lafayette Parish.[133]
Lafayette is home to a regional office of theLouisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and the headquarters of theCouncil for the Development of French in Louisiana, the state agency that oversees preservation and documentation of Louisiana French for tourism, economic development, culture, education, and the development of international relations with other Francophone regions and countries.[134]
The city of Lafayette is primarily served by theLafayette Police Department, though theLafayette Parish Sheriff's Office,Lafayette City Marshal, andUniversity of Louisiana Police Department maintain jurisdiction throughout the city and surrounding area. Followingnationwide COVID-19 trends from 2019 to 2020,[135] Lafayette has experienced a rise in violent crimes per theFederal Bureau of Investigation. In 2020, the city experienced 712 violent crimes up from 664 in 2019; according to a professor of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, violent crime was decreasing prior to the pandemic. In 2018 the city experienced 9 homicides, and 17 in 2020; for comparison, there were 195homicides in New Orleans in 2020, and 100 in Baton Rouge.[136][137] Altogether, Lafayette ranked as the 20th safest city overall in Louisiana, and the safest of Louisiana's four largest municipalities in 2021.[138]
Lafayette's major daily newspaper isThe Daily Advertiser, owned by Gannett (publishers ofUSA Today). Established in 1865 as theWeekly Advertiser, it purchased the local alternative paper,The Times of Acadiana in 1998. Other prominent newspapers in the Lafayette area includeAcadiana Profile,[139] Baton Rouge-basedThe Advocate and its local paperThe Acadiana Advocate,[140]The Independent,[141] and UL-basedThe Vermilion.[142]The Current is a non-profit online news organization that has published since 2017.[143]
Licensing more than 22 FM and AM radio stations in its metropolitan area, Lafayette includesValcour Records and ML1 Records in its metropolis.[144] Major television stations includeKATC 3 (ABC),KLFY-TV (CBS, with theCW Plus on DT2),KLAF-LD (NBC),KADN-TV (Fox), andKLPB-TV (PBS). Other major stations serving the Lafayette area includeAlexandria'sKALB-TV (NBC, with CBS on DT2), Baton Rouge'sWBRZ (ABC),WAFB (CBS),WGMB-TV (Fox, withThe CW on DT2),WVLA-TV (NBC), and Lake Charles'KPLC-TV (NBC, with the CW Plus on DT2). According toNielsen Media Research, the Lafayette television market was the 123rd largest in the United States as of 2019.[145]
Lafayette Parish School System is the largest primary and secondary education system for Lafayette and its metropolitan area. Covering the whole of Lafayette Parish, it has 45 schools: 25elementary schools, 12middle schools, and eighthigh schools. The Lafayette Parish School System offers nine career academies at the high-school level, school curricula designed to prepare students in certain career fields.[146] Of note among the schools in this system areLafayette High School andAcadiana High School, its two largest high schools by enrollment.[147][148]
Its university, theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette, is the flagship university for theUniversity of Louisiana System; as a national research institution and home to more than 18,000 students, over 100 programs, and theLouisiana Ragin' Cajuns, it is the second-largest university in the state behindLouisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Attempting unsuccessfully to change its name to the "University of Louisiana" previously, the university's moniker as "Louisiana" became points of contention, and the community colloquially refers to the institution as the University of Louisiana, dropping "Lafayette" from the name.[149][150]
One of the newest college systems in Louisiana,South Louisiana Community College, is headquartered in Lafayette. South Louisiana Community College partnered withAcadian Ambulance to form the National EMS Academy, which offers EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic certification. This community college is part of theLouisiana Community and Technical College System.[151] Louisiana Technical College (Lafayette campus) is part of the Louisiana Technical College System,[152] which in turn is part of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. It offers associate degrees in several fields.[153] It is a vocational school that offers a few bachelor's-degree programs, many associate-degree programs, and a few diploma programs. Additionally, Lafayette is also home to the Lafayette campus of theAcademy of Interactive Entertainment, a technical college that specializes in video game programming, art and animation, and SFX.[154]
Lafayette is home to theLouisiana Army National Guard headquarters of the256th Infantry Brigade, a military unit of more than 3,000 soldiers. The unit served in Iraq in 2004–2005. The brigade was deployed again in January 2010.[155] Until 2014, Lafayette was also home to theUnited States Marine Corps Reserve Unit, F. Co. Anti-Terrorism Battalion commanded by Captain Cole Clements. This unit went on several deployments, many related to theIraq 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.[155]
Lafayette Regional Airport—located onU.S. Highway 90 (futureInterstate 49), on the southeast side of the city with daily scheduled passenger airline services nonstop toAtlanta,Dallas/Fort Worth,Houston and effective April 2, 2021 toCharlotte—is the primary airport for Acadiana. Charter services also depart Lafayette Regional as well as helicopter flights and cargo jets. A new airline passenger terminal at the Lafayette airport opened on January 20, 2022.[156]
Alongside its aerial transportation methods,Interstate 10 and Interstate 49 are the primary highways, with a passenger rail. TheAmtrakSunset Limited offers service three days a week fromNew Orleans andLos Angeles,California with selected stops in Louisiana, Texas,New Mexico,Arizona and California. Connections are available in New Orleans toChicago and to theEast Coast via Atlanta. Service eastward toOrlando, Florida remains suspended in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina.Greyhound also operates a station downtown on Lee Avenue with destinations east and west on I-10, north on I-49 and southeast on U.S. Hwy 90. TheLafayette Transit System (formerly City of Lafayette Transit (COLT)) provides bus service.[157]
There are certain areas within the city of Lafayette dedicated to growing into a bicycle-friendly community. The Lafayette MPO Bicycle Subcommittee meet once a month and has developed long-term goals for bicycling in the area. BikeLafayette is the area's bicycle advocacy organization which is very active in promoting bicycle awareness, safety, and education in Acadiana.[158][159] TRAIL is an organization that promotes bicycling, canoeing, and pedestrian activities. The University of Louisiana at 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.[160] 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.
U.S. Route 90 (co-signed with Evangeline Thruway, Mudd Avenue and Cameron Street within the city limits) andU.S. Route 167 (co-signed with I-49, Evangeline Thruway and Johnston Street). Ambassador Caffery Parkway, named forJefferson Caffery, serves as a partial loop connecting I-10 at Exit 100 on the west and U.S. 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.
^abcMartin, Michael (2007).Historic Lafayette: An Illustrated History of Lafayette & Lafayette Parish. San Antonio, Texas: Historical Publishing Network. pp. 5–7, 10, 11.ISBN9781893619760.
^Young, Fr Stephen De."Parish History".Archangel Gabriel Antiochian Orthodox Church. Archived fromthe original on November 13, 2021. RetrievedNovember 13, 2021.
^Brand, Anna; Villavaso, Stephen (Spring 2011). "REVISITING PALERMO: THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF LOUISIANA'S LANDMARK LAND USE RIGHTS AND ZONING DECISION AND ITS LEGACY FOR PLANNING IN LOUISIANA".Loyola Law Review.57 (1):113–133.
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