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Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette is the most populous city in and parish seat of Lafayette Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth-most populous city with a 2020 census population of 121,374; the consolidated city-parish's population was 241,753 in 2020. The Lafayette metropolitan area was Louisiana's third largest metropolitan statistical area with a population of 478,384 at the 2020 census. The Acadiana region containing Lafayette is the largest population and economic corridor between Houston, Texas and New Orleans.

Originally established as Vermilionville in the 1820s and incorporated in 1836, 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. With the issuance of a bond ordinance for a series of roads connecting nearby settlements; the establishment of the University of Louisiana System's Lafayette campus; and the continued diversification of its economy, Lafayette and its metropolitan area have experienced population growth since the 1840 census and was promptly nicknamed "The Hub City." The city and parish of Lafayette are also known as the "Heart of Acadiana."

As a result of its growth, the city and region have become major centers for the technology industry; Lafayette also became a major center for health care and social services, aerospace, banking and retail. Notable corporations with headquarters or a large presence in the Lafayette area have included Amazon, Brookshire Grocery Company, CGI, JP Morgan Chase, Ochsner Health System, Petroleum Helicopters International, and Rouses Markets.

Lafayette is home to a diverse population from Louisiana Creole and Cajun backgrounds. In 2014, Lafayette was named the "Happiest City in America.” The city and region's cultural icons include Alexandre Mouton House, Brandt House, Charles H. Mouton House, the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, Daigle House, First United Methodist Church, Holy Rosary Institute, Hope Lodge No. 145, and Old Lafayette City Hall. Its educational institutions include the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, South Louisiana Community College, and Remington College.

Etymology
Lafayette is named after Marquis de Lafayette. Little is known about early settlements or if the area had a different name prior to European colonization. The city was originally founded in 1821 as Vermilionville.

Colonization and settlement
The Attakapa 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. In the mid-to-late eighteenth century, numerous Acadian refugees settled in this area, after being expelled from Canada after Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years' War. They intermarried with other settlers, forming what became known as Cajun culture, which maintained use of the French language and adherence to the Roman Catholic Church.

Municipal incorporation
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, for its location on the river; in 1836, the Louisiana State Legislature approved its incorporation.

The area was initially developed by Europeans for agriculture, primarily sugar plantations, which depended on the labor of numerous enslaved Africans and African Americans. They made up a large percentage of the antebellum population. According to U.S. census data in 1830, some 41 percent of the population of Lafayette Parish was enslaved. By 1860, the enslaved population had increased to 49.6 percent. Some free people of color lived in Lafayette Parish, as well; they made up 3 percent to a low of 2.4 percent between 1830 and 1860.

In 1884, Vermilionville was renamed for General Lafayette, a French aristocrat who had fought with and significantly aided the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The city and parish economy continued to be based on agriculture into the early 20th century. After the American Civil War, most of the labor was done by freedmen, who worked as sharecroppers. From the 1930s, mechanization of agriculture began to reduce the need for farm workers.

Growth and consolidation
By 1898, the University 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. 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 of oil and natural gas industry workers in the state.

Since the latter half of the 20th century, Lafayette has hosted the Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, and was candidate as site for the New Orleans Pelicans NBA G League team in 2017.

In 1996, the city and parish consolidated;  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.

In 2015, the city of Lafayette gained international attention for a mass shooting and murder-suicide at Grand 16 Theater; this mass shooting spurred further discussion and debate on gun control in the United States. During 2015, the Lafayette metropolitan area also overtook the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area by population, becoming Louisiana's third largest metropolitan region.

Geography
The city of Lafayette is located at 30.21667°N, -92.03333°W (30.2139, −92.0294), in southern Louisiana's Acadiana region on the Gulf Coast of the United States. It was part of the seabed during the earlier Quaternary period. During this time, the Mississippi River cut a 325 ft valley between what is now Lafayette and Baton Rouge. This valley was filled and is now the Atchafalaya 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 of wetlands 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 the Vermilion 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.

Lafayette lies approximately 135 mi from New Orleans, 59 mi from the state capital of Baton Rouge, 75 mi from Lake Charles, and 89 mi from Alexandria. The city has an elevation ranging from 36 ft to 49 ft above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 55.65 sqmi, of which 55.57 sqmi is land and 0.08 sqmi (0.19 percent) is covered by water.

Cityscape
The city of Lafayette's architecture is diverse, with a collection of more than eight downtown structures listed within the National Register of Historic Places. Downtown Lafayette landmarks include Old Lafayette City Hall and the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist. Near these structures, Chase and Doubletree 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, two high-rise towers were planned and would stand 4 stories higher. In October 2021, it was announced only one high-rise tower would be constructed citing lack of interest in condominiums within the area; the project was halted in January 2022 citing further difficulties. 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. Alongside high-rise construction projects throughout the downtown area, a 70-unit apartment development began in early 2022 spurring continued interest in urban development.

Climate
Lafayette's climate is described as humid subtropical using Köppen climate classification. It has year-round precipitation, especially during summertime. Lafayette's highest temperature was 110 °F on August 27, 2023; it has hot, moist summers and warm, damp winters.

Demographics

Attakapa Native Americans were originally the primary residents of the Lafayette area before French colonization, concentrated along the Vermilion River. After the Louisiana Purchase, American settlers began moving into the area and intermarrying among the French, enslaved Africans, and free people of color. Since 1860, Lafayette has grown from 498 to 121,374 residents at the 2020 U.S. census. 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.

With the migration and population growth of European, African, and multiracial Americans since early settlement, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city has been predominantly non-Hispanic or Latino white, Black or African American, multiracial, and Asian. French, German, English, American, Irish, and Italian were the largest European ancestry groups among the non-Hispanic or Latino white population. Asian settlers arrived during the establishment of Filipino communities along the coast of Louisiana (primarily in the Greater New Orleans area) up to established communities in the Acadiana region as of 2013. The city and area's Hispanic and Latino American population have existed since Spanish colonization of Louisiana.

According to 2021 estimates from the U.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. 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 with Carencro.

Having historic growth from the 20th and 21st centuries attributed primarily to the oil and gas industry, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Acadiana tourism, 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. Altogether English, French, and Spanish were the most spoken languages at home among the native and foreign-born populations. In 2022, the city's foreign-born population grew to 5.8%.

Poverty remaining an issue in the city with an estimated 18.6 percent at or below the national poverty threshold in 2019, the median income for a family was $54,139 in 2020 and Lafayettiens had a mean household income of $79,216; 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.

Sexual orientation and gender identity
While in the predominantly conservative southern U.S., Lafayette has maintained a substantial lesbian, 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. The area's LGBT population have described Acadiana as "welcoming," though some members of the community in the 1970s declined to be photographed at public and private LGBT events. While regarded as welcoming, Lafayette's government was once under the Human 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. In 2023, the community celebrated the second annual Pride Acadiana.

Religion
In common with Louisiana's religious demographic, Lafayette and its metropolitan area are predominantly religious, dominated by Christianity. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, the Catholic Church was the single largest Christian denomination with a reported 212,013 adherents, and Protestants were the largest collective Christian group. Among Protestant Christians, the largest were non-denominational Christians with 26,860 adherents; Southern Baptists with 22,324; Progressive National Baptists with 19,324; United Methodists with 8,401; and Assemblies of God USA with 6,704 adherents.

Owing in part to Spanish and French colonialism and missionary work, Christians have historically affiliated with the Latin Church's Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana was founded in 1918 and its see is the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist. Within the local Protestant traditions, Baptists have been the primary historic Protestant body affiliated with; the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and Progressive National Baptist Convention have been the city and region's historically Black or African American Baptist denominations, though the Church of God in Christ has also been a historically prominent African American Protestant body.

Mormons, Lutherans, and Presbyterians have also maintained minority presences within the Lafayette municipal and metropolitan communities. Christians of other traditions including the Jehovah's Witnesses and united and uniting churches have been present in the city's metropolitan area since the 20th century. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the oldest nontrinitarian Christian denomination in Lafayette, and has one church in the city limits; the closest LDS churches outside of Lafayette are in New Iberia and Opelousas. There has been one Antiochian Orthodox jurisdiction operating since 2004; there is also a Coptic Orthodox mission under the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Altogether, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, and non-mainstream Protestantism have constituted a significant minority in contrast to Catholic and Baptist missionary work.

In a separate religious study by Sperling's BestPlaces in 2020, Judaism and Islam were tied as the second largest non-Christian religions within Lafayette and its metropolitan area. Jews began immigrating to the area in the 1800s, 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 an Orthodox Jewish congregation before joining the Reform Judaism movement. Lafayette's Jewish community has assisted in economic and cultural development of the area since their arrival.

Economy
Established and occupied as an agricultural community until the 1940s, Lafayette became a center of the oil and natural gas industry in Louisiana. In addition, the city and its metropolitan area became major centers for technology, health care and social services, aerospace, banking and retail from the latter 20th- and early 21st centuries.

As of 2021, the consolidated city–parish's top employers have been the Lafayette Parish School System, Lafayette General Health, Wood Group Production Services, Lafayette Consolidated Government, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, WHC, Inc., Walmart, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Schlumberger, and Stuller, Inc. The University of Louisiana System's other institutions and its Lafayette campus have contributed to a $10.9 billion impact on the state's economy. As one of the primary employers in Lafayette, the local university has made a statewide impact of $379 million in 2015.

Prominent corporations with headquarters or a large presence in Lafayette have included or currently include Albertsons, Amazon, Brookshire Grocery Company, CGI, First Horizon Bank, JP Morgan Chase, LUSFiber, the Ochsner Health System, Petroleum Helicopters International, Perficient, and Rouses Markets. Among these corporations, the Tennessee-based First Horizon Bank absorbed IberiaBank (a former Louisiana-based banking institution) in 2020. Other notable corporations stimulating the city and metropolitan economies have been Lowe's, Costco, and various national retail and department stores in the Mall of Acadiana. By December 2023, Topgolf opened a venue in Lafayette.

Ranking as one of the best places to retire in Louisiana according to Forbes in 2018, Lafayette was also ranked one of the best places for businesses and careers in 2019; according to Forbes, it was #25 in the cost of doing business, #200 in job growth, and #175 in education nationwide. Per U.S. News & World Report, its cost of living has contributed to it being ranked as the second best place to live in Louisiana.

Culture
Located in Acadiana, Lafayette is a diverse city with a large and growing metropolitan population as of 2015. The Lafayette metropolitan area has a large Louisiana Creole, Cajun, and substantial foreign-born population; an estimated 14,676 Lafayettiens were foreign-born residents in 2019. Additionally, more than 36% of foreigners came from Asia from 2014 to 2019.

Many annual events celebrate the diverse cultures of Lafayette. Notable cultural gatherings have included the Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Festival International de Louisiane, Boudin Cookoff and Bacon Fest, the Cajun Heartland State Fair, and Le Festival de Mardi Gras à Lafayette. Residents also celebrate their cultural identities through visiting Acadian Village or Vermilionville Historic Village. 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.

Home to 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; as well as the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Acadiana Center for the Arts and Heymann Performing Arts Center, Lafayette has hosted Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell play in 2019. The 2018 television film, The Christmas Contract, set in Lafayette, features many Cajun Christmas customs.

Sports

Lafayette is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, the athletic teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Between 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 until 2016. Also from 2009 to 2012, Lafayette was home to the Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League. It also became home to the Lafayette Bayou Bulls, a semipro football program started in 2003. The Lafayette SwampCats (1997–1999) and Lafayette Swamp Cats (2000–2004) soccer teams played in the city. The Cajun Soccer Club of the Gulf Coast Premier League was founded in 2013; Louisiana Krewe FC played in the Gulf Coast Premier League before joining USL League Two for its 2022 season.

The Lafayette area is home to multiple sports venues: Blackham Coliseum, Cajundome, Cajun Field (now Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium), Earl K. Long Gymnasium, Evangeline Downs, and Planet Ice Skating and Hockey Arena.

Lafayette was home to minor-league baseball teams in various seasons from 1907 to 2000. Lafayette was an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns 1936–1941, Chicago Cubs (1955–1957) and San Francisco Giants (1975–1976). The Lafayette Browns (1907), Lafayette Hubs (1920), Lafayette White Sox (1934–1942), Lafayette Bulls (1948–1953), Lafayette Oilers (1954–1957), Lafayette Drillers (1975–1976) and Bayou Bullfrogs (1998–2000) all played in Lafayette. The teams were members of the Gulf Coast League (1907), Louisiana State League (1920), Evangeline League (1934–1942, 1948–1957), Texas League (1975–1976) and Texas-Louisiana League (1998–2000). Lafayette teams played at Parkdale Park (1934–1942), Clark Field (1945–1957, 1975–1976) and Tigue Moore Field (1998–2000).

In addition, the sport of trampoline developed in Lafayette. Jeff Hennessy's gymnastics program at the University 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 from Trampoline & Tumbling Express in Lafayette have represented the United States at the Olympics.

Government
Lafayette has a consolidated city–parish government, known as the Lafayette Consolidated Government; parish voters agreed to consolidation of the city and parish governments in 1996. 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.

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. 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.

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.

Lafayette is home to a regional office of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and the headquarters of the Council 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.

Public safety
The city of Lafayette is primarily served by the Lafayette Police Department, though the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office, Lafayette City Marshal, and University of Louisiana Police Department maintain jurisdiction throughout the city and surrounding area. Following nationwide COVID-19 trends from 2019 to 2020, Lafayette has experienced a rise in violent crimes per the Federal 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 195 homicides in New Orleans in 2020, and 100 in Baton Rouge. Altogether, Lafayette ranked as the 20th safest city overall in Louisiana, and the safest of Louisiana's four largest municipalities in 2021.

Media
Lafayette's major daily newspaper is The Daily Advertiser, owned by Gannett (publishers of USA Today). Established in 1865 as the Weekly Advertiser, it purchased the local alternative paper, The Times of Acadiana in 1998. Other prominent newspapers in the Lafayette area include Acadiana Profile, Baton Rouge-based The Advocate and its local paper The Acadiana Advocate, The Independent, and UL-based The Vermilion. The Current is a non-profit online news organization that has published since 2017.

Licensing more than 22 FM and AM radio stations in its metropolitan area, Lafayette includes Valcour Records and ML1 Records in its metropolis. Major television stations include KATC 3 (ABC), KLFY-TV (CBS), KLAF-LD (NBC), KADN-TV (Fox), and KLPB-TV (PBS). Other major stations serving the Lafayette area include Alexandria's KALB-TV (CBS and NBC), Baton Rouge's WBRZ (ABC), WAFB (CBS), WGMB-TV (Fox), WVLA-TV (NBC), and Lake Charles' KPLC-TV (NBC). According to Nielsen Media Research, the Lafayette television market was the 123rd largest in the United States as of 2019.

Primary and secondary education
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: 25 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and eight high 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. Of note among the schools in this system are Lafayette High School and Acadiana High School, its two largest high schools by enrollment.

A majority of the area's private parochial, K-12 schools are operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana.

Collegiate and university education
Its university, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is the flagship university for the University of Louisiana System; as a national research institution and home to more than 18,000 students, over 100 programs, and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, it is the second-largest university in the state behind Louisiana 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.

One of the newest college systems in Louisiana, South Louisiana Community College, is headquartered in Lafayette. South Louisiana Community College partnered with Acadian Ambulance to form the National EMS Academy, which offers EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic certification. This community college 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. 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 the Academy of Interactive Entertainment, a technical college that specializes in video game programming, art and animation, and SFX.

Military
Lafayette is home to the Louisiana Army National Guard headquarters of the 256th 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. Until 2014, 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.

Transportation
Lafayette Regional Airport—located on U.S. Highway 90 (future Interstate 49), on the southeast side of the city with daily scheduled passenger airline services nonstop to Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and effective April 2, 2021 to Charlotte—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.

Alongside its aerial transportation methods, Interstate 10 and Interstate 49 are the primary highways, with a passenger rail. The Amtrak Sunset Limited 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 via Atlanta. Service eastward to Orlando, Florida remains suspended in the aftermath of Hurricane 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. The Lafayette Transit System (formerly City of Lafayette Transit (COLT)) provides bus service.

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. 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. 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) 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 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.

Sister cities
Lafayette has seven 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, Namur Province, Belgium (twinned June 19, 1979)
 * Agnibilékrou, Ivory Coast (twinned October 5, 1999)
 * Centla, Mexico (twinned November 4, 2013)

Notable people

 * Daniel Cormier American former professional mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler
 * Dustin Poirier American mixed martial artist
 * Jermell Charlo American boxer
 * Marc Broussard American singer-songwriter
 * Armand Duplantis Swedish-American polevaulter
 * Christian Keener Cagle American Football Player / NFL and College Player of the year
 * Leigh Hennessy American world champion gymnast and movie/TV stuntwoman
 * Fred Prejean Community organizer and activist
 * Angela Kinsey American actress known for her role as Angela Martin on the U.S. version of The Office

title: Lafayette, Louisiana


text:
Scott, Louisiana

Scott is the fourth largest municipality in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,614 as of the 2010 U.S. census, and 8,119 at the 2020 census, up from 7,870 at the 2000 census. Scott is a suburban community of Lafayette and is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area in Acadiana.

History
In 1902, Gabby Anderson built a western-style saloon to serve as "an exclusive, all-men's bar and a meeting place for old folks." His reason for the saloon is because he believed "this is where the West begins." However, it is believed that the slogan started because Scott was where eastern train fare rates ended and western train, referred to as the "West Line", fare rates began.

The Union Pacific Railroad, formerly the Southern Pacific Railroad, cuts the town in two. The first settler of Scott was Alexander Delhomme, who took land in the northern part of the town. Delhomme owned the first hay-mowing machine, grist mill and cotton gin. By 1880, the train depot was completed and the town became a village. In 1907, the town was incorporated and named after J. B. Scott, who was division superintendent of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The village became a town in 1960, and the town became a city in 1990.

On April 12, 2012, Scott was designated by the Louisiana State Legislature as the "Boudin Capital of the World", referring to Cajun sausage. This meant that two other Louisiana towns needed to relinquish their titles. Broussard, also in Lafayette Parish, is now known as the "former Boudin Capital of the World" but has adopted the unofficial title of "Intergalactic Boudin Capital of Positive Infinity", and Jennings, in Jefferson Davis Parish, owns the title of "Boudin Capital of the Universe". The city of Scott's claim to the title is substantial, with more boudin purveyors per-capita than any other place in the state and a couple of the more prominent boudin makers to boot, no other city in Louisiana produces more links than Scott.

Geography
Scott is located in west-central Lafayette Parish at 30.23806°N, -92.09194°W (30.237951, -92.091996). It is bordered to the east and south by Lafayette, the parish seat, and to the north by unincorporated Ossun.

U.S. Route 90 passes through the center of Scott as Cameron Street, leading east 5 mi to the center of Lafayette and west the same distance to Duson. Interstate 10 passes through the north side of Scott, with access from Exit 97 (Louisiana Highway 93). I-10 leads east 58 mi to Baton Rouge, the state capital, and west 67 mi to Lake Charles. LA 93 also passes through the center of Scott, leading north and east 23 mi to Arnaudville and south 6 mi to the southern part of Lafayette.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Scott has a total area of 30.1 km2, all of it recorded as land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,119 people, 3,391 households, and 2,291 families residing in the city. At the 2019 American Community Survey, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 77.6% non-Hispanic white, 11.7% Black and African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.3% Asian, 2.2% some other race, and 2.9% multiracial. Hispanics and Latin Americans of any race made up 11.6% of the population. In 2019, the median household income was $54,551 and the poverty rate was 12.5%.

According to the 2000 census, there were 7,870 people, 2,920 households, and 2,143 families residing in the city. The population density was 885.6 PD/sqmi. There were 3,154 housing units at an average density of 354.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 85.78% White, 11.56% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latin Americans of any race were 1.30% of the population.

There were 2,920 households, out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,320, and the median income for a family was $41,538. Males had a median income of $31,446 versus $22,229 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,469. About 11.9% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 22.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

 * Zachary Richard, Cajun singer, songwriter and poet

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Scott, Louisiana


text:
Youngsville, Louisiana

Youngsville is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area. The population was 8,105 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 15,929 at the 2020 United States census.

Youngsville was the birthplace of Louisiana businessman and politician Dudley J. LeBlanc, the entrepreneur of the Hadacol fortune of the 1950s. Bernard LeBas of Ville Platte has represented Evangeline and St. Landry parishes in the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2008. He is a former resident of Youngsville.

History
Youngsville was settled in the early 19th century by French Acadian farmers. Prior to 1839, George Roy and his son, Desire, laid out the area and named the community "Royville". The settlement had grown large enough by 1859 to establish one of the oldest Catholic churches in Lafayette Parish: St. Anne Church, on the community's oldest street, Church Street. In 1908, the U.S. Postal Service asked village leaders to change the name because the town was being confused with the north Louisiana town of Rayville. So in 1908, the village of Youngsville was incorporated, with the name meaning "young village". It chose a government of a mayor and three aldermen. On January 20, 1983, Louisiana Governor David C. Treen declared Youngsville a town. The town increased its governing body to a mayor and five aldermen to accommodate its population.

Youngsville was the fastest growing town in Louisiana from 1990 to 2005. Its population has increased by over 300 percent. According to the 2010 U.S. census, Youngsville grew at a rate of 103% between year 2000 and 2010. Youngsville was declared a city by Governor Kathleen Blanco in 2006. In 2007, Mayor Wilson Viator and the Youngsville City Council named Joey Langlinais as the Chairman of the Centennial Committee.

Although the city has extended its boundaries and expanded its services, Youngsville has remained a rural city surrounded by sugarcane farms.

On the morning of August 12, 2016, rain began to fall over Youngsville, as well as much of the south central part of the state, in what is now being considered to be the state's worst flood disaster by rainfall on record, in some areas.

The Louisiana flood of 2016 was triggered by a complicated, slow-moving low-pressure weather system that dumped as much as two feet of rain on several parishes in 48 hours. The record two-day rainfall in some areas had a 0.1 percent chance of occurring in any year, the equivalent of a "1,000-year rain", according to the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center, based at the Slidell office of the National Weather Service.

In the two-day period ending Saturday at 8 p.m., several areas also saw rainfall amounts equaling a 1 percent chance of occurring in any year, a so-called 100-year event. The Red Cross called this "the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy".

Geography
Youngsville is located in southeastern Lafayette Parish at 30.10056°N, -91.99083°W (30.100595, -91.990707). It is bordered to the north by Lafayette, the parish seat, and to the east by the city of Broussard.

The center of Lafayette is 10 mi to the north, Abbeville is 16 mi to the southwest, and New Iberia is 16 miles to the southeast. According to the United States Census Bureau, Youngsville has a total land area of 31.26 sqkm, all of it recorded as land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,929 people, 4,396 households, and 3,883 families residing in the city. At the 2019 American Community Survey, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 79.6% non-Hispanic white, 12.3% Black and African American, 2.4% Asian, 2.8% multiracial, and 2.9% Hispanic and Latin American of any race. In 2019, for every 100 females there were 94.4 males, and the median age of the city's population was 33.1. Of the population, 11.2% lived at or the below poverty line, and there was a median household income of $89,038.

Public schools
Youngsville is part of the Lafayette Parish School System.

The public elementary schools in Youngsville are Green T. Lindon Elementary School (located in downtown Youngsville) and Ernest Gallet Elementary School (located on Highway 92 between Chemin Metairie Parkway and Bonin Road). The Youngsville Middle School hosts students in sixth through eighth grades and is located at the corner of School Street and Church Street in downtown Youngsville. All public school students from Youngsville attend Southside High in Youngsville or attend Ovey Comeaux High School in southern Lafayette.

Private schools
Private schools in the city include Westminster Christian Academy, located on the outskirts of Youngsville, and Youngsville Christian School, offering Kindergarten thru 12th grade in downtown Youngsville. Ascension Episcopal School, a private high school, is located near the Youngsville Sports Complex on Chemin Metaire Parkway across from Sugar Mill Pond.

Transportation
The city of Youngsville began construction of the Chemin Metairie Parkway Project in the spring of 2007 to improve the roads in and around Youngsville. The first segment, from the intersection of Highway 92 and Chemin Metairie, to central Youngsville, opened in early 2009. Originally called the Youngsville Parkway, the road was renamed to avoid confusion with the existing Youngsville Highway also known as Highway 89. Chemin Metairie Parkway joins Highway 90 near the Baker Hughes Complex in Broussard. A section of the parkway passes through the Sugar Mill Pond development and a new shopping complex anchored by Lafayette Parish's first Rouse's Grocery Store.

title: Youngsville, Louisiana


text:
Chackbay, Louisiana

Chackbay is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,370 in 2020. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.

Chackbay is a part of the "Ward 6" area of Lafourche Parish.

Geography
Chackbay is located along the northern edge of Lafourche Parish at 29.88583°N, -90.79083°W. Its northern boundary is the border with St. James Parish.

Settlement follows the major roads through the community, which follow higher ground. Large areas away from the roads are wetland and mainly undeveloped. Louisiana Highway 20 runs through the western part of the CDP, leading south 7 mi to Thibodaux, the parish seat, and northeast 13 mi to Vacherie. Highway 304 runs west and southwest from Highway 20 to Bayou Lafourche west of Thibodaux, and Highway 307 runs east to Kraemer. Unincorporated communities within the Chackbay CDP are, from west to east, Choupique, Chegby, and Chackbay.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Chackbay CDP has a total area of 73.9 km2, all of it recorded as land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,370 people, 2,003 households, and 1,564 families residing in the CDP.

Education
Lafourche Parish Public Schools is the area school district, and operates area public schools. Chackbay Elementary School serves the community. Sixth Ward Middle School and Thibodaux High School serve residents of the Ward 6 area.

Fletcher Technical Community College has Lafourche Parish in the college's service area. Additionally, a Delgado Community College document stated that Lafourche Parish was in the college's service area.

Government and infrastructure
Residents are served by the Ward 6 Senior Citizens Center.

Notable people

 * Dee Dee Blanchard, homicide victim
 * Billy Tauzin, US congressman who lived in Clarks Summit while he was in office.

title: Chackbay, Louisiana


text:
Cut Off, Louisiana

Cut Off (historically named La Coupe) is a census-designated place (CDP) on the Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,533 in 2020. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. Cut Off's ZIP code is 70345, the area code is 985 and local telephone prefixes are 325, 632 and 693.

History
Cut Off had its start by the building of a canal cutoff at that point from Bayou Lafourche northeast to Lake Salvador, to shorten the route to New Orleans. The name (La Coupe, or "The Cut") was French in origin.

Geography
Cut Off is located in south-central Lafourche Parish at 29.51528°N, -90.33389°W (29.515201, -90.333839), on both sides of Bayou Lafourche. It is bordered to the northwest by Larose and to the south by Galliano.

Louisiana Highway 1 runs through the center of Cut Off, along the west bank of Bayou Lafourche, while Highway 308 runs along the east bank. Highway 3235, a four-lane highway, runs through the west side of the community. All three highways lead northwest into Larose and south into Galliano. Thibodaux, the parish seat, is 37 mi to the northwest (upriver), and Port Fourchon on the Gulf of Mexico is 34 mi to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Cut Off CDP has a total area of 38.2 km2, of which 37.9 km2 are land and 0.3 km2, or 0.85%, are water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,533 people, 2,375 households, and 1,711 families residing in the CDP.

Notable people

 * Joe Barry, swamp pop singer; born and died in Cut Off
 * Vin Bruce, Cajun vocalist
 * Trishelle Cannatella, reality television personality and poker player
 * Dick Guidry, former state representative from Lafourche Parish and owner of the disbanded Jet Drive-in Theater, a local landmark in Cut Off
 * Bobby Hebert, former New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons quarterback
 * Rita Benson LeBlanc, part-owner and former heir apparent of the New Orleans Saints
 * Jimmie Noone, jazz clarinet great
 * Glen Pitre, writer and film director
 * Loulan Pitre, Jr., lawyer and former state representative for Lafourche Parish; brother of Glen Pitre

Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal Service operates the Cut Off Post Office.

Culture

 * A particular section of the town is known as Côte Blanche, French for "White Coast" because of a statistically abnormal number of white painted homes that lined Bayou Lafourche for much of the early and mid 1900s.
 * In a segment of Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe interviewed a Cut Off alligator farmer.

Education
Lafourche Parish Public Schools operates public schools.
 * Cut Off Elementary School

Larose-Cut Off Middle School is in nearby Larose, and serves Cut Off CDP.

South Lafourche High School is in Galliano, and has a Cut Off postal address. It also serves Cut Off.

Cut Off School opened in 1927. In September 1950 the schools of Larose and Cut Off were consolidated into Larose-Cut Off High School. It was then consolidated with Golden Meadow High School to form South Lafourche High School in 1966.

Lafourche Parish Library operates the South Lafourche Library in Galliano, which has a Cut Off postal address. Damage from Hurricane Ida meant that the parish had to rebuild the inside of the library.

Fletcher Technical Community College has Lafourche Parish in the college's service area. Additionally, a Delgado Community College document stated that Lafourche Parish was in the college's service area.

title: Cut Off, Louisiana


text:
Galliano, Louisiana

Galliano is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) on the Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of 2020, its population was 7,100. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.

History
The area was named by the late postmaster Alzec Autin, who chose the name "Galliano" in honor of an original settler in the area formerly known as Côte Cheramie. Signor Antoine Galliano settled in the vicinity in the late 1700s and had a large farm and a citrus tree orchard. He came from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the vicinity of Naples, Italy, where he was in the service of the King of Spain.

A popular local legend is that his wife, Julia, had no last name and was related closely to the King of Spain. Antoine Galliano or Galiano (Spanish spelling) had fallen in love with a lady of noble birth – probably a princess, since he was in the King's Guard. He and his wife were sent to Louisiana (New Spain) and settled in the area known now as Galliano. His descendants still live in the area, and the name Galliano is spelled in the Italian style, but some descendants spell it Galiano in the Spanish tradition.

The area was also the home of a large Acadian French or Cajun population, and Cajun French is a predominant language along with English.

Geography
Galliano is located in southern Lafourche Parish at 29.44861°N, -90.30722°W (29.448539, -90.307274), on both sides of Bayou Lafourche. The community is bordered to the northwest by Cut Off and to the south by Golden Meadow.

Louisiana Highway 1 runs through the community along the west bank of Bayou Lafourche, while Highway 308 runs along the east side. There are two bridges across Bayou Lafourche within the CDP. Four-lane Highway 3235 runs through the west side of the community. All three highway lead northwest (upriver) 11 mi to Larose and south 5 mi to Golden Meadow. Thibodaux, the parish seat, is 45 mi to the northwest up Highway 1, while Port Fourchon on the Gulf of Mexico is 26 mi to the south. South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr. Airport is 2 mi east of Galliano.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Galliano CDP has a total area of 28.9 sqkm, of which 0.01 sqkm, or 0.04%, are water.

The Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area borders Galliano to the west. Access to the area can be had through a marina and boat launch in southwest Galliano.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Galliano has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,100 people, 2,841 households, and 1,907 families residing in the CDP.

Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal Service operates the Galliano Post Office.

Education
Lafourche Parish Public Schools operates public schools. Galliano Elementary School is in the community. Residents south of 17982 West Main and East 120 are instead zoned to Golden Meadow Lower Elementary and Golden Meadow Upper Elementary.

Residents south of West 106 (Bully Camp Road) and East 74 are zoned to Golden Meadow Middle School while those north are zoned to Larose-Cut Off Middle School.

South Lafourche High School is also in Galliano CDP and serves all of the territory.

Lafourche Parish Library operates the South Lafourche Library in Galliano, which has a Cut Off postal address. Damage from Hurricane Ida meant that the parish had to rebuild the inside of the library. There was a previous Cut Off Galliano Branch Library.

Fletcher Technical Community College has Lafourche Parish in the college's service area. Additionally, a Delgado Community College document stated that Lafourche Parish was in the college's service area.

Notable people

 * Dick Guidry, former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
 * Bobby Hebert, sportscaster and former NFL quarterback
 * Hal Martin, stock car driver
 * Ed Orgeron, LSU football head coach
 * Teddy Roe, Chicago underworld figure
 * Alzina Toups, Cajun chef

title: Galliano, Louisiana


text:
Golden Meadow, Louisiana

Golden Meadow (Canal Yankee) is a town along Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,761 in 2020. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. Its main source of revenue is the oil and gas industry. The fishing and seafood industries also have strong economic impacts, with charter fishing, restaurants, and lodging actively serving patrons. The town was once known as a speed trap, but it has since been bypassed by Hwy 3235 and city traffic has been reduced to mostly locals; however, the speed limit is reduced to 50 mph on Hwy 3235 and said highway is still patrolled heavily. As in other places in Louisiana, there is a noticeable presence of Cajun culture, music, and cuisine.

The Golden Meadow name was given by the original land grant owners, Benjamin and Louisa Hobbs Barker of Illinois. In 1839, they named it so because of the yellow flowers growing everywhere. They hoped to become wealthy selling lots to French and English settlers, but abandoned the plan.

Geography
Golden Meadow is located at 29.38806°N, -90.26944°W (29.388192, -90.269457).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.9 sqmi, of which 2.4 sqmi is land and 0.5 sqmi (15.92%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,761 people, 754 households, and 535 families residing in the town.

Government and infrastructure
On July 1, 1950, the town marshal, the first head law enforcement agent of the town, took his position and became the first head of the town police department.

The United States Postal Service operates the Golden Meadow Post Office.

Education
Lafourche Parish Public Schools is the school district of the whole parish. It operates public schools:
 * Golden Meadow Lower Elementary School
 * Golden Meadow Upper Elementary School
 * Golden Meadow Middle School

South Lafourche High School is in the Galliano census-designated place, north of Golden Meadow, and serves the community.

Francophone private schools were the first educational institutions serving the community. In 1917 the first public elementary school opened. Golden Meadow High School opened in 1933. It was consolidated with Larose-Cut Off High School to form South Lafourche High School in 1966. The former Golden Meadow High building is currently Golden Meadow Middle School.

Lafourche Parish Library operates the Golden Meadow Branch. Hurricane Ida destroyed a previous facility, which meant the parish had to have a new library built.

Fletcher Technical Community College has Lafourche Parish in the college's service area. Additionally, a Delgado Community College document stated that Lafourche Parish was in the college's service area.

Notable natives and residents

 * Dee Dee Blanchard, notable homicide victim, later moved to Springfield, Missouri in 2005 after the result of Hurricane Katrina.
 * Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, murderer and activist, also moved to Springfield along with her mother, who she murdered in June 2015.
 * Dick Guidry, former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafourche Parish; graduated from Golden Meadow High School.

title: Golden Meadow, Louisiana


text:
Larose, Louisiana

Larose is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,763 in 2020. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.

Geography
Larose is located in south-central Lafourche Parish at 29.56722°N, -90.37611°W (29.567328, -90.376074). It is bordered to the southeast by the community of Cut Off. Bayou Lafourche and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway intersect in the center of Larose.

Louisiana Highways 1 and 308 run through Larose on opposite sides of Bayou Lafourche, Highway 1 to the south and Highway 308 to the north. Both highways lead northwest along Bayou Lafourche 12 mi to Lockport and southeast 16 mi to Golden Meadow. Louisiana Highway 3235, a four-lane bypass, leads southeast from Larose to Golden Meadow as well. Louisiana Highway 24 leads west from Larose 24 mi to Houma.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Larose CDP has a total area of 28.9 km2, of which 28.1 km2 are land and 0.8 km2, or 2.67%, are water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,763 people, 2,671 households, and 1,839 families residing in the CDP.

Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal Service operates the Larose Post Office.

Education
Lafourche Parish Public Schools operates public schools. South Lafourche High School is in nearby Galliano CDP and serves Larose.
 * North Larose Elementary School
 * South Larose Elementary School
 * Larose-Cut Off Middle School

In January 1916 the first public school in Larose, Larose Consolidated School, opened. In September 1950 the schools of Larose and Cut Off were consolidated into Larose-Cut Off High School. It was then consolidated with Golden Meadow High School to form South Lafourche High School in 1966.

Lafourche Parish Library operates the Larose Library.

Fletcher Technical Community College has Lafourche Parish in the college's service area. Additionally, a Delgado Community College document stated that Lafourche Parish was in the college's service area.

Notable people

 * Ed Orgeron, head coach for the LSU Tigers football team
 * Bob Brunet, former player for the Washington Redskins

title: Larose, Louisiana


text:
Lockport, Louisiana

Lockport is a town on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,490 in 2020. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.

History

Lockport, founded in 1835, traces its history to Jacques Lamotte, who in 1790 owned a large tract of land along Bayou Lafourche. Lemotte sold a portion of the tract to Messrs. Mercier and Marcantel in 1814. In 1823 William Field purchased a parcel of the land and later donated 5 arpents of it on both banks of Bayou Lafourche to Barataria and Lafourche Canal Company. As part of the transaction, the company agreed to build a canal, which would link Bayou Terrebonne to New Orleans. Allou D'Hemecourt surveyed the area in 1835. His map bears the name Longueville. Eventually, the village's name would become Lockport.

At first the canal, completed in 1847, brought prosperity to the area. Three years later locks were completed at the point where the canal reached Bayou Lafourche. Shipping along the canal was brisk until 1868. After that time, part of the waterway was no longer in use. The crevasse of 1876 partially destroyed the locks. Today remnants of the brick bulwark are still visible under a blanket of weeds.

Lockport prospered in spite of the canal's failure as a business venture. In 1849 the first public school opened. It was a one-room affair in Scanian's Cooperage. In 1850 Holy Savior Catholic Church was dedicated, and in 1879 an order of nuns established Holy Savior School.

The Village of Lockport was incorporated in 1899, and a mayor and board of aldermen were named. At the turn of the century, the village boasted a post office, brick sidewalks, an iron bridge over the bayou, a newspaper, ice house, banks, hotels, liveries, blacksmith shop, clothing stores, grocery and general merchandise stores, and various other enterprises. The iron bridge created quite a stir among the populace. It joined Lockport to Rita, the settlement on the east bank of the bayou.

One of the worst calamities to touch the village occurred in 1916, when a disastrous fire destroyed a large part of the business area and several homes. As a result of this tragedy, a water tower was erected on Main Street near the present day Sheriff's Annex, where it stood until Hurricane Betsy destroyed it in 1965. By 1948 Lockport's population had grown to the point where its status was changed from village to town. Its boundaries had been expanded, and later the site of the canal bridge was changed to fifth street, now Crescent Avenue. Highway 1 no longer ran along Main Street. Several businesses sprang up along the new route, and that area has become the business hub of the town. Today Lockport is a progressive community, dependent upon a diversified economy, surrounded by industries such as shipbuilding, sugarcane farming, oil and gas exploration, cattle, fishing, and a variety of vegetable farms. Through the years Lockport has managed to retain its small town quality - a quality that welcomes visitors who travel along Bayou Lafourche, the longest street in the world

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 sqmi, of which 0.6 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (3.12%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,490 people, 983 households, and 598 families residing in the town.

Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal Service operates the Lockport Post Office.

The town government operates in the Lockport Civic Complex (Town Hall) on Church Street.

Education
Lafourche Parish Public Schools is the school district of the whole parish. It operates public schools, including:
 * Lockport Lower Elementary School (K-2)
 * Lockport Upper Elementary School (3-5)
 * Lockport Middle School

Lockport is served by Central Lafourche High School in Mathews, formed by a 1966 merger of Lockport High School and Raceland High School.

Holy Savior Catholic School opened in 1879, established by an order of nuns.

A one-room schoolhouse established in 1849 at Scanian’s Cooperage was the first school in Lockport.

The 501(C)(3) Camille and Braxton Hebert Memorial Fund Inc. was used to establish recreational areas/playgrounds at both elementary schools. The fund was named after the brother and sister Camille and Braxton Hebert, who were murdered by their mother, Amy Hebert, on August 20, 2007. The playground at Lockport Lower has the text "Braxton's Buddies". Camille's Court, at Lockport Upper, was scheduled to be a basketball court decorated with a plaque and flowerbed.

Lafourche Parish Library operates the Lockport Branch.

Fletcher Technical Community College has Lafourche Parish in the college's service area. The college maintains a facility in Lockport. Additionally, a Delgado Community College document stated that Lafourche Parish was in the college's service area.

Notable people

 * Jefferson J. DeBlanc, pilot who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War II
 * Dick Guidry, former state representative from Lafourche Parish and former owner of drive-in theaters

title: Lockport, Louisiana


text:
Mathews, Louisiana

Mathews is a census-designated place (CDP) on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,273 in 2020. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.

History
On August 20, 2007, school paraprofessional Amy Hebert fatally stabbed her children, Camille Catherine Hebert, age 9; and Braxton John Hebert, age 7; and the family dog. She was sentenced to life in prison.

Geography
Mathews is located at 29.68389°N, -90.55056°W (29.683825, -90.550470).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.3 km$2$), all land.

It is in the central part of the parish and is bordered by Lockport and Raceland.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,273 people, 1,067 households, and 637 families residing in the CDP.

Government and infrastructure
The Lafourche Parish Mathews Government Complex is in Mathews.

The U.S. Postal Service operates the Mathews Post Office in Mathews.

Education
Mathews is within the Lafourche Parish School District.

Residents east of Highway 308, south of 4839 Highway 308 (Matthews Baptist Church) and residents west of Highway 1, south of 4901 Highway 1 are zoned to Lockport Lower Elementary School, Lockport Upper Elementary School, and Lockport Middle School in Lockport. Other residents are zoned to Raceland Lower Elementary School, Raceland Upper Elementary School, and Raceland Middle School in Raceland. Central Lafourche High School is in the town.

Lafourche Parish is in the service area of Fletcher Technical Community College. Additionally, a Delgado Community College document stated that Lafourche Parish was in the college's service area.

title: Mathews, Louisiana


text:
Raceland, Louisiana

Raceland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 9,768 in 2020. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.

According to the Louisiana Office of Tourism, Raceland was named for the Race family that once owned a large plantation named "Raceland" on Bayou Lafourche.

Raceland sugar plantation was founded by Ebeneezer Eaton Kittredge and his son in law Fayette Clay Ewing. On April 19, 1855 a daughter of Kittredge, Olivia Corrinne, married George W. Race. The plantation was named Raceland the same year in honor of the young couple who made it their first home where their children were born.

Geography
Raceland is located at 29.7225°N, -90.60528°W (29.722576, -90.605172), on both sides of Bayou Lafourche. It is bordered to the southeast by Mathews.

U.S. Route 90 passes through the southeast part of Raceland, leading northeast 44 mi to New Orleans and west 40 mi to Morgan City. Louisiana Highways 1 and 308 pass through the center of Raceland, on the south and the north sides of Bayou Lafourche, respectively. Both highways lead southeast (downriver) 7 mi to Lockport and northwest (upriver) 15 mi to Thibodaux, the parish seat. Louisiana Highway 182 passes through the center of Raceland on the old route of US-90; it leads northeast 3.5 mi to US-90 and southwest 12 mi to Houma.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Raceland CDP has a total area of 56.0 sqkm, of which 0.1 sqkm, or 0.23%, are water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,768 people, 3,971 households, and 2,812 families residing in the CDP.

Government and infrastructure
The U.S. Postal Service operates the Raceland Post Office.

Education
Lafourche Parish Public Schools operates public schools.
 * Raceland Lower Elementary School
 * Raceland Upper Elementary School
 * Raceland Middle School

Central Lafourche High School is in Mathews, and has a Raceland postal address. The school serves all of Raceland.

Raceland High School opened in 1912 and was expanded in 1924; it was consolidated into Lafourche Central High along with Lockport High School in 1966. An elementary school occupies the former Raceland High. In the era before desegregation (circa 1969) Raceland Colored School educated black residents.

Lafourche Parish Library operates the Raceland Branch.

Fletcher Technical Community College has Lafourche Parish in the college's service area. Additionally, a Delgado Community College document stated that Lafourche Parish was in the college's service area.

Notable people

 * Gypsy Rose Blanchard, notable true crime personality; born in Raceland.
 * Donald G. Bollinger, founder of Bollinger Shipyards (1946) and state chairman of the Republican Party of Louisiana (1986–1988); born and died in Raceland, resided as an adult in Lockport
 * Jimmy Clanton, singer and actor; born in Raceland
 * Ron Estay, football player, All-American defensive lineman for LSU; played professionally for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos
 * Aaron Loup, pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels
 * Punch Miller, jazz musician; born in Raceland
 * Larry Wilson, basketball player and NBA draft pick

title: Raceland, Louisiana


text:
Thibodaux, Louisiana

Thibodaux is a city in, and the parish seat of, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 15,948 at the 2020 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.

Thibodaux is nicknamed the "Queen City of Lafourche."

History

The first documented Native American inhabitants of the Thibodaux area were the Chawasha, a small tribe related to the Chitimacha of the upper Bayou Lafourche. The first settlers of European descent in this area arrived in the 18th century, when Louisiana was the Spanish province of Luisiana. They consisted of French nationals and Louisiana-born French and German creoles, followed shortly by Spanish and French Acadian immigrants. The colonists gradually began to import Africans in bondage as slaves to work on and develop rice and sugar cane plantations.

The United States acquired Louisiana from France in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase, after Napoleon, then First Consul, decided to sell France's North American possessions due to the failure to regain control of Saint-Domingue (which became the Republic of Haiti) and the impending threat of war with Great Britain. The present State of Louisiana became the U.S. Territory of Orleans, and in 1805 the Territorial Legislature created ten counties, among them the County of Lafourche (later Lafourche Parish). Americans from other states then began to settle in the area.

As early as 1808, a trading post and small village, known as "Thibodeauxville," had been established on the west bank of Bayou Lafourche, due to its strategic location near the confluence of Bayou Lafourche and Bayou Terrebonne. By the 1820s, the village had grown to a local center of the sugar cane industry. This settlement was formally incorporated as a town in 1830 under the name "Thibodauxville", in honor of local planter Henry Schuyler Thibodaux, the son of Acadian exiles. He had provided the land for the original village center and, as lieutenant governor, assumed the office of acting governor of the State of Louisiana in 1824. The area was developed in the antebellum period for sugar cane plantations, and Thibodaux was the trading center of the region. Sugar cane was an important commodity crop. The name of the town was shortened to "Thibodeaux" in 1838. The current spelling of the city's name, "Thibodaux," was apparently officially adopted in 1900.

In January 1844, the prominent statesman and U.S. Senator Henry Clay, the "Great Compromiser," visited Thibodaux for several days as part of his campaign for the U.S. Presidency. A residential lane along the canal connecting Bayou Lafourche to Bayou Terrebonne was later named in his honor.

Confederate General Braxton Bragg, the victor at Chickamauga, and his wife had a plantation, "Bivouac," just north of Thibodaux and attended services at St. John's Episcopal Church on Jackson Street, founded by Bishop Leonidas Polk, the owner of "Leighton" plantation and later a Confederate lieutenant general killed in action.

In 1896, the first rural free delivery of mail in Louisiana began in Thibodaux. It was the second such RFD in the United States.

Civil War
On June 20, 1863, Texas Confederate cavalry forces attacked the Union force occupying Thibodaux and captured the town. In a letter dated July 1, 1863, to his sister, Confederate Texas cavalryman Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Price proudly described the courage of his horse and a dramatic cavalry charge across the rebuilt Jackson Street bridge:

"I wish you could have seen Rowdy in the charge upon [Thibodaux]ville, I never saw a better cavalry horse, about three hundred of the best horses of the regiment was selected by Lt[.] Col[.] Crump to make the charge, and I can assure you that Rowdy stood the fire of the enemies [sic] guns as well or better than the rider. The cowardly Yankees could have killed all of us while we were crossing the bridge of [Thibodaux] but they only fired three rounds before they skedaddled and then such a yell; In one hour after we entered the town, the victory was ours..."

Post-Reconstruction and Thibodaux massacre
In the late 19th century, after having taken back control of the state government following the Reconstruction era by use of election fraud and violence by paramilitary forces such as the White League, which suppressed black voting, white Democrats continued to consolidate their power over the state government. In the late 1880s they were challenged temporarily by a biracial coalition of Populists and Republicans. In this period, because blacks were skilled sugar workers, they briefly retained more rights and political power than did African Americans in the north of the state who worked as tenant farmers or sharecroppers on cotton plantations.

But from 1880, through the Louisiana Sugar Producers Association, some 200 major planters worked to regain slave conditions and control of workers, adopting uniform pay, withholding 80 percent of the workers' pay until after harvest, and making them accept scrip, redeemable only at plantation stores owned by the planters, rather than cash. Cane workers struck intermittently against these conditions.

The Knights of Labor organized a chapter in 1886 in Shreveport, Louisiana and attracted many cane workers seeking better conditions. A sugar cane workers' strike in Lafourche and three neighboring parishes involved 10,000 workers, 1,000 of whom were white, during the critical "rolling period" of the sugar cane harvest. Planters were alarmed both by outside labor organizations and the thought of losing their total crops. The governor called in the state militia at the planters' request; they protected strikebreakers and evicted black workers. The strike was broken in Terrebonne Parish.

Paramilitary forces closed off Thibodaux, where numerous black workers had taken refuge. A New Orleans newspaper reported that "for three weeks past the negro women of the town have been making threats to the effect that if the white men resorted to arms they would burn the town and [end] the lives of the white women and children with their cane knives." Similarly, in the days leading up to the climactic event, it was reported that "[s]ome of the colored women made open threats against the people and the community, declaring that they would destroy any house in the town" and that "[n]ot a few of the negroes boasted that in case a fight was made they were fully prepared for it." One historian adds:

As late as November 21 some still comported themselves with confidence, and perhaps bravado, on the sidewalks. Mary Pugh, widow of Richard Pugh, owner of Live Oak Plantation in Lafourche Parish, reported "meeting negro men singly or two or three together with guns on their shoulders going down town & negro women on each side telling them to 'fight - yes - fight we'll be there.'"

On November 23, after the ambush and wounding of two pickets posted in the southern section of town, the militia committee began to indiscriminately shoot black workers and some family members, killing an estimated 35 (and quite possibly more) in what is called the "Thibodaux massacre" of November 23, 1887. The incident is generally considered to be the second bloodiest labor dispute in U.S. history. Casualties including wounded and missing were claimed by some to be in the hundreds, but there has never been an accurate count.

The cane workers returned to the plantations under conditions dictated by white planters. The massacre and subsequent disenfranchisement of blacks in Louisiana at the turn of the century by making voter registration more difficult, and white Democrats' imposition of Jim Crow, ended labor organizing of cane workers until the 1940s.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.47 sqmi, all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,948 people, 5,548 households, and 2,965 families residing in the city.

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,431 people, 5,500 households, and 3,355 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,636.8 PD/sqmi. There were 6,004 housing units at an average density of 1,097.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 64.04% White, 33.76% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.

There were 5,500 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 17.3% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,697, and the median income for a family was $36,551. Males had a median income of $31,464 versus $21,144 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,966. About 20.6% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.3% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture
The Roman Catholic patron saints of Thibodaux are Saint Valérie, an early Christian martyr, and Saint Vitalis of Milan, her husband, also a martyr. A life-sized reliquary of Saint Valérie, containing an arm bone, was brought to Thibodaux in 1868 and is displayed in her shrine in St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux. A smaller reliquary, with a relic of St. Vitalis, is displayed near St. Valérie's reliquary. St. Valérie has traditionally been invoked for intercession in protecting Thibodaux from hurricanes.

Richard D'Alton Williams, a well-known 19th-century Irish patriot, poet, and physician, died of tuberculosis in Thibodaux in 1862, and is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery. His headstone was erected that year by Irish members of the 8th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, then encamped in Thibodaux. A famous Mississippi blues musician, Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones, is buried in Thibodaux, where he often played, and where his manager, Hosea Hill, resided. Two-term Governor of Louisiana Francis T. Nicholls is buried in the Episcopal Cemetery on Jackson Street.

Government
The mayor of Thibodaux is elected at-large and is currently Kevin Clement. The city council of seven is elected from five single-member districts, and two at-large members. Thibodaux is in Parish Council Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4.

In the Louisiana Legislature, Thibodaux is currently represented by District 55 Rep. Bryan Fontenot (R-Thibodaux) and Sen. Bret Allain (R-Jeanerette). In the United States Congress, it is represented by Rep. Garret Graves (R-Baton Rouge), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R- Baton Rouge) and Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-Madisonville).

The Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice operates an office in Thibodaux.

The United States Postal Service operates the Thibodaux Post Office.

ZIP codes for Thibodaux are 70301, 70302, and 70310. Thibodaux's telephone area code is 985.

Education
Residents are zoned to schools in the Lafourche Parish Public Schools.

Zoned elementary schools include:
 * C. M. Washington Elementary School
 * Thibodaux Elementary School
 * W.S. Lafargue Elementary School

Zoned middle schools include:
 * East Thibodaux Middle School
 * West Thibodaux Middle School
 * Sixth Ward Middle School

Thibodaux residents are zoned to Thibodaux High School. From 1950 until 1968, C.M. Washington High School served as the segregated public school for African Americans in Thibodaux.

Catholic schools (of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma–Thibodaux) include:
 * Edward Douglas White Catholic High School
 * St. Genevieve Catholic Elementary
 * St. Joseph Catholic Elementary

Colleges:
 * Nicholls State University

Lafourche Parish is in the service area of Fletcher Technical Community College.

Media
The local newspaper is The Daily Comet. It was founded in 1889 as Lafourche Comet. It was owned by The New York Times Company from 1979 until 2011. The company sold this and other regional newspapers to Halifax Media Group.

Cable television and Internet are provided in Thibodaux by Reserve Telecommunications, AT&T, and Charter Spectrum.

In popular culture
The family and city name "Thibodaux" is mentioned in Hank Williams' "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)." In 1972 Leon Russell had the song "Cajun Love Song," in which Thibodaux is mentioned. It is also mentioned in the 1970s Jerry Reed song "Amos Moses," in the 1990s George Strait song "Adalida," in Dan Baird's 1992 song "Dixie Beauxderaunt," the 1999 Jimmy Buffett song "I Will Play for Gumbo," and the 2008 Toby Keith song "Creole Woman," and "Thibodaux" is the title of a song by jazz singer Marcia Ball.

Notable people

 * Eric Andolsek, professional football player for the Detroit Lions
 * Charlton Beattie, U.S. federal judge; practiced law in Thibodaux
 * Rezin Bowie, Louisiana politician and inventor of the Bowie knife; resided six years on Acadia Plantation near Thibodaux
 * Braxton Bragg, Confederate general, slave-owner and planter on Bayou Lafourche in 1856-1861
 * Adrian Joseph Caillouet, U.S. federal judge
 * Kody Chamberlain, comic book writer and artist
 * Thomas G. Clausen, professor at Nicholls State University from 1967 to 1972; last elected state superintendent of education, 1984-1988
 * Mark Davis, professional basketball player
 * Ronald Dominique, serial killer
 * Jeremy Gaubert, winner of 2009 World Poker Open
 * Mary Gauthier, folk singer-songwriter; grew up in Thibodaux
 * Jarvis Green, defensive end for the Denver Broncos
 * Walter Guion, U.S. senator from Louisiana
 * Damian Johnson, player for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team
 * Clay Knobloch, former Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
 * Louis La Garde, soldier, medical doctor and author
 * Theodore K. Lawless, dermatologist, medical researcher, and philanthropist
 * Oliver Marcelle, baseball player
 * Graham Patrick Martin, actor TV: Major Crimes, The Closer, Two and a Half Men; Movies: The Anna Nicole Story, Bukowski, Somewhere Slow
 * Whitmell P. Martin, congressman from Louisiana; moved to Thibodaux
 * Jordan Mills, football player
 * Numa F. Montet, congressman from Louisiana
 * Doug Moreau, football player
 * Amos Moses, one-armed alligator trapper
 * Drake Nevis, football player
 * Francis T. Nicholls, Confederate brigadier general, two-term governor of Louisiana, and Louisiana Supreme Court justice; moved to Ridgefield Plantation near Thibodaux
 * Harvey Peltier, Jr., state senator from 1964 to 1976; first president of the University of Louisiana System trustees from 1975 until his death in 1980
 * Harvey Peltier, Sr., member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from Thibodaux, 1924-1940
 * Jerome "Dee" Richard, former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Thibodaux; one of two Independents in the legislature
 * John Robichaux, jazz musician
 * Greg Robinson, offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions
 * Junius P. Rodriguez, academic and author
 * Tom Roussel, football player
 * Dustin Schuetter, actor, producer, director and screenwriter
 * Billy Tauzin, congressman who lived in Thibodaux while he was in office
 * Theodore Ward, noted African-American playwright
 * Edward Douglass White, Jr., Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and later Chief Justice of the United States
 * Edward Douglass White, Sr., governor of Louisiana
 * Richard D'Alton Williams, Irish patriot, poet, and "Shamrock" of The Nation

title: Thibodaux, Louisiana


text:
Choudrant, Louisiana

Choudrant is a village in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 845 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.8 mi2, all land.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 989 people, 382 households, and 293 families residing in the village.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 582 people, 234 households, and 167 families residing in the village. The population density was 318.9 PD/sqmi. There were 257 housing units at an average density of 140.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 91.92% White, 6.53% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.03% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 234 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $37,321, and the median income for a family was $42,656. Males had a median income of $30,855 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,726. About 4.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those 65 and older.

Economy
As a village, Choudrant has limited business opportunity. There are several "home grown" businesses within the village limits. The most prominent of local businesses is Origin Bank, founded as the Bank of Choudrant. It has since grown to become one of the largest banks in both Lincoln Parish and the neighboring Ouachita Parish. Despite its growth though, the FDIC still recognizes the original Choudrant branch as its home office. Origin Bank also sponsored the Louisiana Peach Festival in Ruston until 2005, whence sponsorship was taken up by Squire Creek Country Club.

Government
Choudrant is served by four elected officials—a mayor and three village aldermen. Other public employees include a town clerk and a small police force. For many years, Choudrant was served by only one law enforcement officer, its police chief, but the force has grown in recent years adding additional officers and a canine unit. The Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Office also provides law enforcement services as needed.

Fire protection in the Village is provided by the Choudrant Volunteer Fire Department.

Education
Choudrant is located within the fifth district of the Lincoln Parish School System. There are two schools within the Choudrant district—Choudrant Elementary and Choudrant High. The elementary school services between 400 and 450 students in grades K-6 while the high school contains approximately 350 students in grade levels 7-12. Both schools are well known as having high academic achievement under the state's school improvement plan and No Child Left Behind. The high school was rebuilt in 1937 after a fire and has had no substantive renovations or updates since that time. Choudrant Elementary was similarly rebuilt and expanded after a fire in the 1970s, but the student population had outgrown its walls. However, attempts to renovate the high school and rebuild the elementary school were halted in 2007 when citizens of the school district voted by a 2-1 majority against passage of a bond issue to fund such changes. The Tax later passed a couple years later. Since then the high school has been rebuilt and added an entire new wing, a new ag center and a new track.

Notable people

 * Bill Bagwell, baseball player
 * Sam Burns, Professional Golfer

title: Choudrant, Louisiana


text:
Dubach, Louisiana

Dubach is a town in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 908 in 2020. Dubach is part of the Ruston micropolitan statistical area.

History
Although there were settlers in the Dubach area as early as the late-1840s, the town's origins date to the arrival of the Arkansas Southern Railway in 1898. With the coming of the railroad, the way was opened for the development of the lumber industry. In 1899, Fred B. Dubach, a lumberman from St. Louis, Missouri, arrived in the area and started the Dubach Lumber Company. Shortly thereafter he built a large house and a lumber mill was located across the road. An old aerial photograph indicates that the lumber mill was by far the largest building in town and visually dominated the townscape. Undoubtedly the Dubach Lumber Company was a major factor in the growth and development of what in 1901 was chartered as the town of Dubach. A few years later (c. 1906), Dubach sold his mill and home and returned to St, Louis. Dubach's home still stands and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The sawmill no longer exists.

In the fall of 2005, Dubach voters defeated a bond issue that would have funded renovations to Hico Elementary and Dubach High schools. Despite a well-spoken campaign by high school principal Donna Doss, voters killed the issue by a wide margin. Local media speculated that the economic effects of Hurricane Katrina may have swayed voters to err on the side of caution with regards to new taxation. The high school closed and students now attend Ruston High School. Only Dubach Elementary School remains.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 sqmi, of which 1.4 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (2.72%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 908 people, 387 households, and 241 families residing in the town.

Arts and culture

The Autrey house (and museum) just west of town is the oldest home in the area and is an excellent example of the early and rare form of frontier architecture.

Festivals
Dubach is also home to the Louisiana Chicken Festival, held in late September.

Notable people

 * Bill Doss, an American rock musician and native of Dubach.
 * Dixie Garr, Technology Executive
 * Willis Reed, former New York Knicks center and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

title: Dubach, Louisiana


text:
Grambling, Louisiana

Grambling is a city in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,239 in 2020. The city is home to Grambling State University and is part of the Ruston micropolitan statistical area.

Grambling was designated a "city" in the early 1990s (either in 1992 or 1993 ), but was erroneously considered a "town" during the 2000 census.

Geography
Grambling is located at 32.5275°N, -92.71389°W (32.527427, -92.713987).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 sqmi, of which 5.5 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (0.36%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,239 people, 1,812 households, and 1,118 families residing in the city.

Arts and culture

 * Grambling Memorial Gardens
 * Eddie G. Robinson Museum

Education
The city is home to Grambling State University, a public, coeducational, and historically black university founded in 1901 and accredited in 1949.

Lincoln Preparatory School is a charter school located in Grambling that serves (Grades K-12).

Notable people

 * Edward H. Adams (1910–1958), basketball player and coach
 * Jophery Brown (1945–2014), stuntman and Chicago Cubs pitcher, born in Grambling and attended Grambling College
 * Ralph Garr (born 1945), baseball player, attended Grambling College
 * Paul Millsap (born 1985), professional basketball player with the Denver Nuggets
 * Eddie Robinson (1919–2007), head football coach at Grambling and second winningest coach in NCAA Division I football history
 * Paul "Tank" Younger (1928–2001), National Football League (NFL) player, NFL's first African-American front-office executive and College Football Hall of Fame member
 * Doug Williams (born 1955), player and head football coach at Grambling, the first Black quarterback to both start and win a Super Bowl

title: Grambling, Louisiana