Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette is a city located on the Vermilion River in Lafayette Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Lafayette is the parish seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 110,257; a 2004 census estimate put the metro area's population at 246,160. It is the fourth largest city in the state.

The city was founded as Vermilionville in 1821 by a French-speaking Acadian named Jean Mouton. It was later renamed for the Marquis de Lafayette, who assisted the United States during its Revolutionary War. The city's economy was primarily based on agriculture until the 1940s, when the petroleum and natural gas industry became dominant. The city is also home to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Lafayette has a strong tourism industry, attracted by the Cajun and Creole cultures of the surrounding region and hosts the annual Festival de Musique Acadienne, Festivals Acadiens, and the annual Festival International de Louisiane. It also has one of the highest restaurant counts per capita of cities in the area.

Geography

Lafayette is located at (30.213901, -92.029363) in the south central area of Louisiana at the junction of Interstate Highways 10 and 49.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 123.5 km² (47.7 mi²). 123.3 km² (47.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.19%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 110,257 people, 43,506 households, and 27,104 families residing in the city. The population density was 894.5/km² (2,316.7/mi²). There were 46,865 housing units at an average density of 380.2/km² (984.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.23% White, 28.51% African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.44% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.88% of the population. Lafayette is the only city in Louisiana with a population over 100,000 to be growing in population instead of shrinking (even before the hurricane-caused migration from New Orleans and surrounding areas).

Lafayette is approximately 90% Roman Catholic and thus, has an evenly large ratio of Catholic schools.

There were 43,506 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,996, and the median income for a family was $47,783. Males had a median income of $37,729 versus $23,606 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,031. About 11.6% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over. In the 1970's, Lafayette had the distinction of having more millionaires per capita than any other city in the United States

Passenger transportation

Air: Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) is on US Highway 90, on the southeast side of the city.
Interstate Highway: I-10 and I-49
Passenger Rail: The Amtrak Sunset Limited offers service to Orlando, Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California

Notable residents

Natives
Some of the notable people born in Lafayette include

Jefferson Caffery, former U.S. ambassador
Domanick Davis, NFL running back
Michael Doucet, Cajun musician
Walter Davis, triple jump athlete
Kevin Faulk, NFL running back
Ron Guidry, former NY Yankees pitcher
Angela Kinsey, television actress

Residents
Other notable residents of Lafayette include professional makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin (deceased), Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco, Olympic medalist Hollis Conway, NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme, and Ernest Gaines, acclaimed writer.

City Life

Lafayette residents are among the most wealthy in the nation. At one time, before the oil crisis of the 1980's, Lafayette had more millionaires per capita than any other city. This is reflected in the many luxurious neighborhoods of Lafayette. River Ranch is the most expensive and flamboyant neighborhood in the city. It boasts several large houses and has a great location. Fernewood is also a very affluent neighborhood. It is off of the major Road Ambassador Caffery Parkway. Less flashy, but more often than not equally priced to River Ranch, Fernewood is a place that recieves little traffic. Greenbriar is also a very afflent part of Lafayette. Though older than River Ranch and Fernewood, Greenbriar has a classic feel; that holds the value. Broadmore is one of the most populous neighborhood in the city of Lafayette. It encompasses miles, and is an affluent middle class part of town.

Politics

Lafayette is a solidly politically Conservative municipality; argueable the most conservative city in the State of Louisiana. Republicans have carried the city ever since the re-election of President Nixon in 1972, and Democrats have not carried the city since 1964. Lafayette voted again Clinton in both of his elections, and in 1992, Lafayette was one of only 10 Louisiana parishes to vote for Bob Dole. The city was also pivitol in the election of the current Representative for the seventh congressional district of Louisiana, Charles Boustany. The 40% margin of victory Lafayette gave to Boustany over-powered the large margin his challenger, Willie Mount, had in Lake Charles, Louisiana and elected him to the office. The election of Governor Kathleen Blanco was not one that Lafayette favored. The city casted roughly 4,000 more votes for Republican Bobby Jindal than Kathleen Blanco. Lafayette was Kathleen Blanco's self proclaimed home (even though she was from New Iberia, Louisiana), and she wanted to carry the heavily Cajun and Conservative city. This was made clear throughout the campaign when Blanco stressed her Cajun Maiden name, Babineaux. The actions that Blanco took to win Lafayette did not prove sucessful; however, she did manage to make the Republican margin of victory significantly lower than normal. Many Lafayette residents have stated that "the people who knew Blanco didn't vote for her." This is somewhat affirmed by the results. The political Conservativism in Lafayette City and Parish can be explained by three main factors. The first is the large population in Lafayette that is native to Texas, a conservative stronghold. The second is the relatively low African American population in the city.(African Americans are historically heavily liberal. In Louisiana only 9% voted for president Bush). And third, the large amount of wealthy residents in the area.

Hurricane Lili

On October 3, 2002, Lafayette suffered a direct hit from category two Hurricane Lili. She caused most of Lafayette to lose power. Some high-rise buildings in downtown had windows broken and many homes had roof damage.

External links

Cities in Louisiana | Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

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