Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

Lafayette Parish
Parish
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°13′N 92°04′W
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	January 17, 1823
Named for	Marquis de la Fayette
Seat	Lafayette
Largest city	Lafayette
Area
• Total	270 sq mi (700 km2)
• Land	270 sq mi (699 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (1 km2)  0.17%
Population  (2000)
• Total	190,503
• Density	706/sq mi (273/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Website	www.lafayettela.gov

Lafayette Parish (French: Paroisse de Lafayette) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lafayette. In 2006, its population was estimated to be 203,091.

Geography

The parish has a total area of 270 square miles (700 km²), of which, 270 square miles (699 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.17%) is water.

Major Highways

• Interstate 10
• Interstate 49
• U.S. Highway 90
• U.S. Highway 167
• Louisiana Highway 89
• Louisiana Highway 92
• Louisiana Highway 93
• Louisiana Highway 96

Adjacent parishes

• St. Landry Parish (north)
• St. Martin Parish (east)
• Iberia Parish (southeast)
• Vermilion Parish (south)
• Acadia Parish (west)

Demographics

Home to a number of Cajun peoples, as of the census² of 2000, there were 190,503 people, 72,372 households, and 48,851 families residing in the parish. The population density was 706 people per square mile (273/km²). There were 78,122 housing units at an average density of 290 per square mile (112/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 73.36% White, 23.80% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.37% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 1.73% speak Spanish.[1]

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	22,825		—
1910	28,733		25.9%
1920	30,841		7.3%
1930	38,827		25.9%
1940	43,941		13.2%
1950	57,743		31.4%
1960	84,656		46.6%
1970	109,716		29.6%
1980	150,017		36.7%
1990	164,762		9.8%
2000	190,503		15.6%
2006 (est.)	203,091
Lafayette Parish Census Data

There were 72,372 households out of which 36.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were married couples living together, 14.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.50% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the parish the population was spread out with 27.40% under the age of 18, 11.70% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $36,518, and the median income for a family was $45,158. Males had a median income of $36,428 versus $22,751 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $19,371. About 11.80% of families and 15.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.20% of those under age 18 and 15.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Map of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana With Municipal Labels

Incorporated areas

• Broussard - 6,754
• Carencro - 6,097
• Duson - 1,619
• Lafayette - 110,257
• Scott - 8,120
• Youngsville - 5,289

Unincorporated areas

• Milton

Notable residents

• Alexander Mouton, (1804-1885), born in Attakapas, United States Senator and Governor of Louisiana.

External links

• Lafayette Consolidated Government
• Lafayette Economic Development Authority
• Lafayette Convention and Visitors Center
• Lafayette Public Library
• Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court
• Recipes from Cajun families living in Lafayette Parish
• Pitre's Playsets — Custom Built Kids Playsets