Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lafayette Parish
Consolidated city-county
Parish of Lafayette
Lafayette Parish Courthouse
Lafayette Parish Courthouse
Map of Louisiana highlighting Lafayette Parish
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Map of the United States highlighting Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°13′N 92°04′W / 30.21°N 92.06°W / 30.21; -92.06
Country United States
State Louisiana
FoundedJanuary 17, 1823
Named forMarquis de la Fayette
SeatLafayette
Largest cityLafayette
Government
 • PresidentJosh Guillory (R)
Area
 • Total269 sq mi (700 km2)
 • Land269 sq mi (700 km2)
 • Water0.5 sq mi (1 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total241,753
 • Density900/sq mi (350/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitewww.lafayettetravel.com

Lafayette Parish (French: Paroisse de Lafayette) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 241,753,[1] up from 221,578 at the 2010 United States census.[2] The parish seat is the city of Lafayette.[3] The parish was founded in 1823.[4] Since 1992, Lafayette City and Lafayette Parish have operated as a consolidated government.

Etymology[]

The city and parish of Lafayette were named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who took part in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and financially aided it.[5]

Geography[]

Lafayette Parish is a part of the region of Acadiana in southern Louisiana, along the Gulf Coast. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 269 square miles (700 km2), of which 269 square miles (700 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (0.2%) is water.[6] It is the fifth-smallest parish in Louisiana by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Major highways[]

Adjacent parishes[]

National protected area[]

Communities[]

Cities[]

Town[]

Census-designated places[]

Unincorporated communities[]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18305,653—
18407,84138.7%
18506,720−14.3%
18609,00334.0%
187010,38815.4%
188013,23527.4%
189015,96620.6%
190022,82543.0%
191028,73325.9%
192030,8417.3%
193038,82725.9%
194043,94113.2%
195057,74331.4%
196084,65646.6%
1970109,71629.6%
1980150,01736.7%
1990164,7629.8%
2000190,50315.6%
2010221,57816.3%
2020241,7539.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2019[2]

At the 2020 U.S. census, 241,753 people lived in Lafayette Parish.[1] According to the 2019 American Community Survey, there were 244,390 people living in the parish.[11] The racial and ethnic makeup of Lafayette Parish was 65.7% non-Hispanic white, 25.9% Black and African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% Asian, 0.3% some other race, 1.5% two or more races, and 4.6% Hispanic and Latin American of any race.[12]

In 2019, the median age was 35.2 and 76.2% of the population were aged 18 and older; 12.7% of the population were aged 65 and older.[13] Of its population, 4.2% were foreign born, with the majority coming from Latin America, Asia, and Europe.[14] Among the population, 10.1% spoke another language other than English at home; Spanish was the second most-spoken language in 2019, and French was third.

There were 91,543 households at the 2019 census estimates, and 44.4% were married couples living together; 8.0% of households were cohabiting couples, 17.8% male households with no female present, 12.7% single-person households, and 29.7% female households with no female present. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.22.[14] There was an employment rate of 62.5% and 28,206 businesses operating in the parish; 5,734 businesses were minority-owned and 2,774 were veteran-owned.

Out of the 102,491 housing units in 2019, the median gross rent was $874, and median housing value was $185,300.[13] At the 2019 American Community Survey, the median household income was $56,999; males had a median income of $54,653 versus $38,378 for females. An estimated 17.3% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Education[]

Lafayette Parish School System operates public schools for the parish.

Lafayette Parish is home to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana's second largest public university behind Louisiana State University. It is also home to the main campus of South Louisiana Community College (the parish is in the community college's service area),[15] a Remington College in Lafayette, a Blue Cliff College in Lafayette, an Aveda Institute, and a Louisiana Technical College in Lafayette.

Politics[]

The parish voters often supported Democratic presidential candidates before the 1970s, but the majority of conservative whites has trended Republican since that time.[16] Before 1965 and passage of the Voting Rights Act by U.S> Congress, most African Americans were disenfranchised, as they had been since 1898, when Louisiana passed a new constitution establishing barriers to voter registration and voting. They, along with poor white voters, were excluded from the political system. After regaining the power to register and vote, black voters tended to affiliate with and support national Democratic Party candidates.

The majority of the parish voted for the Republican presidential candidates from 1992 to 2000, and did so by generally increasing margins. The results in 2004 gave Republican George W. Bush 64% of the vote and 57,732 votes while Democrat John F. Kerry won 35% of the vote and 31,210 votes. In the 2008 election Lafayette Parish cast the majority of its votes for Republican John McCain. He won 65% of the vote and 62,055 votes. Democrat Barack Obama was strongly supported by African Americans and won 34% of the vote, some 32,145 votes.[17]

Presidential elections results

Law enforcement[]

Lafayette Parish is primarily served by the Lafayette Police Department, Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office, University of Louisiana at Lafayette Police Department, and the Lafayette City Marshal.

National Guard[]

The HQ and other units of the 256th IBCT reside in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. This unit of over 3,500 Soldiers has deployed twice to Iraq, 2004-5 and 2010. This unit has also responded to disasters such as: Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Isaac, and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.

Prison[]

Parish

Name Address Zip Aged
Lafayette Parish Correctional Center 916 Lafayette St, Lafayette, Louisiana 70501 13+

Notable people[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "QuickFacts: Lafayette Parish, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ^ "History". Lafayette County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  5. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 178.
  6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  11. ^ "2019 Parish Population Estimates". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  12. ^ "2019 Demographic and Housing Estimates". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "Geography Profile: Lafayette Parish, Louisiana". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "2019 Selected Social Characteristics". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  15. ^ "Our Colleges". Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  16. ^ David Leip's Election Atlas
  17. ^ The New York Times electoral map
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  19. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.

External links[]

Geology

Coordinates: 30°13′N 92°04′W / 30.21°N 92.06°W / 30.21; -92.06

Retrieved from ""