Lafayette Parish (french: Paroisse de Lafayette) is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

located in the U.S. state of

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. According to the

2020 U.S. census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the parish had a population of 241,753, up from 221,578 at the

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

. The parish seat is the city of Lafayette. The parish was founded in 1823. Since 1992, Lafayette City and Lafayette Parish have operated as a consolidated government.

Etymology

The city and parish of Lafayette were named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who took part in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and financially aided it.

Geography

Lafayette Parish is a part of the region of

Acadiana Acadiana ( French and Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane''), also known as the Cajun Country (Louisiana French: ''Le Pays Cadjin'', es, País Cajún), is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that has historically contained mu ...

in southern Louisiana, along the Gulf Coast. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the parish has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest parish in Louisiana by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Major highways

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

* Interstate 49 *

U.S. Highway 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...

U.S. Highway 167 U.S. Route 167 runs for from Ash Flat, Arkansas at U.S. Route 62/US Route 412 to Abbeville, Louisiana at Louisiana Highway 14. It goes through the cities of Little Rock, Arkansas, Alexandria, Louisiana, and Lafayette, Louisiana. Some of the high ...

Louisiana Highway 89 Louisiana Highway 89 (LA 89) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in a north–south direction from LA 14 in Delcambre to an intersection with Church Street in Youngsville. The highway parallels the Vermilion� ...

Louisiana Highway 89-1 Louisiana Highway 89 (LA 89) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in a north–south direction from LA 14 in Delcambre to an intersection with Church Street in Youngsville. The highway parallels the Vermilion– ...

Louisiana Highway 92 Louisiana Highway 92 (LA 92) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in an east–west direction from U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) east of Mermentau to LA 339 in Youngsville. The route passes through several smal ...

* Louisiana Highway 92-1 *

Louisiana Highway 93 Louisiana Highway 93 (LA 93) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in a southwest to northeast direction from US 90 in Scott to LA 31 in Arnaudville. The majority of the route travels north–south, connect ...

Louisiana Highway 96 Louisiana Highway 96 (LA 96) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in an east–west direction from LA 182 in Broussard to LA 352 east of Catahoula. The route passes through St. Martinville, the seat of St ...

Louisiana Highway 182 Louisiana Highway 182 (LA 182) is a state highway located in central and southeastern Louisiana. It runs in a northwest to southeast direction from Louisiana Highway 29, LA 29 in Whiteville, Louisiana, Whiteville to U.S. Route 90 in Lo ...

Louisiana Highway 3073 Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is border ...

Adjacent parishes

* St. Landry Parish (north) *

St. Martin Parish St. Martin Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Martin) is a parish (administrative division), parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, founded in 1811. Its parish seat is St. Martinville, Louisiana, St. Martinville, and the largest city is B ...

(east) *

Iberia Parish Iberia Parish (french: Paroisse de l'Ibérie, es, Parroquia de Iberia) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 69,929; the parish seat is New Iberia. The parish was formed in 1868 during ...

(southeast) * Vermilion Parish (south) * Acadia Parish (west)

National protected area

* Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (part, in Lafayette)

Communities

Cities

* Broussard *

Carencro Carencro (; historically french: St.-Pierre) is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Lafayette. The population was 7,526 at the 2010 census, up from 6,120 in 2000; at the 2020 census, its po ...

* Lafayette (parish seat and largest municipality) *

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...

* Youngsville

Town

* Duson

Census-designated places

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

* Ossun

Unincorporated communities

* Capitan * Elks *

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

* Judice * Larabee * Long Bridge * Mouton * Pilette * Pont Des Mouton *

Ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

River Ranch River Ranch is a planned neighborhood within the city of Lafayette in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies to the south of the Vermilion River in the city of Lafayette near the intersection of Kaliste Saloom Road and Camellia Boul ...

Sadou The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is sel ...

* Stekey * Vatican * Walroy

Demographics

According to the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 241,753 people, 94,490 households, and 59,937 families residing in the parish. According to the 2019

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

, there were 244,390 people living in the parish. The racial and ethnic makeup of Lafayette Parish was 65.7%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...

, 25.9% Black and African American, 0.2%

American Indian and Alaska Native Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and #Terminology differences, other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States (Indigenous peopl ...

, 1.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.3% some other race, 1.5%

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...

, and 4.6% Hispanic and Latino American of any race. In 2020, the racial and ethnic makeup was 62.24% non-Hispanic white, 25.1% Black and African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.16% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.57% multiracial or some other race, and 6.61% Hispanic or Latino American of any race. In 2019, the median age was 35.2 and 76.2% of the population were aged 18 and older; 12.7% of the population were aged 65 and older. Of its population, 4.2% were foreign born, with the majority coming from Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Among the population, 10.1% spoke another language other than English at home; Spanish was the second most-spoken language in 2019, and French was third. There were 91,543 households at the 2019 census estimates, and 44.4% were married couples living together; 8.0% of households were cohabiting couples, 17.8% male households with no female present, 12.7% single-person households, and 29.7% female households with no female present. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.22. There was an employment rate of 62.5% and 28,206 businesses operating in the parish; 5,734 businesses were minority-owned and 2,774 were veteran-owned. Out of the 102,491 housing units in 2019, the median gross rent was $874, and median housing value was $185,300. At the 2019 American Community Survey, the median household income was $56,999; males had a median income of $54,653 versus $38,378 for females. An estimated 17.3% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Education

Lafayette Parish School System operates public schools for the parish. Lafayette Parish is home to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana's second largest public university behind

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

. It is also home to the main campus of South Louisiana Community College (the parish is in the community college's service area), a

Remington College Remington College is a common name used by all 16 campuses of a group of private colleges throughout the United States. Remington College operates 16 campuses in several US states. Some of the affiliated institutions have been in operation since th ...

in Lafayette, a

Blue Cliff College Blue Cliff College is a for-profit technical school with campuses located in Gulfport, Mississippi, Fayetteville, Arkansas, and five locations in Louisiana: Lafayette, Shreveport, Houma, Metairie, and Alexandria. The college offers diplomas for ...

in Lafayette, an

Aveda Institute Aveda Corporation ( ) is an American cosmetics company founded by Horst Rechelbacher, now owned by Estée Lauder Companies, and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Aveda manufactures skin and body care, cosmetics, perfume (internally calle ...

, and a

Louisiana Technical College Louisiana Technical College (LTC) was an institute for professional technical education in the state of Louisiana, with campuses across the state. Louisiana Technical College had no affiliation to Louisiana Tech University. History Originally kno ...

in Lafayette.

Politics

The parish voters often supported Democratic presidential candidates before the 1970s, but the majority of conservative whites has trended Republican since that time. Before 1965 and passage of the

Voting Rights Act The suffrage, Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of Federal government of the United States, federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President of the United ...

by the U.S Congress, most African Americans were

disenfranchised Disfranchisement, also called disenfranchisement, or voter disqualification is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing a person exercising the right to vote. D ...

, as they had been since 1898, when Louisiana passed a new constitution establishing barriers to voter registration and voting. They, along with poor white voters, were excluded from the political system. After regaining the power to register and vote, black voters tended to affiliate with and support national

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

candidates. The majority of the parish voted for the Republican presidential candidates from 1992 to 2020, and did so by generally increasing margins. The results in 2004 gave Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

64% of the vote and 57,732 votes while Democrat

John F. Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

won 35% of the vote and 31,210 votes. In the 2008 election Lafayette Parish cast the majority of its votes for Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

. He won 65% of the vote and 62,055 votes. Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

was strongly supported by African Americans and won 34% of the vote, some 32,145 votes.The New York Times electoral map
/ref>

Law enforcement

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office (LPSO) is the sheriff's department in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. The department, headed by Sheriff Mark T. Garber, consists of around 750 sworn and non-sworn employees. Although the LPSO's

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. Jur ...

consists of the entire parish of Lafayette, in order to not duplicate services provided by local city police, the primary patrol area is the unincorporated areas of the parish. It also runs the

Lafayette Parish Correctional Center The Lafayette Parish Correctional Center (LPCC) is the parish jail for Lafayette Parish located in downtown Lafayette in the US state of Louisiana. It is run by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: Pe ...

. The LPSO is CALEA ( Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accredited and has taken part in

Operation FALCON Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) is the name of several week-long dragnets organized by the United States Marshals Service. FALCON I occurred between April 4 and 10, 2005 (also Crime Victims' Rights Week), FALCON II ...

. In 2003, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office joined with the University of Louisiana to create ALETA, the Acadiana Law Enforcement Training Academy. This academy trains new LPSO deputies and UL Police officers, as well as recruits from several other police agencies in South Louisiana, to become P.O.S.T. certified law enforcement officers. The program is an eleven-week course that provides physical training and conditioning along with classroom instruction. Lafayette Parish is further served by the Lafayette Police Department,

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Police Department A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, and the Lafayette City Marshal.

National Guard

The HQ and other units of the

256th IBCT The 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Louisiana Brigade") is a modular infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the Louisiana Army National Guard. It is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. Currently the brigade is part of the 36th Infantry D ...

reside in the city of

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th- ...

. This unit of over 3,500 Soldiers has deployed twice to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, 2004-5 and 2010. This unit has also responded to disasters such as:

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, Hurricane Gustav,

Hurricane Isaac Hurricane Isaac was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that came ashore in the U.S. state of Louisiana during August 2012. The ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the annual hurricane season, Isaac originated from a tropical w ...

, and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.

Notable people

* Lauren Daigle, (born 1991), Grammy-nominated CCM singer *

Jefferson Caffery Jefferson Caffery (December 1, 1886 – April 13, 1974) was an American diplomat. He served as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador (1926–1928), Colombia (1928–1933), Cuba (1934–1937), Brazil (1937–1944), France (1944–1949), and Egypt (1949 ...

, (1886-1974), U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, France and Egypt *

Benjamin Flanders Benjamin Franklin Flanders (January 26, 1816 – March 13, 1896) was a teacher, politician and planter in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1867, he was appointed by the military commander as the 21st Governor of Louisiana during Reconstruction, a ...

, (1816-1896), politician, Alderman of New Orleans (1847-1852), founder of the

Republican Party of Louisiana The Republican Party of Louisiana (french: Parti républicain de Louisiane) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its chair is Louis Gurvich, who was elected in 2018. It is currently the dominant party in the ...

in 1864, appointed governor of Louisiana in 1867, retired in 1880s to his Ben Alva plantation here *

Jerry Luke LeBlanc Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

(born 1956), former state legislator and vice president of administration and finance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette *

Alexandre Mouton Alexandre Mouton (November 19, 1804 – February 12, 1885) was a United States senator and the 11th Governor of Louisiana. Early life He was born in Attakapas district (now Lafayette Parish) into a wealthy plantation-owning Acadian fam ...

, (1804–1885), born in Attakapas,

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

and

Governor of Louisiana A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. *

Frank Schmitz Frank K. Schmitz (September 4, 1945 – September 3, 1966) was an American trampoline gymnast who won four individual NCAA titles and a silver medal at the 1965 Trampoline World Championships. Early life Schmitz was the son of William C. and Pol ...

, (1945-1966), four time NCAA champion gymnast and silver medal winner at the

1965 Trampoline World Championships The 2nd Trampoline World Championships were held in Albert Hall, London, England on 30 January 1965. Results Men Trampoline Tumbling Women Trampoline Tumbling Mixed synchro trampoline References Trampoline UK FIG Press Information Kit

References

External links

Lafayette Consolidated Government

Lafayette Economic Development Authority

Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission

Lafayette Public Library

Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court

Lafayette Parish American History and Genealogy Project
Geology * Heinrich, P. V., and W. J. Autin, 2000
''Baton Rouge 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. * Heinrich, P. V., J. Snead, and R. P. McCulloh, 2003
''Crowley 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. {{Coord, 30.21, -92.06, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-LA_source:UScensus1990 1823 establishments in Louisiana Parishes in Acadiana Acadiana Lafayette metropolitan area, Louisiana Populated places established in 1823