Louisiana is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 19th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bordered by the state of Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. A large part of its eastern boundary is demarcated by the Mississippi River. Louisiana is the only U.S. state with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are equivalent to counties, making it one of only two U.S. states not subdivided into counties. The state's capital is Baton Rouge, and its largest city is New Orleans.
Vermilion Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, created in 1844. The parish seat is Abbeville. Vermilion Parish is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area, and located in southern Acadiana. At the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 57,999; the 2019 American Community Survey estimated its population was 59,865.
Lafayette Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 241,753, up from 221,578 at the 2010 United States census. The parish seat is the city of Lafayette. The parish was founded in 1823. Since 1992, Lafayette City and Lafayette Parish have operated as a consolidated government.
Ascension Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 126,500. Its parish seat is Donaldsonville. The parish was created in 1807. Ascension Parish is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area.
Rayne is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in Acadia Parish. With a population of 7,326 at the 2020 United States census, it is nicknamed the "Frog Capital of the World", as well as the "Louisiana City of Murals". Rayne is part of the Crowley micropolitan statistical area, and within the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area in Acadiana.
Pierre Part is a census-designated place (CDP) in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,169 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous community in Assumption Parish. With 39.3 percent of the population speaking French at home, Pierre Part is the most French town in the United States outside of Maine. Pierre Part is known locally for its prominent French influence and ancestry, which have become significant aspects of its contemporary local culture. Situated near Lake Verret, Pierre Part is a popular local destination for water sports and fishing during the summer.
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu Parish, it is a major industrial, cultural, and educational center in the southwest region of the state. As of the 2020 census, Lake Charles's population was 84,872. It is considered a regionally significant center of petrochemical refining, gambling, tourism, and education, being home to McNeese State University and Sowela Technical Community College. Because of the lakes and waterways throughout the city, metropolitan Lake Charles is often called the Lake Area.
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, overtaking the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area in 2015. The Acadiana region containing Lafayette is the largest population and economic corridor between Houston, Texas, and New Orleans.
Monroe is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolitan statistical area, the second-largest metropolitan area in North Louisiana.
Belle Chasse is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Belle Chasse is part of the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area. The population was 10,579 at the 2020 United States census. Belle Chasse is the largest community in Plaquemines Parish. It is home to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, a Naval Air Station for the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Cecilia is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Martin Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The community lies within the region of Acadiana, and the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area. It had a population of 1,505 at the 2000 U.S. census, estimated to have grown to 1,917 in 2019 at the American Community Survey's 5-year estimates.
St. Martinville is a city in, and the parish seat of, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, 13 miles (21 km) south of Breaux Bridge, 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Lafayette, and 9 miles (14 km) north of New Iberia. The population was 6,114 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 5,379 at the 2020 United States census. It is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area.
Houma is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's government was absorbed by the parish in 1984, which currently operates as the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government.
Maurice is a village in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 964 at the 2010 census, and 1,857 at the 2020 population estimates program. It is part of the Abbeville micropolitan statistical area.
Eunice is a city in Acadia and St. Landry parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The 2010 census placed the population at 10,398, a decrease of 1,101, or 9.5 percent, from the 2000 tabulation of 11,499.
Delcambre is a town in Iberia and Vermilion parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located 9 miles (14 km) east of Abbeville on Louisiana Highway 14 in the Cajun Heartland of Acadiana. Bayou Carlin, also known as the Delcambre Canal, passes through the town and is home for much of the local fishing industry. The population was 1,866 at the 2010 census, down from 2,168 at the 2000 census.
Arnaudville is a town in St. Landry and St. Martin parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The St. Martin Parish portion of Arnaudville is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area, while the St. Landry Parish portion is part of the Opelousas–Eunice micropolitan statistical area. At the 2020 population estimates program, it had a population of 1,041.
The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana is Louisiana's Office of Francophone Affairs. It is a state agency whose multiple legislative mandates include developing opportunities to use the French language in tourism, economic development, culture, education and international relations. CODOFIL is governed by a board of 23 members and administratively placed within the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development's Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, overseen by the Lieutenant Governor. CODOFIL is the only state agency in the United States whose purpose is to serve a linguistic population.
Louisiana is the second-most populous South Central U.S. state, with a 2020 U.S. census resident population of 4,657,757, and apportioned population of 4,661,468. Much of the state's population is concentrated in southern Louisiana in the Greater New Orleans, Florida Parishes, and Acadiana regions, with the remainder in North and Central Louisiana's major metropolitan areas. The center of population of Louisiana is located in Pointe Coupee Parish, in the city of New Roads.
