history geography local culture and
transport services
History the
Attakapas Native Americans inhabited this area when French colonists founded
the first European settlement, Petit Manchac, a trading post. In
the late eighteenth century, numerous Acadian refugees settled here after being
expelled from Canada; intermarriage led to the Cajun culture which fostered the
French language and the Catholic religion. Vermilionville was renamed in 1884 for General
Lafayette, the French aristocrat who aided the Continental Army during the American
Revolutionary War. The city and parish economy continued to be based on
agriculture into the early 20th century. In the 1940s, after oil was
discovered in the parish, oil and natural gas became dominant.
Lafayette lies along
the Vermilion River in SW Louisiana; its nickname is The Hub City
Geography Lafayette
is located on the Western rim of the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest wetland and
swamp in the United States where, during the Quaternary Period, the Mississippi
River cut a 325-foot-deep (99 m) valley between what is now Lafayette
and Baton Rouge. The southwestern Louisiana Prairie Terrace does not
suffer significant flooding, outside of local flash flooding.
Local 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; as well as the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum and
the Acadiana Center for the Arts.
Lafayette is the Center of Acadiana
Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole Culture
Transport Lafayette
Regional Airport (LFT) is located on the southeast side of the city with
daily scheduled passenger airline services to Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth,
Denver, and Atlanta. Charter services depart Lafayette Regional as well as
helicopter services and cargo jets.
Amtrak’s Sunset Limited offers service three days a week
from New Orleans and Los Angeles with selected stops in Louisiana, Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona and California. Intercity passenger bus service is via
Greyhound that operates a Station Downtown and Lafayette Transit System provides
bus service within Lafayette City Limits.
The Lafayette MPO Bicycle Subcommittee has developed long-term goals for bicycling and Bike Lafayette,
the local bicycle advocacy organization, actively promotes bicycle awareness,
safety, and education in Acadiana. TRAIL promotes bicycling, canoeing, and
pedestrian activities.