Acadiana, or
The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the
French LouisianaThe term French Louisiana refers to two distinct regions:* first, to colonial French Louisiana, comprising the massive, middle section of North America claimed by France; and,...
region that is home to a large
FrancophoneThe adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
population. Of the 64
parishes that comprise
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate region.
Etymology
The word
Acadiana reputedly has two origins. Its first recorded appearance dates to the mid-1950s, when a
Crowley, LouisianaCrowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
, newspaper, the
Crowley Daily Signal, coined the term in reference to
Acadia Parish, LouisianaAcadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Crowley. In 2000, the population was 58,861. The parish was founded from parts of St...
.
However,
KATCKATC, 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...
TV-3 in Lafayette independently coined "Acadiana" in the early 1960s, gave it a new, broader meaning, and popularized it throughout south Louisiana. Founded in 1962, KATC was owned by the
AcadianThe Acadians are the descendants of the seventeenth-century French colonists who settled in Acadia...
Television Corporation. In early 1963, the station received an invoice erroneously addressed to the
Acadiana Television Corp. Someone had typed an extra "a" at the end of the word "Acadian." The station started using it to describe the region covered by its broadcast signal.
In 1971 the Louisiana state legislature officially recognized 22 named Louisiana parishes and "other parishes of similar cultural environment" for their "strong French Acadian cultural aspects" (House Concurrent Resolution No. 496, June 6, 1971), and made
The Heart of Acadiana the official name of the region. The official name, however, has never been embraced by the public, which instead has used merely the one-word place name
Acadiana in reference to the region.
Today, there are numerous business, governmental and nonprofit organizations that utilize
Acadiana in their names, e.g.,
Mall 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...
and
Acadiana High SchoolAcadiana High School is located in Scott, Louisiana. Acadiana High School's mission statement is, "Acadiana High School is committed to academic excellence that challenges all students to reach their highest potential." - Notable alumni :* Cpl. Willie P...
.
Flag
Main article: Flag of AcadianaThe Flag of Acadiana, representing the ethnic Acadiana region of the United States state of Louisiana, was designed in 1965 by Thomas J. Arceneaux.. Arceneaux was a professor at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and had derived the flag from the University seal...
In 1965, Thomas J. Arceneaux designed a flag for Acadiana. Arceneaux was a professor at
The University 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...
and had derived the flag from the University seal. In 1974, the Louisiana legislature officially adopted Arceneaux's design as the official Acadiana flag, (House Concurrent Resolution 143, passed 5 July 1974). The three silver fleurs-de-lis on the blue field represent the French heritage of Acadiana, the gold star on the white field symbolizes Saint Mary,
Our Lady of the AssumptionThe Assumption of Mary is a belief held by Christians of the Catholic Church as well as some Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Anglicans, that the Virgin Mary, at the end of her life, was physically taken up into heaven...
,
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of Acadiana (the star also symbolizes the active participation of the Cajuns in the
American RevolutionThe American Revolution is the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America at first rejected the governance of the Parliament of Great Britain, and later the British monarchy itself, to become the sovereign United States of...
, as soldiers under General
Bernardo de GálvezBernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez was a Spanish military leader and the general of Spanish forces in New Spain who served as governor of Louisiana and Cuba and as viceroy of New Spain.Gálvez aided the Thirteen Colonies in their quest for independence and led...
, Spanish governor of Louisiana). The gold tower on the red field represents Spain, which governed Louisiana when the Acadians arrived.
People
Cajuns are the descendants of
AcadianThe Acadians are the descendants of the seventeenth-century French colonists who settled in Acadia...
exiles from what are now Canada's Maritime Provinces, particularly
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia is a Canadian province located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. Its capital, Halifax, is a major economic centre of the region. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of...
and
New BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally bilingual province in the confederation. The provincial capital is Fredericton...
. They prevail among the region's visible cultures, but not everybody who lives in Acadiana is culturally Acadian or speaks
Cajun FrenchCajun French is a variety or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana, specifically in the southern parishes of Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Jefferson, West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupée, Avoyelles, St...
, nor is everybody who is culturally Acadian or "Cajun" descended from the Acadian refugees.
In addition to the Cajuns, Acadiana is home to several
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
tribes and enclaves of mixed-race
Louisiana Creole peopleLouisiana Creole refers to people of various racial backgrounds who are descended from the colonial French settlers, African-Americans, and Native Americans from the time before the Louisiana territory became a possession of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase .Historically, the term...
.
German settlersThe German Coast was a region of early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans on the Mississippi River — specifically, from east to west, in St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James parishes of present-day Acadiana...
also found their way to Acadiana as early as 1721, preceding even the Cajuns. More recently, political refugees from southeast Asia (
LaosLaos , officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
,
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
, and
CambodiaThe Kingdom of Cambodia , formerly known as Kampuchea , is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 14 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh...
, among others) have brought their families, cultures, and languages to the area, and have contributed significantly to its
fishing industryThe fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
.
Geography
Despite the frequent association of Cajuns with swamplands and bayous,
Acadiana consists mainly of low gentle hills in the north section and dry land prairies, with marshes and bayous in the south closer to the coast. The wetlands increase in frequency in and around the
AtchafalayaThe 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...
and Mississippi basins. The area also is cultivated with fields of
riceRice is the seed of a monocot plant Oryza sativa, of the grass family . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East, South, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies...
and
sugarcaneSugarcane, or sugar cane, is any of six to thirty-seven species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six meters tall...
.
Acadiana, as defined by the Louisiana legislature, refers to the area that stretches from just west of New Orleans to the
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
border along the
Gulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an 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...
coast, and about 100 miles inland to
MarksvilleMarksville is a city in and the parish seat of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,537 at the 2000 census. Louisiana's first land based casino, Paragon Casino Resort, opened in Marksville in June 1994. It is run by the Tunica-Biloxi tribe. The city was named after Mark...
. This includes the 22 parishes of
AcadiaAcadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Crowley. In 2000, the population was 58,861. The parish was founded from parts of St...
,
AscensionAscension Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is one of the fastest growing parishes in the state. Its population is estimated to be greater than the 2000 census...
,
AssumptionAssumption Parish Assumption Parish Assumption Parish ( is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and was formed in 1807 as an original parish of the Louisiana Territory. Its parish seat is Napoleonville. In 2000, its population was 23,388. Assumption is one of the 22 Acadiana...
,
AvoyellesAvoyelles is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Marksville. In 2000, its population was 41,481. The parish is named for the Avoyel Indian tribe.- History :...
,
CalcasieuCalcasieu Parish
[p] is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lake Charles. As of 2000, the population was 183,577....
,
CameronCameron Parish is the parish with the most land area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Cameron and as of 2000, the population was 9,991...
,
EvangelineEvangeline Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Ville Platte. As of 2000, the parish's population was 35,434.-History:...
,
IberiaIberia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Iberia. As of 2000, the population was 73,266.Iberia Parish is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lafayette–Acadiana Combined Statistical Area.-Geography:The parish has a...
,
IbervilleIberville Parish is a parish located south of Baton Rouge in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Plaquemine. In 2000, the population of the parish was 33,320....
,
Jeff DavisSee also Jeff Davis CountyJefferson Davis Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Jennings. As of 2000, its population was 31,435. Jefferson Davis Parish is named after the president of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, Jefferson Davis. It is...
,
LafayetteLafayette Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lafayette. In 2006, its population was estimated to be 203,091....
,
LafourcheLafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Thibodaux. In 2000, its population was 89,974.Lafourche Parish is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area....
,
Pointe CoupeePointe Coupee Parish, pronounced "Pwent Koo-Pay" and , is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Roads...
,
St. CharlesSt. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Hahnville. In 2000, its population was 48,072.-Geography:...
, St. James,
St. John The BaptistSt. John the Baptist Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana.The parish seat is Edgard, an unincorporated area. In 2000, its population was 43,044.St...
,
St. LandrySt. Landry Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is at the heart of Acadian/Cajun culture and heritage in Louisiana. The parish seat is Opelousas. In 2000, the population of the parish was 87,700. As of 2008, the population estimate was 92,178.St...
,
St. MartinSt. Martin Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is St. Martinville. As of the 2000 census, the population was 48,583.St...
,
St. MarySt. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.- Geography :...
,
TerrebonneTerrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 104,503...
,
VermilionVermilion Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Abbeville. As of 2000, the population was 53,807.Vermilion Parish is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lafayette–Acadiana Combined Statistical Area.-Geography:The parish...
, and
West Baton RougeWest Baton Rouge Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Port Allen and as of 2000, the population was 21,601. The parish has a highly-rated school system and is one of the few in Louisiana that has privatized school bus services...
. The total land area is 37,746.756 km² (14,574.105 sq mi). At the
2000 censusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
its total population was 1,352,646 residents.
Three of the parishes, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, are considered the
River ParishesThe River Parishes are those parishes in Louisiana between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that span both banks of the Mississippi River, and are officially part of the Acadiana region. Traditionally they are considered to be St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish. St....
. Ascension Parish is occasionally included with them. Present-day St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes also made up an area formerly known as the
German CoastThe German Coast was a region of early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans on the Mississippi River — specifically, from east to west, in St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James parishes of present-day Acadiana...
(
les côtes des Allemands) because of settlement by German immigrants of the 18th century. St. James and Ascension Parish were originally known as the
Comté d'Acadie (Acadia County) because of the initial settlement of 18th century exiled Acadians. St. James Parish was known as the First Acadian Coast and Ascension Parish was known as the Second Acadian Coast. Collectively they were known as
les côtes des Acadiens.
Most populous areas
The largest metropolitan area in Acadiana is
LafayetteLafayette metropolitan area may refer to the following places:*Lafayette, Indiana metropolitan area*Lafayette, Louisiana metropolitan area...
, followed by
Houma-ThibodauxThe Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Acadiana region of southern Louisiana that covers two parishes - Lafourche and Terrebonne...
, and
Lake CharlesThe Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Acadiana region of southwest Louisiana that covers two parishes - Calcasieu and Cameron. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 193,568...
. Other large cities and towns within Acadiana are
AbbevilleAbbeville is a city in and the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States, 150 miles west of New Orleans. The population was 11,887 at the 2000 census...
,
Breaux BridgeBreaux Bridge is a city in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,281 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area....
,
BroussardBroussard is a 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:...
,
CarencroCarencro is a small city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Lafayette. The population was 6,120 at the 2000 census. Its name comes from the Louisiana Creole word for buzzard: the spot was one where large flocks of buzzards roosted in the bald...
,
CrowleyCrowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
,
DonaldsonvilleDonaldsonville is a city in and the parish seat of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Acadians began to settle in the area in...
,
EuniceEunice is a city in Acadia and St. Landry parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 11,499 at the 2000 census.The St. Landry Parish portion of Eunice is part of the Opelousas–Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Acadia Parish portion is part of the Crowley...
,
FranklinFranklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
,
GonzalesGonzales is a city in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,156 at the 2000 census. It has been called the "jambalaya capital of the world" and is famous for its annual Jambalaya Festival...
,
JeaneretteJeanerette is a city in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,997 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
,
JenningsJennings is a small city in and the parish seat of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States, near Lake Charles. The population was 10,986 at the 2000 census....
,
KaplanKaplan is a small city in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,177 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
,
MarksvilleMarksville is a city in and the parish seat of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,537 at the 2000 census. Louisiana's first land based casino, Paragon Casino Resort, opened in Marksville in June 1994. It is run by the Tunica-Biloxi tribe. The city was named after Mark...
,
New RoadsNew Roads is a city in and the parish seat of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. The center of population of Louisiana is located in New Roads . The population was 4,996 at the 2000 census. The city's zip code is 70760...
,
Morgan CityMorgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,703 at the 2000 census....
,
New IberiaNew Iberia is a city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, 30 miles southeast of Lafayette. In 1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia, Louisiana; in 1910, 7,499; and in 1940, 13,747...
,
OpelousasOpelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the juncture of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
,
PattersonPatterson is a small city in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,530 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
,
PlaqueminePlaquemine is a city in and the parish seat of Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,064 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area....
,
Port AllenPort Allen is a city in and the parish seat of West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Port Allen is located between Interstate 10 and US Highway 190 on the West bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 5,278 at the 2000 census...
,
RayneRayne is a city in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,552 at the 2000 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....
,
ScottScott is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,870 at the 2000 census.Scott is a suburb of Lafayette and is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
,
St. GabrielSt. Gabriel is a city in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,514 at the 2000 census. The city of St. Gabriel includes the areas of Sunshine and Carville. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area....
,
St. MartinvilleSt. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
,
SulphurSulphur is a city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 22,512 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
,
Ville PlatteVille Platte is a city in and the parish seat of Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,145 at the 2000 census. Its name is derived from the French ville plate, or "flat town."-History:...
, and
YoungsvilleYoungsville is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,289 as of the 2005 Census Bureau estimates. It is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Youngsville is located at ....
.
Transportation
The traditional industries of the area,
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
,
petroleumPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid found in rock formations in the Earth consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, plus other organic compounds.The term "petroleum" was first used in the treatise De Natura Fossilium, published in...
, and
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
, initially drove the need for transportation development. In recent years, hurricane evacuation plans for the area's growing towns and cities have hastened the planning and construction of better roadways. The abundance of swamps and marshes previously made Acadiana difficult to access, a major reason for the near isolation of the early Cajun people, until
oilPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid found in rock formations in the Earth consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, plus other organic compounds.The term "petroleum" was first used in the treatise De Natura Fossilium, published in...
was found in the area in the early 1900s.
Land
High-capacity, modern highways are the lifelines of the region. US Highways 90, 190, and 167 (now partially replaced by I-49) were the main connectors through south Louisiana until the 1950s. Interstates 10, 210, 55, and 49 now play the major role in transportation. US and state highways also cross the region.
Rail transport through the area is limited by the difficult terrain and the sheer number of bridges required to build over numerous streams and bayous. A robust railroad system was being built at the time of the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, but much of it was destroyed during the conflict. By the end of the war, river transport via paddlewheeler had taken over as the preferred mode of travel. The major railway in operation through the region is the
Southern Pacific RailroadThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company , and usually simply called the Southern Pacific, was an American railroad. The railroad was founded as a land holding company in 1865, later acquiring the Central Pacific Railroad by lease...
, now part of the
Union Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest and oldest operating railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
.
Water
Waterways are vital to the commercial and recreational activities of the region. Seaports,
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water...
s,
lakeA lake is a terrain feature , a body of liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the bottom of basin and moves slowly if it moves at all. Another definition is, a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size that is surrounded by land...
s,
bayouA bayou is a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying areas, and can either refer to an extremely slow-moving stream or river , or to a marshy lake or wetland. Bayous are commonly found in the Gulf Coast region of the southern United States, particularly the Mississippi River region, with...
s,
canalCanals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canal: aqueduct canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterway canals are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.The word...
s, and
spillwayA spillway is a structure used to provide for the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy the dam. Except during flood periods, water...
s dot the landscape, and served as the primary source of shipping and travel through the early 1930s. The
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
is important to the eastern section, the
Atchafalaya RiverThe Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi and Red rivers, approximately 170 miles long, in south central Louisiana in the United States. It is navigable and provides a significant industrial shipping channel for the state of Louisiana, as well as the cultural heart of the Cajun...
to the middle, with
Calcasieu RiverThe Calcasieu River is a river on the Gulf Coast of southwestern Louisiana, U.S.A.. Approximately 200 miles long, it drains a largely rural area of forests and bayou country, meandering southward to the Gulf of Mexico. The name "Calcasieu" comes from the Native American Atakapa language...
flowing through Lake Charles, and the
Sabine RiverSabine River may refer to:*Sabine River , USA*Sabine River, New Zealand...
enabling shipping traffic to the western portion. Fresh and saltwater lakes, along with almost the entire Louisiana portion of the
Intracoastal WaterwayThe Intracoastal Waterway is a 4,800-km waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals...
, enable the flow of people and materials.
Air
The area's larger airports in Houma, Lafayette, and Lake Charles provide regional leisure travel. Most air travel in the area, not counting the extreme amount of flyover traffic from hubs like New Orleans and
HoustonHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2008 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of...
, is local in nature and provided by small planes and helicopters. Helicopter pilots service the oilfields in the
Gulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an 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...
. Small planes are used for short trips and agricultural needs. Small regional airports serve communities throughout the area.
Natural disasters
The eastern Acadiana region was among those affected by
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States...
on August 29, 2005 (although not so severely as areas from Greater New Orleans eastward). The western Acadiana region and east Texas were most affected by
Hurricane RitaHurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
on September 24, 2005.
On October 3, 2002, the central Acadiana region suffered a direct hit from category one
Hurricane LiliHurricane Lili was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season for the United States. Lili was the twelfth named storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm developed from a tropical disturbance in the open...
. The hurricane caused most of
LafayetteLafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 110,257 at the 2000 census; a 2007 census estimate put the metropolitan area's population at 256,494. It is the fourth largest city in the state...
to lose power. In addition, some high-rise buildings in downtown had windows broken and many homes had roof damage.
On Labor Day 2008,
Hurricane GustavThe name Gustav has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:* 1984's Tropical Storm Gustav - Spent most of its existence as a tropical depression hovering over Bermuda, no major damage...
severely affected the entire Acadiana region. Many cities and towns from Baton Rouge to Houma, Lafayette, and westward suffered roof damage, flooding, and downed trees. Many thousands of residents were without power for from two days to two weeks or more.
See also
- French Louisiana
The term French Louisiana refers to two distinct regions:* first, to colonial French Louisiana, comprising the massive, middle section of North America claimed by France; and,...
- List of Louisiana parishes by French-speaking population
- Acadian Village
- Acadiana Profile
Acadiana Profile is the longest-running magazine in Louisiana history and one of the most enduring regional publications in the United States. Subtitled "The Magazine of the Cajun Country", Acadiana Profile is published in Lafayette six times annually....
magazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, established 1968 by Robert AngersRobert John Angers, Jr. was a Louisiana 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...
- Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve protects significant examples of the rich natural and cultural resources of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta region. The park, named after Jean Lafitte, seeks to illustrate the influence of environment and history on the development of a unique...
- Southwest Louisiana
Southwest Louisiana is a five-parish area intersecting the Acadiana and Central Louisiana regions in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is composed of the following parishes : Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis....
- Center for Louisiana Studies
The Center for Louisiana Studies is the press of the University of Louisiana, with the mission to promote and facilitate scholarly research on any and all aspects of Louisiana studies. With over 100 titles currently in print, the Center is the largest publisher of exclusively Louisiana-related...
External links