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Lafayette, Louisiana
Consolidated city-parish
City of Lafayette
From top, left to right: Downtown, Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, Charles H. Mouton House, Old Lafayette City Hall, Cajundome, First United Methodist Church
Flag of Lafayette, Louisiana
Flag
Nickname(s): 
The Hub City
Motto(s): 
The Heart of Cajun Country
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Interactive maps of Lafayette
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish Lafayette
Founded 1821 as Vermilionville
Renamed 1884 as Lafayette
Founded by Jean Mouton
Named for General Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
Government
 • Type Consolidated city–parish
Area
 • Total 56.00 sq mi (145.03 km2)
 • Land 55.92 sq mi (144.83 km2)
 • Water 0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)  auto%
 • Metro
3,408.5 sq mi (8,828 km2)
Elevation
49 ft (15 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 121,374
 • Rank US: 234th
 • Density 2,170.57/sq mi (838.07/km2)
 • Urban
252,720 (US: 148th)
 • Metro
478,384
 • CSA
627,146 (US: 77th)
 • Consolidated
244,390
Demonym(s) Lafayettien
Time zone UTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
70501–9, 70593, 70596, 70598
Area code(s) 337
FIPS code 22-40735
Website www.lafayettetravel.com

Lafayette is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th-most populous in the United States, with a 2020 census population of 121,374; the consolidated city–parish's population was 241,753 in 2020. The Lafayette metropolitan area was Louisiana's third largest metropolitan statistical area with a population of 478,384 at the 2020 census. The Acadiana region containing Lafayette is the largest population and economic corridor between Houston, Texas and New Orleans.

Originally established as Vermilionville in the 1820s and incorporated in 1836, Lafayette developed as an agricultural community until the introduction of retail and entertainment centers, and the discovery of oil in the area in the 1940s. Since the discovery of oil, the city and parish have had the highest number of workers in the oil and natural gas industry in Louisiana as of 2018. With the issuance of a bond ordinance for a series of roads connecting nearby settlements; the establishment of the University of Louisiana System's Lafayette campus; and the continued diversification of its economy, Lafayette and its metropolitan area have experienced population growth since the 1840 census and was promptly nicknamed "The Hub City." The city and parish of Lafayette are also known as the "Heart of Acadiana." As a result of its growth, the city and region have become major centers for the technology industry; Lafayette also became a major center for health care and social services, aerospace, banking and retail. Notable corporations with headquarters or a large presence in the Lafayette area have included Amazon, Brookshire Grocery Company, CGI, JP Morgan Chase, Ochsner Health System, Petroleum Helicopters International, and Rouses Markets.

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

History

Geography

Lafayette is located at 30°13′N 92°2′W / 30.217°N 92.033°W / 30.217; -92.033 (30.2139, -92.0294) and has an elevation of 36 feet (11.0 m). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.2 square miles (127 km2), of which 49.1 square miles (127 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 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-foot-deep (99 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, outside of local flash flooding, or other high water levels which prevent the Vermilion River or other waterways from their usual southward flow. 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.

Image gallery

Climate

Lafayette's climate is described as humid subtropical 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.)

Climate data for Lafayette, Louisiana
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 89
(32)
87
(31)
93
(34)
93
(34)
98
(37)
106
(41)
107
(42)
103
(39)
101
(38)
96
(36)
92
(33)
89
(32)
107
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 64
(18)
66
(19)
72
(22)
79
(26)
86
(30)
91
(33)
92
(33)
92
(33)
89
(32)
82
(28)
72
(22)
64
(18)
79
(26)
Average low °F (°C) 43
(6)
45
(7)
51
(11)
57
(14)
64
(18)
70
(21)
72
(22)
72
(22)
67
(19)
57
(14)
48
(9)
43
(6)
57
(14)
Record low °F (°C) 10
(−12)
2
(−17)
24
(−4)
32
(0)
42
(6)
53
(12)
57
(14)
53
(12)
41
(5)
27
(−3)
21
(−6)
14
(−10)
6
(−14)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.0
(130)
4.5
(110)
4.2
(110)
4.3
(110)
4.8
(120)
5.5
(140)
6.7
(170)
5.6
(140)
4.1
(100)
3.3
(84)
3.9
(99)
5.4
(140)
57.3
(1,460)
Source: Weatherbase

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 498
1870 777 56.0%
1880 815 4.9%
1890 2,106 158.4%
1900 3,314 57.4%
1910 6,392 92.9%
1920 7,855 22.9%
1930 14,635 86.3%
1940 19,210 31.3%
1950 33,541 74.6%
1960 40,400 20.4%
1970 68,908 70.6%
1980 80,584 16.9%
1990 94,440 17.2%
2000 110,257 16.7%
2010 120,623 9.4%
2020 121,374 0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
Racial and ethnic composition 2020 2010 2000
White n/a n/a n/a
—Non-Hispanic 56.95% 63.78% 68.50%
African Americans 30.5% 31.11% 28.25%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 6.2% 3.76% 1.88%
Asian Americans 2.58% 1.81% 1.42%
Pacific Islander 0.03% n/a n/a
Two or more races 3.45% 1.68% 0.98%

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

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

According to 2021 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, its non-Hispanic or Latino white population have been prevalent throughout the city proper's geographic foothold with exception to its northern neighborhoods. More than 34% of its Hispanic and Latino American population lived in the central-west portion of the city, and Black and African Americans primarily dominated the northern half of Lafayette city proper. Its Asian American community was dispersed throughout the whole city alongside multiracial Americans, and people of other races and ethnicities primarily lived near downtown or the city's border with Carencro.

Having historic growth from the 20th and 21st centuries attributed primarily to the oil and gas industry, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Acadiana tourism, an estimated 3.8 percent of the city's population was foreign-born from 2014 to 2019; of the foreign-born population, 33.6 percent were naturalized U.S. citizens. Altogether English, French, and Spanish were the most spoken languages at home among the native and foreign-born populations.

Poverty remaining an issue in the city with an estimated 18.6 percent at or below the national poverty threshold in 2019, the median income for a family was $51,477; Lafayettiens had a mean household income of $51,073; among non-family households, the median income stood at $31,995. The city had an employment rate of 60.4 percent, up from the state's 55.4 percent from 2014 to 2019.

Religion

The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist 2
St. John's Cathedral, see of the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana

In common with Louisiana's religious demographic as part of the Bible Belt, Lafayette and its metropolitan area are predominantly religious, dominated by Christianity. As of 2020 according to Sperling's BestPlaces, the Catholic Church was the single largest Christian denomination, and Protestants were the largest collective Christian group. Among Protestant Christians, Evangelical Protestantism was the largest transdenominational body and historically Black or African American churches were the second largest. Mainline Protestantism remained a minority, mainly supported by the Episcopal Church in the United States and its Diocese of Western Louisiana.

Owing in part to Spanish and French colonialism and missionary work, Christians have historically affiliated with the Latin Church's Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana was founded in 1918 and its see is the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist. Within the local Protestant traditions, Baptists were the second largest individual Christian denomination, and the most historically prominent Evangelical Baptist denomination has been the Southern Baptist Convention. The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and National Baptist Convention of America have been the city and region's historically Black or African American Baptist denominations.

Pentecostals, making up the third largest Christian community in Lafayette, have been primarily served by the Church of God in Christ and Assemblies of God USA. Methodists, Mormons, Lutherans, and Presbyterians formed the remaining Christian population of Lafayette and its metropolitan area. Christians of other faiths including the Jehovah's Witnesses and united and uniting churches have been present in the city's metropolitan area since the 20th century. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the oldest nontrinitarian Christian denomination in Lafayette, and has one church in the city limits; the closest LDS churches outside of Lafayette are in New Iberia and Opelousas. Within the "other Christian" dynamic, there has been one Antiochian Orthodox jurisdiction operating since 2004; there is also a Coptic Orthodox mission under the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Altogether, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, and non-mainstream Protestantism have constituted a significant minority.

Judaism and Islam were tied as the second largest non-Christian religions within Lafayette and its metropolitan area. Jews began immigrating to the area in the 1800s, and one of Louisiana's oldest continuously-operated synagogues (Temple Shalom) has been present in the city since 1869. The historic synagogue of Temple Shalom originally functioned as an Orthodox Jewish congregation before joining the Reform Judaism movement. Lafayette's Jewish community has assisted in economic and cultural development of the area since their arrival.

Culture and contemporary life

Cultural Organizations and Institutions

Cultural organizations include the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and Conservatory of Music, Chorale Acadienne, Lafayette Ballet Theatre and Dance Conservatory, The Lafayette Concert Band, and Performing Arts Society of Acadiana.

Sports

Another view of the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA IMG 5005
The Cajundome

Lafayette is home to the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, the athletic teams of The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. 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 until 2016. Also from 2009 to 2012, Lafayette was 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 that started in 2003. Lafayette is home to three sports venues: the Cajundome, Cajun Field and Blackham Coliseum.

Blue Moon Lost Bayou Ramblers HRoe 2008
The Lost Bayou Ramblers playing at the Blue Moon Saloon

Media

Print

  • The Daily Advertiser, daily Gannett broadsheet style newspaper
  • The Advocate, daily newspaper with local coverage from Baton Rouge.
  • The Independent, monthly locally owned newspaper (compact style)
  • The Times of Acadiana, weekly Gannett tabloid format
  • AcadianaMoms magazine
  • Acadiana Gazette, weekly newspaper published by Ron Gomez
  • Acadiana Profile magazine, established in 1968 by Robert Angers
  • The Vermilion, University of Louisiana at Lafayette student newspaper
  • Acadiana Catholic, monthly Catholic magazine of the Lafayette Diocese

Television

Lafayette is served by Cox Communications, and by Lafayette Utilities System's LUSFiber.

Lafayette is home to:

  • KATC: 3.1, Cable 5 - (ABC); 3.2, Cable 10 (The CW, 3.3 Grit)
  • KLFY-TV 10.1, Cable 11 - (CBS); 10.2, Cable 131 (GetTV); 10.3 Cable 70 (Ion Television)
  • KADN-TV 15.1, Cable 6 - (Fox); 15.3, Cable 13 (MyNetworkTV)
  • KDCG-CD 22.1, Cable 9 - (H&I)
  • KLAF-LD 46 / 15.2, Cable 3 - (NBC)
  • KLWB, 50.1, Cable 23 - (MeTV)
  • KLPB-TV, 24.1, Cable 12/122/123 - (PBS) Louisiana Public Broadcasting
  • KXKW-LD 32.1 (This), 32.2 - (AntTV)
  • KAJN-CD 40.1, Cable 97 - Family Vision

Lafayette is also served by:

Radio

See List of Lafayette radio stations for full list. Popular radio stations in Lafayette:

  • KYBG (FM), 102.1 - BIG102.1 Classic Hits (102.1)
  • KFTE (FM), Planet Radio 105.1 - Alternative and Modern Rock (105.1)
  • KMDL(FM), 97.3 The Dawg - Country Music, New Orleans Saints radio network affiliate (97.3)
  • KPEL (AM), ESPN 1420 - Sports Radio (1420)
  • KPEL-FM (FM), NewsRadio 96.5 - News radio (96.5)
  • KHXT (FM), Hot 107.9 - Rhythmic Contemporary (107.9)
  • KZJM (LPFM), The People Station - Urban Contemporary (92.7) - Air Date:2005
  • KROF (AM), 960 The Gator, Cajun Variety (960)
  • KTDY (FM), 99.9 KTDY, Adult Contemporary (99.9)
  • KSMB (FM), 94.5 KSMB, Top 40 (CHR) (94.5)
  • KNEK-FM (FM), Magic 104.7, Urban AC (104.7)
  • KRRQ (FM), Q 95.5, Urban Contemporary (95.5)
  • KXKC (FM), 99.1 KXKC, Country Music (99.1)
  • KYFJ (FM), Rock 93.7, Active Rock (93.7)
  • KRVS (FM), Public Radio for Acadiana, World Ethnic (88.7)
  • KAJN-FM (FM), Agape Radio, Contemporary Christian (102.9)
  • KIKL (FM), Positive and Encouraging K-Love, Contemporary Christian (90.9)
  • KLWB-FM (FM),103.7 The Game, NBC Sports Radio
  • KCKR-FM (FM), Sonlife Radio, Christian Talk & Gospel Music (91.9)

Places of interest

  • Acadiana Center for the Arts
  • Acadian Village is a reconstructed Cajun bayou community (of moved and reassembled authentic buildings) and has a representative collection of Cajun furnishings
  • Alexandre Mouton House Museum - a historic house museum, this was the home to Louisiana's first Democratic governor, Alexandre Mouton; contains a collection of antiques, historical documents, and old Mardi Gras costumes
  • Borden's Ice Cream – the last Borden's Ice Cream location in the United States
  • Cité des Arts
  • Downtown Lafayette
  • Girard Park
  • Heymann Center – performing arts center
  • Acadian Cultural Center of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
  • Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium
  • Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) - a 70,000-square-foot facility at the Research Park; owns the world's first six-sided, digital virtual reality cube as well as the world's largest digital 3-D auditorium
  • Katog Choling Tibetan Cultural Center
  • Zoo of Acadiana – located nearby in Broussard

Events

  • Festivals Acadiens et Creoles - An annual collection of festivals celebrating Cajun and Creole cultures.
  • Festival International de Louisiane - An annual international festival of arts and music, celebrating Lafayette and the surrounding area's French heritage.
  • Le Festival de Mardi Gras à Lafayette - The second largest Mardi Gras celebration in Louisiana.
  • Hopefest - A charity festival put on by high school students in the area

Transportation

  • Air: Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) is located on US Highway 90 (future Interstate 49), on the southeast side of the city with daily scheduled passenger airline services nonstop to Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and effective April 2, 2021 to Charlotte. Charter services also depart Lafayette Regional as well as helicopter flights and cargo jets. A new airline passenger terminal at the Lafayette airport opened on January 20, 2022.
  • Interstate Highways: I-10 and I-49 (Lafayette currently serves as I-49's southern terminus at its intersection with I-10 with plans for I-49 to be extended to New Orleans).
  • Passenger rail: The Amtrak Sunset Limited offers service three days a week from New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California with selected stops in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Connections are available in New Orleans to Chicago and to the East Coast via Atlanta. Service eastward to Orlando, Florida remains suspended in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
  • 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 System (formerly City of Lafayette Transit (COLT)) provides bus service. Public transportation is provided only within Lafayette City Limits.
  • Bicycle facilities: There are certain areas within the city of Lafayette dedicated to growing into a bicycle-friendly community. The Lafayette MPO Bicycle Subcommittee meet once a month and has developed long-term goals for bicycling in the area. BikeLafayette is the area's bicycle advocacy organization which is very active in promoting bicycle awareness, safety, and education in Acadiana. TRAIL is an organization that promotes bicycling, canoeing, and pedestrian activities. Right now Lafayette has a growing 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. Henderson Levee has opened a 55-mile trail, and there is a mountain bike park in Acadiana Park. UL-Lafayette has installed an off-road paved bicycle path beginning at its Horticultural Center on Johnston Street extending up Cajundome Boulevard to Eraste Landry Road. A number of out of use bicycle/pedestrian sidewalk paths remain from the 1970s and 1980s but are unsigned. A recreational trail extending from Downtown Lafayette into the Cypress Island region of Saint Martin Parish is under development. This path will connect neighboring Breaux Bridge and Saint Martinville with Lafayette.
  • Main road arteries: U.S. Routes 90 (co-signed with Evangeline Thruway, Mudd Avenue and Cameron Street within the city limits) and U.S. Route 167 (co-signed with I-49, Evangeline Thruway and Johnston Street). Ambassador Caffery Parkway, named for Jefferson Caffery, serves as a partial loop connecting I-10 at Exit 100 on the west and US 90 on the south. Other arterial roads include Verot School Road (LA 339), West Congress Street, Kaliste Saloom Road (LA 3095), Ridge Road, Carmel Drive/Breaux Bridge Highway (LA 94), University Avenue (LA 182), Pinhook Road (LA 182), Camellia Boulevard, Guilbeau Road, Moss Street, Willow Street, Louisiana Avenue, Pont Des Mouton Road, Eraste Landry Road, and South College Road.

Sister cities

Lafayette has six sister cities:

Six intersections in the downtown area are each named after one of its sister cities.

Economy

Downtown Lafayette LA 2021
Chase Bank tower, downtown Lafayette

Established and occupied as an agricultural community until the 1940s, Lafayette became a center of the oil and natural gas industry in Louisiana. In addition, the city and its metropolitan area became major centers for technology, health care and social services, aerospace, banking and retail from the latter 20th- and early 21st centuries. As of 2021, the consolidated city–parish's top employers have been the Lafayette Parish School System, Lafayette General Health, Wood Group Production Services, Lafayette Consolidated Government, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, WHC, Inc., Walmart, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Schlumberger, and Stuller, Inc. The University of Louisiana System's other institutions and its Lafayette campus have contributed to a $10.9 billion impact on the state's economy. As one of the primary employers in Lafayette, the local university has made a statewide impact of $379 million in 2015.

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

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

Sports

Another view of the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA IMG 5005
The Cajundome

Lafayette is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, the athletic teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Between 1995 and 2005, Lafayette was home to the Louisiana IceGators ECHL hockey team. In 2009, the IceGators returned as a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League until 2016. Also from 2009 to 2012, Lafayette was home to the Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League. It also became home to the Lafayette Bayou Bulls, a semipro football program started in 2003. The Lafayette SwampCats (1997–1999) and Lafayette Swamp Cats (2000–2004) soccer teams played in the city. The Cajun Soccer Club of the Gulf Coast Premier League was founded in 2013; Louisiana Krewe FC played in the Gulf Coast Premier League before joining USL League Two for its 2022 season.

The Lafayette area is home to multiple sports venues: Blackham Coliseum, Cajundome, Cajun Field, Earl K. Long Gymnasium, Evangeline Downs, and Planet Ice Skating and Hockey Arena.

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

Education

Primary and secondary education

Lafayette Parish School System is the largest primary and secondary education system for Lafayette and its metropolitan area. Covering the whole of Lafayette Parish, it has 45 schools: 25 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and eight high schools. The Lafayette Parish School System offers nine career academies at the high-school level, school curricula designed to prepare students in certain career fields. Of note among the schools in this system are Lafayette High School and Acadiana High School, its two largest high schools by enrollment.

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

Collegiate and university education

Its university, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is the flagship university for the University of Louisiana System; as a national research institution and home to more than 18,000 students, over 100 programs, and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, it is the second-largest university in the state behind Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Attempting unsuccessfully to change its name to the "University of Louisiana" previously, the university's moniker as "Louisiana" became points of contention, and the community colloquially refers to the institution as the University of Louisiana, dropping "Lafayette" from the name.

One of the newest college systems in Louisiana, South Louisiana Community College, is headquartered in Lafayette. South Louisiana Community College partnered with Acadian Ambulance to form the National EMS Academy, which offers EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic certification. This community college is part of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Louisiana Technical College (Lafayette campus) is part of the Louisiana Technical College System, which in turn is part of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. It offers associate degrees in several fields. It is a vocational school that offers a few bachelor's-degree programs, many associate-degree programs, and a few diploma programs. Additionally, Lafayette is also home to the Lafayette campus of the Academy of Interactive Entertainment, a technical college that specializes in video game programming, art and animation, and SFX.

Notable people

Images for kids

See also

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