Lafayette

Formed January 17, 1823 (27^th parish)

Lafayette Parish (241,756), Lafayette (121,398)

A Modern skyscraper concrete courthouse was built in 1965 for Lafayette Parish.  The brick and concrete building is surrounded by a number of government buildings in this part of Lafayette.  The structure is located on Main Street and Buchanan Street.  United States Highway 167 is four blocks to the east of the site.  The City of Lafayette was first named Vermilionville.  There were 1860, and 1928 versions of the Lafayette courthouse.  Lafayette Parish was formed on January 17, 1823 as the 27^th parish.  Lafayette Parish was part of Attakaras County in the beginning.  Don O’Rourke, Gerald M. Gossen, and Jason T. Benoit served as the architects for the courthouse.  The parish and parish seat were named for the French soldier and patriarch Lafayette.  Lafayette Parish was the birthplace of 1 Louisiana Governor, Alexandre Mouton. 

Lafayette Parish government consists of a Mayor, a sheriff, a clerk, a treasurer, and a coroner (executive).  It has 5 Council Members (legislative.)  Thirteen District Court Judges serve Lafayette, Acadia, and Vermillion parishes and Eight Justice Court Judges serve Lafayette Parish (judicial.) The parish is situated in the south-central part of Louisiana, west of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and east of Lake Charles, Louisiana.  The parish center is in Lafayette 3.9 miles South of the city center.  The parish is surrounded clockwise by Saint Landry, Saint Martin, Iberia, Vermilion, and Acadia parishes. 

The area of the parish is 270 square miles.  It is 62 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 895.4 persons per square mile making it 3 out of 64 in the state.  Lafayette Parish has 70.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 10 crosses east to west from Saint Martin to Acadia parishes.  Interstate Highway 49 comes from Saint Landry Parish on the north and terminates at Interstate Highway 10 in the parish.  United States Highway 90 enters from the southeast, Saint Martin Parish, and exits to the west, Acadia Parish.  United States Highway 167 is joined with Interstate Highway 49 from Saint Landry Parish, splits at Lafayette, and goes into Vermilion Parish to the southwest.  The parish is a fat-bottomed triangle shape with Lafayette on the east border.  Lafayette is the parish seat and the largest city.  It is 50.2% of the parish population.  The parish and parish seat are pronounced LA-FAE-YET.  This parish is in the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.