Lafayette, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
, United States, on the Vermilion River
. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest city in the state, and is the larger principal city of the Lafayette-Acadiana, LA Combined Statistical Area, which, in 2007, had an estimated total population of 538,470.
This city should not be confused with one of the same name in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
, and which was absorbed into New Orleans. It was founded as Vermilionville in 1821 by a French
-speaking Acadian
named Jean Mouton. In 1884, it was renamed for General
Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero who fought with and significantly aided the American Army during the American Revolutionary War
. The city's economy was primarily based on agriculture
until the 1940s, when the petroleum
and natural gas
industries became dominant. In recent years, the medical profession has taken a more predominant role in the area economy.
Lafayette is the center of the Cajun
culture in Louisiana and the United States. The city has a strong tourism industry because of the Cajun and Creole
cultures of the surrounding region. The cuisine of the region, Cajun cuisine
, is one of the most famous regional cuisines in the United States.
Lafayette is located at 30°12′50"N 92°1′46"W (30.213901, -92.029363) and has an elevation of 36 feet (11 m).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 47.7 square miles (123.5 km²), of which 47.6 square miles (123.3 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.19%) is water.
Lafayette is located on the West Gulf Coastal Plain. What is now Lafayette was part of the seabed during the earlier Quaternary Period. During this time, the Mississippi River
cut a 325 feet (99.1 m) valley between what is now Lafayette and Baton Rouge. This valley was filled and is now the Atchafalaya Basin
. Lafayette is located on the western rim of this valley. This land, called the southwestern Louisiana Prairie Terrace, is higher up and not made of wetland like much of the surrounding areas to the south and west of Lafayette. Because of this, Lafayette does not suffer significant flooding problems.
The Vermilion River
runs through the center of Lafayette. 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.
using Köppen climate classification
. Lafayette is typical of areas along the Gulf of Mexico
in that it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. (See table below for average temperatures for Lafayette.)
of 2000, there were 110,257 people, 43,506 households, and 27,104 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,316.7 people per square mile (894.5/km²). There were 46,865 housing units at an average density of 984.7 per square mile (380.2/km²). 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. In 2005, 84.2% of the population over the age of five spoke English
at home, and 11.5% of the population spoke French
or Cajun
.
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. Nearly 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.
See Lafayette Parish School System for more information.
The public schools in the parish are run by the Lafayette Parish School System. The system has 33 schools, 21 elementary school
s, 12 middle school
s, and seven high school
s. The LPSS offers nine career academies at the high school level, school curricula designed to prepare students in certain career fields.
The nine academies are:
The LPSS also offer schools of choice, a program to improve racial diversity at schools and to provide a more exciting educational experience. Accepted students are allowed to attend schools outside their school zone (but still within the parish) to receive their state mandated core curriculum using specialized themes or programs. This is available at all levels, elementary, middle, and high schools, and is designed to provide a more interesting learning experience for the students in the program.
Private schools
See Lafayette Parish Private Schools for list of schools.
Lafayette is home to a large Roman Catholic population and, because of this, Lafayette Parish has many private schools, with grades from kindergarten
through twelfth grade
.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
is part of the University of Louisiana System
. It's the second largest university in the state, with an enrollment of approximately 16,000. The university has been a part of Lafayette since 1900. It is one of the top-ranked universities in the south. It has nationally-ranked nursing
, architecture
, biology
and computer sciences
colleges.
South Louisiana Community College
(Lafayette campus) is one of the newest college systems in Louisiana. SLCC partnered with Acadian Ambulance
to form the National EMS Academy. The academy offers EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic certification. SLCC 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.
Remington College (Lafayette campus) is a vocational school that offers a few bachelor's degree programs, many associate degree programs, along with a few diploma programs.
Since the consolidation
of city and parish governments, Lafayette has had a city-parish president as its chief executive, rather than a mayor as it had previously. The current city-parish president is Republican
Joey Durel
. On Saturday, October 22, 2011, Lafayette parish had its election day, and the people of Lafayette voted against de-consolidating the current government.
Under consolidation the City of Lafayette and Parish of Lafayette have a common representative body and executive officer. Public Works and other services such as Land Use and Plat Review are operated by Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) to serve the City of Lafayette and unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish and by contract to some but not all of the area municipalities. Zoning Rules apply only within the City of Lafayette. Some neighboring municipalities have adopted their own planning and zoning protocol. The suburban and rural cities and towns maintain independent city councils, local executives, police and fire departments as well as other public services. The Lafayette Parish School System operates independently of any municipality and its jurisdiction is coterminous with the Parish of Lafayette.
Lafayette is also home to the United States Marine Corps
Reserve Unit, F. Co. Anti-Terrorism Battalion commanded by Captain Cole Clements. This unit has been on several deployments, many involving the Iraq War.
Lafayette is served by Lafayette Utilities System, a city-parish government run, publicly owned utility company
. Started over 100 years ago as an electrical company, LUS has expanded into a full service utilities company. It provides electricity
, drinking water
, and sewage treatment
throughout the City of Lafayette as well some unincorporated parts of the parish, along with bulk sales to the water systems of most surrounding municipalities. LUS also is currently installing the infrastructure for a fiber telecommunications network. Called LUSFiber
, the network would provide digital cable
, telephone
service, and high speed internet service to all households in the city of Lafayette. It will offer individual services as well as bundles.
Natural gas service
Natural gas service is supplied by Atmos Energy
.
Telephone service
Local land line telephone service is served by AT&T
. Cox Communications
and Lafayette Utilities System (aka LUS Fiber) provide Voice over Internet Protocol phone service.
Television
Cable television
service in Lafayette is provided by Cox Communications
. Lafayette Utilities System provides FTTH video services through LUSFiber
. DirecTV
and Dish Network
both include Lafayette TV stations in their local packages, though DirecTV does not yet offer local high definition stations.
, a state agency devoted to the preservation of the French language
in Louisiana, has its headquarters in Lafayette.
area. One of the major retail areas in Lafayette is the Mall of Acadiana
. The mall features department stores Macy's
, Dillard's
, JC Penney, and Sears. It also includes over 100 specialty stores, such as Express
, Abercrombie & Fitch
, American Eagle Outfitters
, Talbots
, Chico's
, Nine West
, and Coldwater Creek
. Other stores that have recently located in Lafayette include Kohl's
and Plato's Closet. Academy Sports and Outdoors
' Lafayette location is the largest discount store in the Academy chain.
In 1999, the Village of River Ranch, a model new urbanist development was founded to the south of the Vermilion River near the intersection of Kaliste Saloom and Camellia Blvd. The development is home to around 30 independent small retail shops and restaurants and provides a more specialized environment to Lafayette shoppers: Bonefish Grill, Zoe's Kitchen, Shoe La La and Bath Haus to name a few.
Downtown Lafayette, The Oil Center, and River Ranch offer a more specialized and unique shopping experience.
. It is home to the Louisiana Hurricanes , a semi-pro football team that plays at STM Stadium. Between the years of 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
. As of 2009, Lafayette is home to the Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League
. It is also home to the Lafayette Bayou Bulls, a semi-pro football program which started in 2003. Lafayette is home to three sports venues: the Cajundome
, Cajun Field
and Blackham Coliseum
.
Television
Currently, Lafayette is served by Cox Communications
; however, Lafayette Utilities System (Lafayette's city owned utilities company) is completing installation of infrastructure
and preparing to offer LUSFiber, a fiber optic network offering digital cable
, telephone
, and high speed internet services.
Lafayette is home to:
Lafayette is also served by:
Radio
See List of Lafayette radio stations for full list.
Popular radio stations in Lafayette:
Other:
Hopefest- a charity festival that is put on by High Schoolers in the area
Le Cannet
, France
(Twinned May 26, 1967) Longueuil
, Quebec
, Canada
(Twinned December 3, 1968) Moncton, New Brunswick
, Canada
(Twinned October 19, 1971) Poitiers
, France
(Twinned April 22, 1975) Namur
, Belgium
(Twinned June 19, 1979) Agnibilékrou
, Côte d'Ivoire
(Twinned October 5, 1999)
Six intersections in the downtown area are each named after one of its sister cities.
Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Lafayette Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lafayette. According to the 2010 Census, its population was recorded as 221,578....
, United States, on the Vermilion River
Vermilion River (Louisiana)
The Vermilion River is a river in southern Louisiana in the United States. It is formed on the common boundary of Lafayette and St. Martin parishes by a confluence of small bayous flowing from St. Landry Parish, and flows generally southward through Lafayette and Vermilion parishes, past the...
. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest city in the state, and is the larger principal city of the Lafayette-Acadiana, LA Combined Statistical Area, which, in 2007, had an estimated total population of 538,470.
This city should not be confused with one of the same name in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
, and which was absorbed into New Orleans. It was founded as Vermilionville in 1821 by a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-speaking Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
named Jean Mouton. In 1884, it was renamed for General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero who fought with and significantly aided the American Army during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. The city's economy was primarily based on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
until the 1940s, when the petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
industries became dominant. In recent years, the medical profession has taken a more predominant role in the area economy.
Lafayette is the center of the Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
culture in Louisiana and the United States. The city has a strong tourism industry because of the Cajun and Creole
Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...
cultures of the surrounding region. The cuisine of the region, Cajun cuisine
Cajun cuisine
Cajun cuisine is the style of cooking named for the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation...
, is one of the most famous regional cuisines in the United States.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 47.7 square miles (123.5 km²), of which 47.6 square miles (123.3 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.19%) is water.
Lafayette is located on the West Gulf Coastal Plain. What is now Lafayette was part of the seabed during the earlier Quaternary Period. During this time, the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
cut a 325 feet (99.1 m) valley between what is now Lafayette and Baton Rouge. This valley was filled and is now the Atchafalaya Basin
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The river stretches from near Simmesport in the north...
. Lafayette is located on the western rim of this valley. This land, called the southwestern Louisiana Prairie Terrace, is higher up and not made of wetland like much of the surrounding areas to the south and west of Lafayette. Because of this, Lafayette does not suffer significant flooding problems.
The Vermilion River
Vermilion River (Louisiana)
The Vermilion River is a river in southern Louisiana in the United States. It is formed on the common boundary of Lafayette and St. Martin parishes by a confluence of small bayous flowing from St. Landry Parish, and flows generally southward through Lafayette and Vermilion parishes, past the...
runs through the center of Lafayette. 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.
Climate
Lafayette's climate is described as humid subtropicalHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
using Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
. Lafayette is typical of areas along the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
in that it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. (See table below for average temperatures for Lafayette.)
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 110,257 people, 43,506 households, and 27,104 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,316.7 people per square mile (894.5/km²). There were 46,865 housing units at an average density of 984.7 per square mile (380.2/km²). 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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.88% of the population. In 2005, 84.2% of the population over the age of five spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
at home, and 11.5% of the population spoke French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
or Cajun
Cajun French
Cajun French is a variety or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in Louisiana, specifically in the southern and southwestern parishes....
.
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. Nearly 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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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.
Primary and secondary schools
Public schoolsSee Lafayette Parish School System for more information.
The public schools in the parish are run by the Lafayette Parish School System. The system has 33 schools, 21 elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s, 12 middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s, and seven high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s. The LPSS offers nine career academies at the high school level, school curricula designed to prepare students in certain career fields.
The nine academies are:
- The Academy of Business & Finance (Acadiana High SchoolAcadiana High SchoolAcadiana High School is located in Scott, Louisiana.Acadiana High School opened in 1969 following the consolidation of Judice High School, located in Judice Community, and Scott High School, located in Scott....
) - The Academy of Engineering (Northside High SchoolNorthside High School (Lafayette, Louisiana)-Mission statement:Northside High School seeks to provide a challenging learning environmentby encouraging high expectations for success, implementing rigorous instructionand allowing for individual differences and learning styles...
) - The Academy of Environmental Sciences (Northside High SchoolNorthside High School (Lafayette, Louisiana)-Mission statement:Northside High School seeks to provide a challenging learning environmentby encouraging high expectations for success, implementing rigorous instructionand allowing for individual differences and learning styles...
) - The Academy of Health Careers (Lafayette High SchoolLafayette High School (Louisiana)Lafayette High School is a public four-year high school located in Lafayette, Louisiana.With an enrollment of 2279 students, Lafayette High is one of the largest schools in the state of Louisiana...
) - The Academy of Information Technology (Carencro High SchoolCarencro High SchoolCarencro High School is a Lafayette Parish high school located in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. Carencro High School is one of six Lafayette Parish Public Schools. Geographically, the school is located approximately 3.5 miles north of Interstate 10 and approximately one mile west of...
) - The Academy of Performing Arts (Lafayette High SchoolLafayette High School (Louisiana)Lafayette High School is a public four-year high school located in Lafayette, Louisiana.With an enrollment of 2279 students, Lafayette High is one of the largest schools in the state of Louisiana...
) - The Academy of Visual and Applied Arts (Ovey Comeaux High SchoolOvey Comeaux High SchoolOvey Comeaux High School is a public school located in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA.-Student activities:The school offers a show choir called "The Magic Moods", an Award-winning Speech Squad, NJROTC, Science Club, French Club, Spanish Club, Art Club, Step Team, Cheerleading, Dance Team, Beta Club,...
) - The Early College Academy (South Louisiana Community CollegeSouth Louisiana Community CollegeSouth Louisiana Community College was established in 1997 to provide academic and vocational training to the people of the Lafayette, Acadia, Evangeline, St. Landry, St. Martin, Vermilion, and St...
) - Thibodaux Career and Technical High School
The LPSS also offer schools of choice, a program to improve racial diversity at schools and to provide a more exciting educational experience. Accepted students are allowed to attend schools outside their school zone (but still within the parish) to receive their state mandated core curriculum using specialized themes or programs. This is available at all levels, elementary, middle, and high schools, and is designed to provide a more interesting learning experience for the students in the program.
Private schools
See Lafayette Parish Private Schools for list of schools.
Lafayette is home to a large Roman Catholic population and, because of this, Lafayette Parish has many private schools, with grades from kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through twelfth grade
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
.
Universities and colleges
Lafayette has one university, one community college and two vocational colleges.The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
is part of the University of Louisiana System
University of Louisiana System
The University of Louisiana System is one of four public university systems in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its headquarters are in the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge.-History and diversification:...
. It's the second largest university in the state, with an enrollment of approximately 16,000. The university has been a part of Lafayette since 1900. It is one of the top-ranked universities in the south. It has nationally-ranked nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and computer sciences
Computer Sciences
Computer Sciences can refer to:*The general field of computer science*Computer Sciences Corporation, the Fortune 500 Information Technology company...
colleges.
South Louisiana Community College
South Louisiana Community College
South Louisiana Community College was established in 1997 to provide academic and vocational training to the people of the Lafayette, Acadia, Evangeline, St. Landry, St. Martin, Vermilion, and St...
(Lafayette campus) is one of the newest college systems in Louisiana. SLCC partnered with Acadian Ambulance
Acadian Ambulance
Acadian Ambulance is an ambulance service that covers most of the state of Louisiana.Headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana, Acadian Ambulance maintains a fleet of more than 200 ground ambulances, as well as eight medical transport helicopters and five fixed-wing aircraft that provide aerial...
to form the National EMS Academy. The academy offers EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic certification. SLCC 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.
Remington College (Lafayette campus) is a vocational school that offers a few bachelor's degree programs, many associate degree programs, along with a few diploma programs.
Healthcare
Major healthcare clinics are listed below:- Lafayette General Medical Center
- Lafayette General Surgical Hospital
- Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital
- University Medical Center
- Womens and Childrens Hospital
- The Regional Medical Center of Acadiana - (Formerly Southwest Medical Center)
- Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center
- Heart Hospital of Lafayette
- Park Place Surgical Hospital
- Cardiovascular Institute of the South(CIS)
Government and politics
See also Notable local politiciansSince the consolidation
Consolidated city-county
In United States local government, a consolidated city–county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state...
of city and parish governments, Lafayette has had a city-parish president as its chief executive, rather than a mayor as it had previously. The current city-parish president is Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Joey Durel
Joey Durel
Lester Joseph "Joey" Durel, Jr. is the mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana. Elected in 2003, he became only the second Republican mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana, and the second person elected as "City-Parish president" of the combined City of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish government...
. On Saturday, October 22, 2011, Lafayette parish had its election day, and the people of Lafayette voted against de-consolidating the current government.
Under consolidation the City of Lafayette and Parish of Lafayette have a common representative body and executive officer. Public Works and other services such as Land Use and Plat Review are operated by Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) to serve the City of Lafayette and unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish and by contract to some but not all of the area municipalities. Zoning Rules apply only within the City of Lafayette. Some neighboring municipalities have adopted their own planning and zoning protocol. The suburban and rural cities and towns maintain independent city councils, local executives, police and fire departments as well as other public services. The Lafayette Parish School System operates independently of any municipality and its jurisdiction is coterminous with the Parish of Lafayette.
Law enforcement
Lafayette is served by five police agencies:- Lafayette City PoliceLafayette Police Department (Louisiana)The Lafayette Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency in Lafayette, Louisiana, with the exception of the campus of University of Louisiana, which falls under the responsibility of the UL Police....
(LPD)- The main municipal police department of the city - Lafayette Parish Sheriff's OfficeLafayette Parish Sheriff's Office (Louisiana)The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office is the sheriff's department in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. The department, headed by Sheriff Michael "Mike" Neustrom, consists of around 550 sworn and non-sworn employees...
(LPSO) - The parish level police agency - University PoliceUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette Police DepartmentThe University of Louisiana-Lafayette Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The ULPD's jurisdiction are the campuses of ULL.-Patrol:...
(ULPD) - The police force of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette - Lafayette City MarshalLafayette City Marshal (Louisiana)The Office of Marshal of the City Court of Lafayette is the marshal service in the City of Lafayette, Louisiana. The marshal is in charge of apprehending fugitives and serving warrants made by the City Court of Lafayette....
- The City Marshal - Lafayette Park Police- who enforce state jurisdiction and local ordinance for the city owned parks and surrounding neighborhoods in the City of Lafayette.
- Note: City Police and Parish Sheriff's office were not combined during consolidation.
Military
Lafayette is the home of the National Guard headquarters of the 256th Infantry Brigade, a military unit of over 3,000 soldiers that served in Iraq in the years of 2004-2005. The brigade was again deployed in January, 2010.Lafayette is also home to the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Reserve Unit, F. Co. Anti-Terrorism Battalion commanded by Captain Cole Clements. This unit has been on several deployments, many involving the Iraq War.
Utilities
Electricity, water, and waste water serviceLafayette is served by Lafayette Utilities System, a city-parish government run, publicly owned utility company
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
. Started over 100 years ago as an electrical company, LUS has expanded into a full service utilities company. It provides electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
, and sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
throughout the City of Lafayette as well some unincorporated parts of the parish, along with bulk sales to the water systems of most surrounding municipalities. LUS also is currently installing the infrastructure for a fiber telecommunications network. Called LUSFiber
LUSFiber
LUSFiber is a municipally owned subsidiary of Lafayette Utilities System providing Cable Television, Broadband Internet, and Telephone services to the citizens of Lafayette, Louisiana...
, the network would provide digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
, telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
service, and high speed internet service to all households in the city of Lafayette. It will offer individual services as well as bundles.
Natural gas service
Natural gas service is supplied by Atmos Energy
Atmos Energy
Atmos Energy Corporation , headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is the largest distributor of natural gas in the United States, serving 3.2 million customers nationwide. Atmos acquired TXU's natural gas and pipeline holdings in 2004. The company began as Energas in 1983, a spinoff of the natural gas...
.
Telephone service
Local land line telephone service is served by AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
. Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
and Lafayette Utilities System (aka LUS Fiber) provide Voice over Internet Protocol phone service.
Television
Cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
service in Lafayette is provided by Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
. Lafayette Utilities System provides FTTH video services through LUSFiber
LUSFiber
LUSFiber is a municipally owned subsidiary of Lafayette Utilities System providing Cable Television, Broadband Internet, and Telephone services to the citizens of Lafayette, Louisiana...
. DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
and Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
both include Lafayette TV stations in their local packages, though DirecTV does not yet offer local high definition stations.
State representation
The Council for the Development of French in LouisianaCouncil for the Development of French in Louisiana
The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, or CODOFIL — known in French as le Conseil pour le développement du français en Louisiane and Konséy pou Dévelopmen di françé en Lwizyàn in Creole — is a state agency created in 1968 by the Louisiana legislature...
, a state agency devoted to the preservation of the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in Louisiana, has its headquarters in Lafayette.
Retail and shopping
Lafayette serves as the retail hub of the five parish AcadianaAcadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
area. One of the major retail areas in Lafayette is the Mall of Acadiana
Mall of Acadiana
The Mall of Acadiana, originally called Acadiana Mall, is an enclosed regional shopping mall in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, and is located at the intersection of Johnston Street and Ambassador Caffery Parkway. It opened in 1979 and was developed by Robert B. Aikens & Associates, and is now...
. The mall features department stores Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
, JC Penney, and Sears. It also includes over 100 specialty stores, such as Express
Express (store)
EXPRESS is an American fashion retailer headquartered in Columbus, Ohio and New York, New York. Express operates over 550 stores in the United States and generates $1.8 billion in annual sales.-History:...
, Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....
, American Eagle Outfitters
American Eagle Outfitters
American Eagle Outfitters is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by Mark and Jerry Silverman as a subsidiary of Retail Ventures, Inc., a company which also owned and operated Silverman's Menswear...
, Talbots
Talbots
Talbots is a specialty retailer and direct marketer of women’s classic clothing, shoes and accessories. Established in 1947, the company sells items such as the blazer, trench, white shirt, ballet flats and pearls....
, Chico's
Chico's (retail chain)
Chico's is a retail women's clothing chain founded in 1983 on Sanibel Island, Florida.The Company currently operates 1,084 women's clothing stores, including stores in 48 states, Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico operating under the Chico's, White House | Black Market and...
, Nine West
Nine West
Nine West is a fashion wholesale and retail company best known for quickly translating runway trends into styles attainable by mass consumers. Initially founded as a fashion footwear brand, Nine West has since expanded into handbags, sunglasses, legwear, outerwear, jewelry, belts, watches, cold...
, and Coldwater Creek
Coldwater Creek
Coldwater Creek is a women's apparel and accessories retailer based in Sandpoint, Idaho, United States. The company was founded in 1984 by Dennis and Ann Pence. Coldwater Creek sells its products in stores, through catalogs and online. The online outlet carries apparel that was featured during...
. Other stores that have recently located in Lafayette include Kohl's
Kohl's
Kohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...
and Plato's Closet. Academy Sports and Outdoors
Academy Sports and Outdoors
Academy Sports + Outdoors is a sports goods discount store chain. For 74 years it was a privately held company owned by the Gochman family, until its May 2011 sale of majority ownership to the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts LP. Academy is one of the largest sporting goods stores in the...
' Lafayette location is the largest discount store in the Academy chain.
In 1999, the Village of River Ranch, a model new urbanist development was founded to the south of the Vermilion River near the intersection of Kaliste Saloom and Camellia Blvd. The development is home to around 30 independent small retail shops and restaurants and provides a more specialized environment to Lafayette shoppers: Bonefish Grill, Zoe's Kitchen, Shoe La La and Bath Haus to name a few.
Downtown Lafayette, The Oil Center, and River Ranch offer a more specialized and unique shopping experience.
Manufacturing
Lafayette has some manufacturing and fabrication businesses, including:- Stuller Settings
- Frank's Casing Crew
Information technology
The city also has an IT community including such businesses as:- Louisiana Immersive Technology Enterprise (LITE)
- Global Data
- Innovative Learning Assessment Technologies
Cultural Venues
- Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and Conservatory of Music
- Chorale Acadienne
- Lafayette Ballet Theatre and Dance Conservatory
- Performing Arts Society of Acadiana
Sports
Lafayette is home to the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, the athletic teams of The University of Louisiana at LafayetteUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
. It is home to the Louisiana Hurricanes , a semi-pro football team that plays at STM Stadium. Between the years of 1995 and 2005, Lafayette was home to the Louisiana IceGators ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
hockey team; in 2009, the IceGators
Louisiana IceGators
The original Louisiana IceGators were an ECHL team based in Lafayette, Louisiana from 1995 until the end of the 2005 season. The team played its home games at the Cajundome and were last an affiliate of the NHL Minnesota Wild and the AHL Houston Aeros....
returned as a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League
Southern Professional Hockey League
The Southern Professional Hockey League is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with teams located in the southeastern United States.- History :...
. As of 2009, Lafayette is home to the Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League
Southern Indoor Football League
The Southern Indoor Football League was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in...
. It is also home to the Lafayette Bayou Bulls, a semi-pro football program which started in 2003. Lafayette is home to three sports venues: the Cajundome
Cajundome
The Cajundome is a 13,500 seat multi-purpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is home to the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League and the Louisiana high school basketball state...
, Cajun Field
Cajun Field
Cajun Field is a stadium located in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. Nicknamed The Swamp, it is the home field of the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns...
and Blackham Coliseum
Blackham Coliseum
Blackham Coliseum is a multipurpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was built on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus in 1949 as the home to the then-named SLI Bulldogs, now called the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball teams. It remained the home for the men's team...
.
Nightlife
On weekend nights, Downtown Lafayette turns into a nightlife hub in the Acadiana region. Downtown Lafayette offers a diverse range of dance clubs and sports bars, including iconic live music venue tourist destinations such as Grant Street Dancehall and The Blue Moon Saloon. Outside of the downtown area, other establishments are found. Those along the McKinley Street Strip historically catered to a university crowd within walking distance. Other venues and establishments are found dispersed along Johnston Street, in and around River Ranch, along Ambassador Caffery, the Simcoe Street Strip and also a scattered collection of neighborhood dives and watering holes. Also of note are the many drive-through daiquiri shops; some of these vary in scale from a roadside stand to those which have live entertainment.Media
Print- The Daily Advertiser, daily Gannett broadsheet style newspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
- AcadianaMoms magazine
- The Times of Acadiana, weekly Gannett tabloid format
- Acadiana Gazette, weekly newspaper published by Ron GomezRon GomezRonald James Gomez, Sr., known as Ron Gomez , is a veteran print and broadcast journalist, author , and businessman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette Parish, from 1980-1989. From 1990-1992, he was the secretary of natural resources in...
- Acadiana ProfileAcadiana ProfileAcadiana Profile is a bi-monthly magazine published in the American state of Louisiana. It is the longest-running magazine in the state's history, and one of the most enduring regional publications in the United States...
magazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, established in 1968 by Robert AngersRobert AngersRobert John Angers, Jr. , was an American journalist, businessman, and conservative politician. A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography describes Angers as "a tireless and unselfish promoter of good government, the Acadiana region, and free enterprise."-Early years, education, military:Angers was born... - The Independent Weekly, weekly locally owned newspaper (compact style)
- The Advocate, daily newspaper with local coverage from Baton Rouge.
- The Vermilion, UL Lafayette student newspaper
- La Revista, monthly Hispanic/English newspaper
Television
Currently, Lafayette is served by Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
; however, Lafayette Utilities System (Lafayette's city owned utilities company) is completing installation of infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
and preparing to offer LUSFiber, a fiber optic network offering digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
, telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
, and high speed internet services.
Lafayette is home to:
- KATCKATC (TV)KATC, channel 3, is an ABC-affiliated television station licensed to Lafayette, Louisiana. It began operations on September 19, 1962.A 1000 kW transmitter for its digital broadcast is located near Branch, Louisiana and became operational November 6, 2007...
3.1/RF28, Cable 5, (ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) - KATC2 3.2/, Cable 10 (The CW)
- KLFY-TVKLFY-TVKLFY-TV, channel 10, is a CBS affiliated television station in Lafayette, Louisiana. Broadcasting on DTV 10.1, its transmitter is located in Maxie, Louisiana...
10.1/RF10, Cable 11 (CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
) - KADN-TV 15.1/RF16, Cable 6 (FoxFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
) - KLAF-TV 15.2/, Cable 12 (MNTV)
- KLWB, 50.1/RF50 (This TVThis TVThis TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
) - KLPB-TV 24.1/RF23, Channel 12, (PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
) Louisiana Public Broadcasting - KXKW 32.1 - Outdoor Sports Channel and 32.2 ThisTV
- KAJNKAJN-LPKAJN-LP is a Class A television station in Lafayette, Louisiana, broadcasting in analog format on UHF channel 40. KAJN and their repeaters are owned by Rice Capital Broadcasting Company, Inc. and air identical programming. The station's format is independent religious.-Repeaters:KAJN has two...
40.1, Cable Channel 97 - Family Vision - AOC 1, Channel 15, Acadiana Open Channel, one of two local programing channels.
- AOC 2, Channel 16
Lafayette is also served by:
- KPLC-TV, 7.1/RF7 Cox Cable 7 (NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
), located in nearby Lake CharlesLake Charles, LouisianaLake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
THISThisThis, in the English language, is the singular proximal demonstrative. It may also refer to:-People:* Hervé This, French biochemist whose scientific approach to cuisine is well known in France-Places:...
network on 7.3 - WVLA-TV, 33.1/RF33 (NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
), located in nearby Baton RougeBaton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South... - WBRZ, 2.1, Cox Cable 17, (ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
), located in Baton Rouge - WAFBWAFBWAFB is the CBS-affiliated television station for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter southwest of Arlington. Owned by Raycom Media, WAFB is sister to Class A MyNetworkTV affiliate WBXH-CA. The two share studios on Government...
, 9.1/RF9, Cox Cable 18, (CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
), also located in Baton Rouge
Radio
See List of Lafayette radio stations for full list.
Popular radio stations in Lafayette:
- KYBG (FM), 102.1 - BIG102.1 Classic Hits
- KFTEKFTEKFTE is a commercial radio station in Abbeville, Louisiana, broadcasting to the Lafayette, Louisiana, area. KFTE airs a modern rock music format....
(FMFM broadcastingFM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
), Planet Radio 105.1 - AlternativeAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and ModernModern rockModern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
RockRock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music... - KMDLKMDLKMDL is a country music formatted radio station in Lafayette, Louisiana.The station is an affiliate of the New Orleans Saints radio network.-History:...
(FM), 97.3 The Dawg - Country MusicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
radio network affiliate - KPELKPEL (AM)KPEL is a radio station licensed to serve Lafayette, Louisiana. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and licensed to Townsquare Media of Lafayette, LLC. It airs a sports radio format featuring programming from ESPN Radio....
(AMAM broadcastingAM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
, ESPNESPN RadioESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
1420 - Sports RadioSports radioSports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and... - KPEL-FMKPEL-FMKPEL-FM is a radio station licensed to the community of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, and serving the Lafayette, Louisiana, area. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and licensed to Townsquare Media of Lafayette, LLC...
(FM), NewsRadio 96.5 - News radioNews RadioNews Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format.... - KRKAKRKAKHXT is a Rhythmic Top 40 serving the Lafayette area. The Townsquare Media outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 97 kW and is licensed to Erath, Louisiana.-History:...
(FM), Hot 107.9 - Rhythmic ContemporaryRhythmic ContemporaryRhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may... - KROFKROFKROF is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Abbeville, Louisiana, USA, the station serves the Lafayette area. The station is currently owned by Townsquare Media and features programing from Citadel Media's The True Oldies Channel ....
(AM), 960 The Gator, Cajun VarietyVariety (radio)The term variety as a radio format is loosely defined as a format that plays music across numerous genera.Freeform variety is associated with a wide range of programming including talk, sports, and music from a wide spectrum. This format is usually found on smaller, non-commercial... - KTDYKTDYKTDY is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station in the Lafayette/Acadiana market in Louisiana, United States. The station's 100,000-watt signal allows it to be picked up clearly 24/7 in Baton Rouge, 55 miles to the east, and Lake Charles, 70 miles to the west.-History:KTDY signed on on...
(FM), 99.9 KTDY, Adult Contemporary - KSMBKSMB (FM)KSMB is a Top 40 radio station in Lafayette, Louisiana owned by Cumulus Media. KSMB began broadcasting in 1964 as Lafayette's first FM station. By the 1970s, the station had established an Album Rock format as "K94 The Stereo Rock." In late 1984, the format was gradually shifted from Album Rock to...
(FM), 94.5 KSMB, Top 40 (CHR)Contemporary hit radioContemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... - KNEK-FMKNEK-FMKNEK-FM is a radio station playing an Urban AC format in the Lafayette area. It broadcasts under ownership of Cumulus Media....
(FM), Magic 104.7, Urban AC - KRRQKRRQKRRQ is a radio station serving the Lafayette metropolitan area with an Rhythmic Top 40 format. It operates on FM frequency 95.5 and is under ownership of Cumulus Media.-External links:*...
(FM), Q 95.5, Rhythmic Top 40Rhythmic ContemporaryRhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may... - KXKCKXKCKXKC is a radio station serving the Lafayette, Louisiana metropolitan area with a country music format. It operates on FM frequency 99.1 MHz and is under ownership of Cumulus Media.- History :...
(FM), 99.1 KXKC, Country MusicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music... - KRDJ (FM), Rock 93.7, Active RockActive rockActive rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
- KRVSKRVSKRVS is a radio station broadcasting a World Ethnic format. Licensed to Lafayette, Louisiana; it is currently owned by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and features programing from American Public Media, National Public Radio and Public Radio International.Programming covers various types...
(FM), Public Radio for Acadiana, World Ethnic (88.7) - KAJN-FMKAJN-FMKAJN-FM is a radio station. It broadcasts a format of Contemporary Christian music , and is licensed to Crowley, Louisiana, USA. The station is currently owned by Agape Broadcasters, Inc....
(FM), Agape Radio, Contemporary Christian (102.9) - KIKL (FM), Positive and Encouraging K-LoveK-LOVEK-LOVE is a Contemporary Christian music radio programming service in the United States operated by the Educational Media Foundation. As of January 2011, K-LOVE's programming is carried on over 440 FM stations and translators in 45 states. K-LOVE claims an audience of 250,000 people each week via...
, Contemporary Christian (90.9) - KLWB-FMKLWB-FMKLWB-FM is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Carencro, Louisiana, it serves the Lafayette area. The station is currently owned by Delta Media Corporation....
(FM), Snap 103.7, Classic HitsClassic hitsClassic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
(103.7)
Other:
- RadioliciousRadioliciousRadiolicious is an internet radio service created by MySimBook, based in Lafayette, Louisiana. Users are able to search and listen to terrestrial radio stations...
, internet radioInternet radioInternet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
Points of interest
Lafayette is the heart of Acadiana and the center of Cajun culture in Louisiana and the United States. As such, Lafayette has many cultural places of interest.- Acadiana Center for the Arts
- Acadian VillageAcadian Village (park)-History:Acadian Village is located on the of LARC . In the early 1970s, officials with the facility were looking for an opportunity to improve tourism in Lafayette, Louisiana...
is a reconstructed Cajun bayou community (of moved and reassembled authentic buildings) and has a representative collection of Cajun furnishings. Website - Acadiana Center for the Arts
- Alexandre Mouton House Museum was home to Louisiana's first Democratic governor, Alexandre Mouton, who once lived in this antebellum town house. It is now a museum and contains a collection of antiques, historical documents, and old Mardi Gras costumes.
- Borden's Ice CreamBorden's Ice CreamBorden's Ice Cream is a historic ice cream parlor on Johnston Street in Lafayette, Louisiana that was built in 1940. In 1981 the then owner, lifelong Lafayette resident Flora Levy, died. Her will stipulated a large bequest to the University of Louisiana's Lafayette Foundation; the ice cream...
, the last Borden's Ice Cream location in the country. - CajundomeCajundomeThe Cajundome is a 13,500 seat multi-purpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is home to the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League and the Louisiana high school basketball state...
, home to Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketballLouisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketballThe Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball program represents intercollegiate men's basketball at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The school competes in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and play home...
teams, serves as a convention space. - Cajun Courts at Culotta Center, home to Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's tennis teams.
- Cajun FieldCajun FieldCajun Field is a stadium located in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. Nicknamed The Swamp, it is the home field of the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns...
also nicknamed "the Swamp" is home to the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns footballLouisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns footballThe Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football program is a college football team that represents the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the Sun Belt Conference.-Football classifications:*1937–1962: National Junior College Athletic Association...
team. - Children's Museum of Acadiana
- Cité des Arts
- Cypress LakeCypress Lake (Lafayette, Louisiana)Cypress Lake is a swamp-like lake in the heart of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus that started as a buffalo wallow. Today it is a unique university landmark that is a habitat for native irises, alligators, turtles, birds and fish, as well as a hangout for students and a point of...
is located at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. - Downtown Lafayette the heart of culture in Lafayette.
- Girard Park
- Heymann Center A performing arts center.
- Jean Lafitte National Park Acadian Cultural Center
- Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium is a combination museum and planetarium, which houses over 1,000 paintings, prints and sculpture of Louisiana artists and regularly changing exhibits and planetarium programs.
- Lafayette Public Library System
- Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) is a state-of-the-art resource center encompassing the world's first six-sided, digital virtual reality cube as well as the world's largest digital 3-D auditorium.
- Mall of AcadianaMall of AcadianaThe Mall of Acadiana, originally called Acadiana Mall, is an enclosed regional shopping mall in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, and is located at the intersection of Johnston Street and Ambassador Caffery Parkway. It opened in 1979 and was developed by Robert B. Aikens & Associates, and is now...
- Contains a Dillard's, Sears, JCPenny, Macy's, and over 100 specialty stores and services. - National Wetlands Research CenterNational Wetlands Research CenterThe National Wetlands Research Center was founded in 1975 as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Biological Services. Its headquarters are located in Lafayette, Louisiana....
is a research facility operated by the U.S. Geological Survey that focuses on estuarine, marine, and freshwater wetlands. - Paul and Lulu Hillard University Art Museum has a Permanent Collection consisting of more than 2000 works of art, including paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and photographs that represent 18th, 19th and 20th century Louisiana, in addition to works from around the world.
- University of Louisiana at LafayetteUniversity of Louisiana at LafayetteThe University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
- Vermilionville is a reconstruction of a Cajun-Creole settlement from the 1765-to-1890 era
- Zoo of Acadiana is located nearby in BroussardBroussard, LouisianaBroussard is a small city in Lafayette and St. Martin parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 6,754 from the 2005 Census Est.Broussard is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
Events
- 2nd Saturday Artwalk - An artwalk downtown held every 2nd Saturday of every month.
- Acadiana Film Festival - A film festival exploring the intersection of entertainment and technology.
- Bach Lunch - A spring outdoor concert series hosted by the Lafayette Natural History Museum and Planetarium, held in Parc Sans Souci downtown.
- Cajun Heartland State Fair - An eleven day state fairState fairA state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs....
held on the grounds of the Cajundome and Convention Center. - Crouchstock - An annual music festival held to raise funds for the Jacob Crouch Foundation, a suicide prevention, awareness and education foundation.
- Downtown Alive! - A 25-year-old series of free, family friendly, outdoor concerts in the fall and spring.
- Drums Across Cajun Field - An annual DCIDrum Corps InternationalDrum Corps International , formed in 1972, is the non-profit governing body operating the North American drum and bugle corps circuit for junior corps, whose members are between the ages of 14 and 21. It is the counterpart of Drum Corps Associates which governs senior or all-age drum corps...
show hosted by the Pride of AcadianaPride of AcadianaThe Pride of Acadiana is the marching band at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The band plays pregame and halftime shows for all home games of the UL Lafayette football team, the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns.-History:... - Festivals Acadiens at Creoles - An annual collection of festivals celebrating Cajun and Creole Cultures.
- Festival International de LouisianeFestival InternationalThe Festival International de Louisiane is an annual music and arts festival held in Lafayette, Louisiana celebrating the French heritage of the region. The festival was first held in 1987 and has become very popular, attracting musicians, artists, and craftsmen from around the world...
- An annual international festival of arts and music, celebrating Lafayette and the surrounding area's French heritage. - Gulf Brew - An annual beer tasting festival.
- Le Festival de Mardi Gras à Lafayette - The second largest Mardi Gras celebration in Louisiana.
- Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands - A popular high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
marching bandMarching bandMarching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
festival. - Movies in the Parc - A fall outdoor children's movie series in Parc International downtown.
Hopefest- a charity festival that is put on by High Schoolers in the area
Regional and Local Transportation
- Air: Lafayette Regional AirportLafayette Regional Airport-History:The airport opened as Lafayette Municipal Airport on 29 November 1930. On 5 July 1942, during World War II, the airport was commandeered by the United States Army Air Forces and used as a contract primary pilot training airfield under the AAF Gulf Coast Training Center...
(LFT) is located on US Highway 90U.S. Route 90U.S. Route 90 is an east–west United States highway. Despite the "0" in its route number, U.S. 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route; it has always ended at Van Horn, Texas. A short-lived northward extension to U.S...
, on the southeast side of the city with fare passenger destinations to air hubs in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Memphis, Atlanta and direct flights to Destin, Florida. Charter services depart Lafayette Regional as well as helicopter services and cargo jets. - Interstate Highway: I-10Interstate 10Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
and I-49Interstate 49Interstate 49 is currently an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Louisiana in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Interstate 10 while its northern terminus is in Shreveport, Louisiana, at Interstate 20.-Route...
(Lafayette serves as I-49's southern terminus, at its intersection with I-10) - Passenger Rail: The AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
Sunset LimitedSunset LimitedThe Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental...
offers service from New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
with selected stops in Louisiana, Texas, Arizona and California. The 2004 Route Guide describes service eastward to Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, but this has not been restored in the aftermath of Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. - Intercity Passenger Bus: Greyhound operates a station downtown on Lee Avenue with destinations east and west on I-10, north on I-49 and southeast on US Hwy 90
- Public Transit: Lafayette Transit SystemLafayette Transit SystemLafayette Transit System is the operator of public transportation in metropolitan Lafayette, Louisiana. Twelve routes run Monday-Saturday, generally functioning at half hour or hour intervals. During the late evening and late night hours, buses keep running, with four routes covering specific zones...
http://www.ridelts.com/ provides bus service, (formerly City of Lafayette Transit (COLT). Public transportation is provided only within Lafayette City Limits. - Bicycle Facilities: Lafayette has a limited number of dedicated commuter and recreational bicycling facilities, including a bicycle lane on each side of Johnston Street from UL-Lafayette area at Lewis Street to near Ambassador Caffery, ending at Ridge Road. UL-Lafayette has recently installed an off-road paved bicycle path beginning at it's 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 1970's and 80's 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.
- Main Road Arteries: U.S. Routes 90U.S. Route 90U.S. Route 90 is an east–west United States highway. Despite the "0" in its route number, U.S. 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route; it has always ended at Van Horn, Texas. A short-lived northward extension to U.S...
(co-signed with Evangeline Thruway, Mudd Avenue and Cameron Street within the city limits) and 167U.S. Route 167U.S. Route 167 runs for 499 miles from Ash Flat, Arkansas at U.S. Route 62 to Abbeville, Louisiana at Louisiana Highway 14. It goes through the cities of Little Rock, Arkansas, Alexandria, Louisiana, and Lafayette, Louisiana....
(co-signed with I-49, Evangeline Thruway and Johnston Street). Ambassador Caffery Parkway, named for Jefferson CafferyJefferson CafferyJefferson Caffery served as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador , Colombia , Cuba , Brazil , France , and Egypt .-Career:...
, serves as a partial loop connecting I-10 at Exit 100 on the west and US 90 on the south. Other arterial roads include Verot School Road (LA 339Louisiana Highway 339LA 339, more commonly known as Verot School Road, is a state highway in the vicinity of Lafayette, Louisiana. It runs from LA 182 approximately south to LA 14 in Erath. The road serves as a primary corridor for growing residential development in southeast Lafayette Parish...
), West Congress Street, Kaliste Saloom Road (LA 3095), Ridge Road, Carmel Drive/Breaux Bridge Highway (LA 94), University Avenue (LA 182Louisiana Highway 182LA 182 is a state highway that runs a circuitous route from just north of Opelousas to Raceland. Most of the route was formerly part of the Old Spanish Trail, and the road is called such in many places to this day.-History:...
), 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 six sister cities:Le Cannet
Le Cannet
Le Cannet is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Location:Le Cannet is located on the north of Cannes, on the French Riviera...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(Twinned May 26, 1967) Longueuil
Longueuil
Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Twinned December 3, 1968) Moncton, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Twinned October 19, 1971) Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(Twinned April 22, 1975) Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(Twinned June 19, 1979) Agnibilékrou
Agnibilékrou
Agnibilékrou is a town in Agnibilékrou Department of Côte d'Ivoire. It is located in Moyen-Comoé Region.-Sister city:Agnibilékrou is twinned with Lafayette, Louisiana, USA....
, Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
(Twinned October 5, 1999)
Six intersections in the downtown area are each named after one of its sister cities.