Lafayette, Louisiana
Ville de Lafayette, Louisiane | |
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City of Lafayette | |
![]() Downtown | |
Nickname(s): The Hub City, Laffy | |
Motto: The Heart of Cajun Country | |
![]() Interactive map of Lafayette | |
Coordinates: 30°13′N 92°2′W / 30.217°N 92.033°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
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 | |
• City Total | 55.90 sq mi (144.79 km2) |
• Land | 55.82 sq mi (144.58 km2) |
• Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2) 0.14% |
• Metro | 3,408.5 sq mi (8,828 km2) |
Elevation | 36 ft (11 m) |
Population | |
• City Total | 121,374 |
• Rank | US: 234th LA: 4th LF: 1st |
• Density | 2,174.23/sq mi (839.47/km2) |
• Urban | 227,316 (US: 170th)[2] |
• Metro | 408,455 (US: 131st) |
• CSA | 560,924 (US: 85th) |
Demonym | Lafayettiens |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
ZIP codes | 70501–9, 70593, 70596, 70598 |
Area code | 337 |
FIPS code | 22-40735 |
Website | www.lafayettetravel.com |
Lafayette is the most populous city in the Acadiana region, it is the fourth most populous city in the state of Louisiana (after New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport). The original name was Vermilionville, as which it was founded around 1821. The name Lafayette comes from the name of a French military hero who fought with and helped the American Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 2020 the population was over one hundred and twenty thousand. The city lies in Lafayette Parish.