Lake Charles, Louisiana
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| Lake Charles, Louisiana |
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| Nickname: "Festival Capital of Louisiana" | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Parish | Calcasieu Parish |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Incorporated | 1861 |
| Mayor | Randy Roach |
| Area | |
| - City | 110.2 km² (42.5 sq mi) |
| - Water | 6.1 km² (2.4 sq mi) 5.57% |
| Population | |
| - City (2000) | 71,757 |
| - Density | 689.7/km² |
| - Metro | 183,577 |
| Time zone | Central (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | Central (UTC-5) |
| Website: http://www.cityoflakecharles.com/ | |
This article is about the City of Lake Charles, La. For the lake after which this city was named, see "Lake Charles (body of water)."
Lake Charles, (French: Lac Charles), is the fifth largest city in the US state of Louisiana. It is the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish and is the urban center of the southwest region of the state. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,757.
Lake Charles is known as the Festival Capital of Louisiana with over 75 festivals held annually in the Lake Charles area. The city is a major petrochemical refining center, gaming center with three riverboat casinos, and home to McNeese State University.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Settlement & Incorporation
While several Indian tribes are known to have lived in the area of modern Lake Charles, the first European people, of French, Spanish, English, and Dutch descent, arrived in the 1760s. At the time, the area was covered with dense pine and baldcypress forests. Oral tradition holds that Jean Lafitte frequented Contraband Bayou and the lake before and after the War of 1812.
M. and Mme. LeBleu of Bordeaux, France were the first recorded Europeans to settle the area around 1781. The area they settled is now known as the LeBleu Settlement. Charles Sallier married LeBleu's daughter, Catherine. The Salliers built their home on the shell beach where Lake Charles now stands. Afterwards, the lake became known as "Charlie's lake." By 1860 this area was called "Charles Town." Many of Charles Sallier's descendants are buried in Sallier Cemetery, near St. Patrick's Hospital.
The Rio Hondo, which flowed through Lake Charles, was later called Quelqueshue, an Indian term meaning "Crying Eagle," and still later, Calcasieu. On March 7, 1861, Lake Charles was incorporated as the town of Charleston, Louisiana.
The growth of the city was fairly slow until Captain Daniel Goos, a Frisian by birth, came in 1855. Goos established a lumber mill and schooner dock, now called Goosport, and promoted a profitable trade with Texas and Mexican ports by sending his schooner down-river into the Gulf of Mexico. Until the arrival of Goos, a man named Jacob Ryan dominated the lumber industry. Between 1817 and 1855, the timber provided by Longleaf Pines and Baldcypress remained the primary industry.
Jacob Ryan convinced the state government to move the parish seat to Lake Charles from its former location at Marion, which was about 8 miles upriver. Later that year, Ryan and Samuel Kirby transferred the parish courthouse and jail by barge to Lake Charles, which was at that time still called Charleston. Six years after the city was incorporated, dissatisfaction over the name Charleston arose. On March 16, 1867, Charleston, Louisiana, was incorporated into the town of Lake Charles.
By the time of the U.S. Civil War, many English and northeastern Americans, along with a large influx of continental Europeans and Jewish people, had come to settle the area. Attitudes toward slavery in Lake Charles were mixed as slavery was secondary to business interests. Fewer than 5% of the population were slaves. The citizenry finally became involved in the war, and young men of local families went to serve the Confederacy.
[edit] Post Civil War
After the Civil War, Lake Charles had become a major lumber town. The mills of the area were swamped with orders. The 1880s saw what was a small sawmill village develop into a boom town. This was largely due to the innovative advertising methods of a man named J.B. Watkins. With his astounding $200,000 advertising campaign, the town grew 400% in the '80s.
By the 1890s, finer homes were being built. Carpenters struggled to outbuild each other with their use of elaborate fretwork and Victorian era decoration. Fancy spindles, newel posts, soldiers and paneled doors - all native of native pine - filled the houses.
The courthouse donated by Ryan and Kirby was replaced many times, a cypress wood two-story one in 1872, then a brick one in 1890. The 1890 courthouse was destroyed in the "Great Fire of 1910." The historic Calcasieu Courthouse was completed in 1912, two months after the Louisiana legislature divided old "Imperial Calcasieu" parish into the current parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Calcasieu.
After World War II Lake Charles experienced industrial growth with the onset of the petrochemical refining industries. The city grew to a height of 80,000 people in the early 1980s, but with economic recession, the population declined. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,757.
[edit] Present-Day
Pinnacle Entertainment opened their first riverboat casino in the Lake Charles area in May 2005. The name of the resort, L'Auberge du Lac, comes from the French for "The Lake's Inn." The casino includes an 18-hole, championship golf course designed by Tom Fazio, several dining venues, a spa and salon, a pool area complete with lazy river, and several retail stores. It employs over 2000 citizens.
Lake Charles suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Rita, which struck the town early September 24, 2005. On September 22, Mayor Randy Roach ordered a mandatory evacuation of Lake Charles, and approximately 90% of the residents evacuated prior to the storm. Evacuees were asked not to return for 48 hours, due to the wind damage and flooding. There was extensive damage to the city's electrical grid as some areas took as long as three weeks to restore power. Many apartment residents had to be evicted because of the mold caused by the hurricane.
As part of the city's recovery from Hurricane Rita, elected officials proposed a plan to renovate the downtown area to make it more pedestrian-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing. Charrettes were held presenting architectural concept drawings and ideas of what downtown Lake Charles could look like in future years. Of primary concern was quality and affordable housing to help revitalize the area, and at the same time provide more housing for the housing shortage in the last few years. A parish-wide ballot initiative to increase sales and property taxes for 20 years to fund this proposal and numerous local road projects was rejected by taxpayers on July 15, 2006.
On June 20, 2006 a Citgo Petroleum Plant located in Westlake released between 15,000 and 18,000 barrels of oil into the Calcasieu Ship Channel. The U.S. Coast Guard was called in to contain the spilled oil which flowed down the Calcasieu River; closures of many waterways included the Calcasieu River Channel and one mile of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The Port of Lake Charles remained closed for some time after the disaster due to contamination.[1]
Oil prices surged to over $74 per barrel in part due to the Citgo spillage. The Calcasieu Refining Co., which normally processes 765,000 barrels a day, was at low levels weeks after the accident.[2]
[edit] Geography
The city is located on the banks of the Calcasieu River in southwestern Louisiana, and borders both Lake Charles and Prien Lake. It is a port on a deep-water channel to the Gulf of Mexico, and was first settled in 1852.
Lake Charles is located at (30.214656, -93.208537)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 110.2 km² (42.5 mi²). 104.0 km² (40.2 mi²) of it is land and 6.1 km² (2.4 mi²) of it (5.57%) is water.
Primarily the city is located on a plain about 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Many pine trees used to grow around the waterways, and some still do. Few hills are to be seen, except when one is near the water, or in Moss Bluff.
[edit] Nearby Cities
The following is a list of Lake Charles' nearby cities:
- Moss Bluff - suburb of 10,535 north of Lake Charles via U.S. Highway 171. Moss Bluff is the fastest-growing area in the greater city[citation needed], and predicted to be the largest satellite in the near-future.
- LeBleu Settlement - extensive area spanning over Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis parishes, adjacent to Moss Bluff and Iowa.
- Iowa - small city of 2,663 east of Lake Charles.
- Carlyss - town of 4,049 located between Sulphur and Hackberry. Carlyss is also one of the fastest growing communities in Calcasieu parish[citation needed].
- Sulphur - city of 22,512 located to the west of Lake Charles via I-10 and U.S. Highway 90.
- Westlake - suburb of 4,668 located directly west of downtown Lake Charles across from the Calcasieu River and Lake Charles.
[edit] Neighborhoods/Districts
List of relatively large or established neighborhoods and districts in Lake Charles:
Central Business District
- Downtown
North Lake Charles (north of Broad Street and the east of Hodges Street)
- Fisherville
- Goosport
- Rice Mill
Central Lake Charles (location of major shopping areas)
- Brownsville
- Historic Charpentier District
- Historic Margaret Place District
- Oak Park
- The Terrace
South Lake Charles (south of Interstate 210)
- Barbe Court
- Graywood Estates
- Greenwich Village (The Village)
- Prien/Big Lake
- University Place
[edit] Demographics
As of the census GR2 of 2000, there were 71,757 people, 27,974 households, and 18,015 families residing in the city. The population density was 689.7/km² (1,786.6/mi²). There were 31,429 housing units at an average density of 302.1/km² (782.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was:
- 50.23% White
- 46.82% African American
- 0.23% Native American
- 1.07% Asian
- 0.03% Pacific Islander
- 0.47% from other races
- 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.40% of the population.
There were 27,974 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,774, and the median income for a family was $37,774. Males had a median income of $33,005 versus $21,041 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,922. About 16.3% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Lake Charles' public schools are operated by the Calcasieu Parish Public School System, although there are a number of private schools located in the city.
- See also: List of high schools in Louisiana and Calcasieu Parish
[edit] Colleges and universities
Lake Charles is home to McNeese State University, a public university in the Louisiana School System. McNeese offers a variety of courses, including well-respected schools of education and biology. Over 8,000 students attend the university. The motto is "Excellence, with a Personal Touch."
Also located in Lake Charles are Delta School of Business and Technology [4] and Sowela Technical Community College [5] which offer vocational courses.
[edit] Libraries
In March 1904 the Carnegie Memorial Library [6], the modern Calcasieu Parish Library, opened, having been partly financed by Andrew Carnegie and built on land donated by W. S. B. McLaren, President of the North American Land and Timber Company of London, England.
The Calcasieu Parish Public Library [7] has several locations throughout Calcasieu Parish.
[edit] Culture
Lake Charles has several small museums and other cultural facilities such as the Central School Arts and Humanities Center, the Children's Museum of Lake Charles, the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, and the Mardi Gras Museum. The Old City Hall has been renovated for exhibition space and many moving art exhibits are displayed at the locale every year.
McNeese State University puts on The Banners Series, a series of various musical and theatrical performances, throughout the year. In addition, The Lake Charles Little Theatre, The Artists Civil Theatre Studios (ACTS) Theatre and The Children's Theatre Company provide theatrical shows using local talent.
The city boasts its own symphony orchestra, the Lake Charles Symphony.
[edit] Religion
Christianity is the predominant religion in the Lake Charles area. Roman Catholicism is the largest denomination of which, claiming a Diocese of 82,414 parishioners, or about 33% of the general population, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. However, the Diocese spans over five parishes, and Calcasieu Parish alone had 183,577 people, according to the 2000 Census. Also according to the 2000 Census, Cameron had 9,991 people, Jefferson Davis had 31,435, Beauregard had 32,986, and Allen had 25,440. So according to the church's own figures, only about 29% of the region is Roman Catholic: 4% less than what is claimed.
Lake Charles is home to several Protestant and Evangelical Christian denominations as well, which when combined, comprise the majority of the population.
A substantial portion of the population affiliates itself with Judaism. Notably, there is an atheist group as well. Particular elements of Voodoo are recognizable in the area; namely, Hoodoo, as one can spot jars filled with animal organs placed around graves and hanging from trees in the pauper cemetery on Broad Street.
[edit] Transportation
Interstate 10 passes through Lake Charles, connecting the city with Sulphur, Vinton, and eventually the Louisiana-Texas state border to the west; to the east lies Iowa and Jennings. Interstate 210 loops through the southern half of Lake Charles. U.S. Highway 90 runs parallel with Interstate 10, and U.S. Highway 171 connects the city with De Ridder. The main commercial road through the city is Ryan Street, which leads to downtown.
Lake Charles Regional Airport, located south of the city, is the Lake Charles's only airport which provides commercial services. Chennault International Airport, while a fully operational airport, is strictly an industrial and maintenance center. The latter airport is named for Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault, the aviator famous for commanding the Flying Tigers fighter group during World War II.
The Port of Lake Charles is the sixteenth-largest seaport in the United States, the fourth-largest liner service seaport in the U.S. Gulf, and a major West Gulf container load center. The Calcasieu Ship Channel provides direct access to the Gulf of Mexico 34-miles downstream. The ship channel, which has a projected depth of 40 feet and a bottom width of 400 feet, intersects the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway just north of Calcasieu Lake.
[edit] Industry
Many area residents are employed by the petro-chemical refineries in nearby Westlake; some of the corporations with facilities in or around the city include PPG Industries, ConocoPhillips, and Citgo Petroleum Corporation.
The Trunkline LNG terminal, immediately southwest of Lake Charles, is one of the United States' few LNG terminals. It has facilities for LNG receipt, storage and regassification.
Manufacturing has been periodically struggling to achieve economic success in the area in order to diversify the economic base of the city. Chennault International Airport hosts Aeroframe (formerly EADS Aeroframe Services), which services airplanes, and a Northrop Grumman facility.
[edit] Holidays and Festivitals
Lake Charles plays host to over one hundred festivals and carnivals which give the city its nickname, "The Festival Capital of Louisiana."
[edit] Contraband Days
Contraband Days is a 12-day, annual festival in early May filled with savory cajun food, family fun and festivities, and is attended by more than 200,000 people. It is one of the largest celebrations in Louisiana, second only to Mardi Gras.
[edit] Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras in Southwest Louisiana has a colorful history dating back to 1882, when Momus, King of Mardi Gras, landed his royal yacht at the foot of Pujo Street in downtown Lake Charles.
Throughout the two World Wars, Mardi Gras was downsized which lead to a lack of participation by the area's youth. However, an interest to redevelop the festivities arose, and the first Mardi Gras Ball in the Lake Charles area was staged in 1964.
The full revival of Mardi Gras in Lake Charles was not realized until 1979, when several Krewe captains formed the "Krewe of Krewes" with the prime purpose of parading and promoting Mardi Gras for local residents. In 1985, Mardi Gras of Imperial Calcasieu, Inc. was formed by a group of civic-minded volunteers to further aid in the preservation of this festival.[3]
[edit] Other Festivals
- Black Heritage Festival
- Cajun Music and Food Festival
- CAL-CA-CHEW (Calcasieu) Festival
- Celtic Nations Heritage Festival
- International Food and Music Festival
- Marshland Festival
- Red, White, Blue and You July 4th Celebration
- Southwest Louisiana Christmas Lighting Festival
- Veteran's Day Parade
[edit] Media
[edit] Print
Lake Charles has many publications in circulation. The most-widely distributed, daily newspaper is The American Press. Other popular periodicals include Lagniappe and The Times of Southwest Louisiana; however, the latter two are non-daily.
[edit] Television
Lake Charles is home to KPLC-TV, Channel 7, a NBC affiliate. KVHP-TV, Channel 29, a Fox affiliate, also serves the city. The city is also served by KATC-TV, Channel 3 (ABC) and KLFY-TV, Channel 10 (CBS), all located in nearby Lafayette. It is also home to the American Press newspaper.
[edit] Radio
| Call Letters | Frequency | City of License | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| KYLC | 90.3 | Lake Charles | Religious |
| KTSR | 92.1 | De Quincy | Mainstream Top-40 |
| KHLA | 92.9 | Jennings | Oldies |
| KYKZ | 96.1 | Lake Charles | Country |
| KQLK | 97.9 | Lake Charles | Rhythmic Top-40 |
| KNGT | 99.5 | Lake Charles | Country |
| KELB (LP) | 100.5 | Lake Charles | Religious |
| KKGB | 101.3 | Sulphur | Rock |
| kajn | 102.9 | Crowley,la. | Contemporary Christian |
| KBIU | 103.3 | Lake Charles | AC |
| KZWA | 104.9 | Moss Bluff | Urban Contemporary |
| KJMH | 107.5 | Lake Arthur | Rhythmic Top-40 |
| KAOK | 1400 AM | Lake Charles | News & Sports Talk |
[edit] Famous residents (Past & Present)
- Lynn Anderson, born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and famous for the classic song "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden," was married to oilman Harold "Spook" Stream of Lake Charles. They lived on Shell Beach Drive of Lake Charles until their divorce.
- Alvin Dark was a 1948 alumnus of the Boston Braves, a legend at LSU, and a former major league baseball player & manager.
- Heart surgeon Michael E. DeBakey, the first person to successfully implant an artificial heart (in 1963), was born in Lake Charles.
- Andre Dubus, well-known author and essayist, was born in Lake Charles and was educated at McNeese State University.[4]
- Joe Dumars, former player and current General Manager for the Detroit Pistons, played for McNeese State University before going on to have a successful NBA career including being named the MVP of the 1989 NBA Finals. More recently, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.[5]
- Sean Patrick Flanery, who stars in The Boondock Saints, was born in Lake Charles on October 11, 1965.[6]
- Bob Hilton was the host of the game show Truth or Consequences and numerous other game shows of the past. He appeared briefly as the announcer for The Price is Right. He began his career at KPLC TV.[7]
- Sam Houston Jones was born in Merryville, Louisiana in 1897. He served as Assistant Parish Prosecutor in Lake Charles for nine years before defeating the Long dynasty, becoming Governor of Louisiana in 1940. Governor Jones died on February 8, 1978 in Lake Charles, where he is buried at Prien Pines Cemetery.
- Jesse Knowles was a businessman, civic leader, state legislator representing Calcasieu Parish, and survivor of the World War II Bataan Death March.[8]
- Tony Kushner is an award-winning American playwright most famous for his play Angels in America, for which he was honored with the Pulitzer Prize; his play Caroline, or Change is set in Lake Charles in 1963. His father, William Kushner, is the conductor of the Lake Charles Symphony. Along with Eric Roth, he is also one of the co-writers of the screenplay for the 2005 film Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg.[9]
- Nellie Lutcher is a jazz singer who gained some national popularity in the late 1940's and 1950's. At one point she recorded for Capital Records. [10]
- Robert Marciano, a weather anchor for CNN, was the morning and chief meteorologist at KPLC TV in Lake Charles.
- Tommy Mason was the first draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings in 1961.
- Charles "Cotton" North was the first Kentucky basketball player to average twenty points in three straight seasons. In 1967 and 1968 he was in the pros.
- Dolly Parton recorded her first album in Lake Charles.[11]
- Isaac Ryan lost his life as one of the defenders of the Alamo.
- B.J. Sams, a former McNeese State football player, now plays running back for the Baltimore Ravens.
- Eddie Shuler was the founder of Goldband Records and a legend in the South for recording swamp pop, cajun, and other genres of music. Dolly Parton, at the age of 13, recorded her first single at Goldband Studios. Rockin' Sidney, Jo-El Sonnier, Freddy Fender, Phil Phillips and many others have passed through the doors of the little studio on Church Street.
- Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams was born in Lake Charles and recorded the song "Lake Charles" about Clyde Woodward, a boyfriend of hers born in Nacogdoches, TX who told everybody he was from Lake Charles. Lucinda's father Miller Williams taught English at McNeese State University at the time of her birth.
- UFO Phil, a world-famous novelty songwriter, radio personality and internet phenomenon lived here from 2000-2002 and appeared locally on KBIU radio as a regular on the "B Morning Buzz" with Justin and Rick.
- Ted Williams, a Fox News contributor and a criminal defense attorney, was born in Lake Charles.
- Charles "Chasmat" Keenan Born in Lake Charles in 1957 developed the country's first Haz-Mat Underwater Recovery Team and responded around the world. Charles also served as the city's first Hazardous Materials Officer providing the fire department and police department's first hazardous materials emergency response training.
- Eddie B. Mormon is a local painter who's artwork is known around the world. This artist does his paintings with a palet knife on canvas.
[edit] Cultural references
- Subject and title of the song Lake Charles by Lucinda Williams.
- Mentioned in the lyrics of the song Up on Cripple Creek by The Band.
- Mentioned in the lyrics of the song Continental Trailways Blues by Steve Earle.
- Mentioned in the lyrics of the song "Bitch's Cunt Smells" by X Mob
Eddie B. Mormon Local artist known for painting pictures with a palet knife. His Artwork can be seen at eddiemormon.com.
[edit] Sister Cities
Lake Charles is the proud sister city of:
Perpignan, Catalonia, France, 1993.[12]
Sioux City, Iowa, 1996.[13]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Atkinson, Vince. "Lake Charles Port All But Shuts Down." KPLC-TV, June 20, 2006.[1]
- ^ Shevory, Kristina. "Oil Holds Above $74 a Barrel." TheStreet.com, July 12, 2006. [2]
- ^ "History of Mardi Gras in Southwest Louisiana."[3]
- ^ Andre Dubus (English) (web). Rea Award 1. Rea Award. (2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
- ^ http://www.mlive.com/weblogs/print.ssf?/mtlogs/mlive_fcpress/archives/print127701.html
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Patrick_Flanery
- ^ http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2200607
- ^ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1621526/posts
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Kushner
- ^ http://library.mcneese.edu/depts/archive/lutcher145.htm
- ^ http://www.thedailypage.com/going-out/theguide/print_event.php?id=127973
- ^ (fr) http://www.mairie-perpignan.fr/index.php?np=907.
- ^ http://www.cityoflakecharles.com/news/newsview.asp?nw=254
[edit] External links and References
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- The City of Lake Charles website
- Calcasieu Public Library - history of the library
- Showcasing the Recovery of Louisiana, including the proposed Downtown Development of the City of Lake Charles
- The City of Lake Charles website on Contraband Days
- The Official Contraband Days website
- The Lake Charles LNG terminal
- Level 6 Studios Inc.
