Lafayette, Vermilionville, or the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area per the

U.S. Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

, is the third largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located in the south central

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 ...

region, it covers five parishes. At 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 ...

, 478,384 people lived in the metropolitan area, making it the 116th most populous in the United States and one of Louisiana's fastest growing metropolises; in 2010, its population was 273,738 and it outpaced the

Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, officially designated Shreveport–Bossier City by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, or simply Greater Shreveport, is a metropolitan statistical area in northwestern Louisiana that covers t ...

in 2015. The approximately metropolitan area centers on

Lafayette Parish Lafayette Parish (french: Paroisse de Lafayette) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 241,753, up from 221,578 at the 2010 United States census. The parish seat is ...

, which contains the city of Lafayette—the largest economic and cultural center of Acadiana—with a consolidated city-parish population of 244,390 in 2019; the city proper's population was 121,374 in 2020. Part of the larger Lafayette-Opelousas-Morgan City combined statistical area, it borders the

Lake Charles metropolitan area The Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area is a metropolitan area in the Acadiana region of southwest Louisiana that covers two parishes— Calcasieu and Cameron. According to a 2019 census estimate, the MSA had a population of 210,409. It i ...

to the west. As of 2020, the metropolitan statistical area is home to Amazon, IberiaBank, Rouses Market, Albertsons,

Petroleum Helicopters International Petroleum Helicopters International, Inc. (PHI), is an American commercial helicopter operator, founded in 1949, by Robert L. Suggs. The company is based in Lafayette, Louisiana and provides service for the oil and gas industry, aeromedical serv ...

, and other statewide and international corporations generating a gross domestic product of over 21.9 billion dollars as of 2019. The Lafayette metropolitan area is one of the most predominantly- Catholic metropolises in the Southern United States, and home to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It is also home to a small

lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

population.

Geography

The Lafayette metropolitan area covers approximately in the region of

in Louisiana. If it were a U.S. state or territory, it would be larger than Delaware and the Northern Mariana Islands. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines Metropolitan Lafayette as initially covering Lafayette and

Saint Martin Saint Martin may refer to: People * Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397), Bishop of Tours, France * Saint Martin of Braga (c. 520–580), archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal) * Pope Martin I (598–655) * Saint Mart ...

parishes; Acadia, Iberia, and Vermilion parishes were added to the metropolis in 2013. The larger combined statistical area adds St. Landry Parish and St. Mary Parish. Located along the

Gulf Coast of the United States The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

, it borders the Lake Charles metropolitan area, and is located south of the Alexandria metropolitan area, and west of Greater New Orleans and

Greater Baton Rouge The Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, or simply the Baton Rouge metropolitan area or Greater Baton Rouge, is a sprawling metropolitan statistical area surrounding the city ...

. Communities within the Greater Lafayette area lie at a low elevation above sea level, though some portions extend to nearly above sea level.

Communities

* Abbeville * Arnaudville (partial) *

Breaux Bridge Breaux Bridge (;Jack A. Reynolds. "Breaux Bridge" entry i"Louisiana Placenames of Romance Origin."LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses #7852. 1942. p. 77. french: Pont-Breaux; frc, Pont-(de)-Breaux ) is a small city in St. Martin Parish, Loui ...

Broussard Broussard is a surname of French origin. People with the surname include: *Aaron Broussard (born 1949), American politician * Allen Broussard (1929–1996), American jurist * Alley Broussard (born 1983), American football player * Ben 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 ...

* Cecilia * Coteau Holmes (unincorporated) * Crowley * Delcambre * Duson *

Eunice Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek Εὐνίκη, ''Euníkē'', from "eu", good, and "níkē", victory. Eunice is also a relatively rare last name, found in Nigeria and the Southeastern United States, chiefly Louisiana and Georgia. Pe ...

* Erath * Gueydan *

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada *He ...

* Jeanerette *

Kaplan Kaplan may refer to: Places * Kapłań, Poland * Kaplan, Louisiana, U.S. * Kaplan Medical Center, a hospital in Rehovot, Israel * Kaplan Street, in Tel Aviv, Israel * Mount Kaplan, Antarctica * Kaplan Arena, at the College of William & Mary in W ...

* Lafayette (Principal city) *

Loreauville Loreauville is a village in Iberia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 887 at the 2010 census, down from 938 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Iberia micropolitan statistical area, and the Lafayette metropolitan ...

* Maurice *

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 ...

(unincorporated) * Morgan City (partial) * New Iberia * Opelousas *

Parks A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

* Rayne *

St. Martinville St. Martinville (french: Saint-Martin)Jack A. Reynolds. "St. Martinville" entry i"Louisiana Placenames of Romance Origin."LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses #7852. 1942. p. 480. is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana ...

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

Demographics

In 2010, 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 ...

reported there were 273,738 people, 89,536 households, and 61,826 families residing within metropolitan Lafayette. From 2010 to 2015, the Lafayette metropolitan area outpaced the

in North Louisiana by population, becoming the third largest metropolitan area in the state. In 2019, the Lafayette metropolitan area's population began a period of stagnation and slight decline. At the publication of 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 ...

, its metropolitan population was 478,384. According to the 2010 census, the metropolitan racial makeup was 71.86% White, 25.46% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.05%

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 ...

, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races;

Hispanics The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties former ...

or Latinos of any race were 1.56% of the population. At the 2021

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 ...

's 1-year estimates, the racial and ethnic makeup for the metropolis was 66% White, 25% Black and African American, 0% Native American, 2% Asian, 4% from two or more races, and 4% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.

Economy

The city and parish of Lafayette are the economic centers for Acadiana and the metropolitan region. Having been or currently economically established by Albertsons, Amazon,

Brookshire Grocery Company Brookshire Grocery Company is a Tyler, Texas-based supermarket chain. There are more than 200 stores operating in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma under their five banners, Brookshire's, Super 1 Foods, Fresh by Brookshire's, Spring Mark ...

, CGI,

First Horizon Bank First Horizon Bank, formerly First Tennessee Bank, is a financial services company based in Memphis, Tennessee. As the leading subsidiary of First Horizon Corporation, it provides financial services through locations in 12 states across the South ...

, JP Morgan Chase,

LUSFiber "LUSFIBER" is a municipally owned subsidiary of Lafayette Utilities System, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone services to the citizens of Lafayette, Louisiana. It is notable for being the first municipally owned compan ...

, the

Ochsner Health System Ochsner Health System is a not-for-profit health system based in the New Orleans metropolitan area of southeast Louisiana, United States. it is the largest non-profit, academic healthcare system operating in Louisiana, with 40 medical facilitie ...

Perficient Perficient, Inc. is a global digital consultancy. The company's efforts include enterprise mobile applications, creative services, marketing, digital strategy Internet of Things, information technology, management consulting, custom developmen ...

, and Rouses Markets, the area is also stimulated by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and South Louisiana Community College.

Transportation

Lafayette Regional Airport Lafayette Regional Airport(French: Aéroport régional de Lafayette) is a public use airport two miles (4 km) southeast of Lafayette, in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the City Parish of Lafayette. ...

—located on

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 ...

(future Interstate 49), on the southeast side of the city of Lafayette with daily scheduled passenger airline services nonstop to Atlanta, Dallas/

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, Houston and effective April 2, 2021 to Charlotte—is the primary airport for the metropolitan area and 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. Alongside its aerial transportation methods,

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 ...

and Interstate 49 are the primary highways, with a passenger rail. The Amtrak ''

Sunset Limited The ''Sunset Limited'' is an Amtrak passenger train that for most of its history has operated between New Orleans and Los Angeles, over the nation's second transcontinental route. However, up until Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it operated betwe ...

'' offers service three days a week from New Orleans 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 East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

via Atlanta. Service eastward to Orlando, Florida remains suspended in the aftermath of

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 ...

. 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. The Lafayette Transit System (formerly City of Lafayette Transit (COLT)) provides bus service; public transportation is provided only within Lafayette's city limits. U.S. Route 90 (co-signed with Evangeline Thruway, Mudd Avenue and Cameron Street within the city limits) and

U.S. Route 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 ...

(co-signed with I-49, Evangeline Thruway and Johnston Street). Ambassador Caffery Parkway, named for

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 ...

, 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 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 ...

), 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.

References