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''Pride of Lake Charles'', appears to the left.]] Lake 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 five riverboat Casino s, and home to McNeese State University . HISTORY While several Indian tribes are known to have lived in the area of modern Lake Charles, the first Europe an 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 being 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 Pine s 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 Jew ish people, had come to settle the area. Attitudes toward slavery in Lake Charles were mixed, and was secondary to business interests. Less than 5% of the population were Slave s. The citizenry did finally become involved in the war, and young men of local families went to serve the Confederacy . 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. In March 1904, the Carnegie Memorial Library , 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 . 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. 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 deepwater channel to the Gulf Of Mexico , and was first settled in 1852 . Lake Charles is located at 30°12'53" North, 93°12'31" West (30.214656, -93.208537). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 110.2 Km&2 (42.5 Mi&2 ). 104.0 km&2 (40.2 mi&2) of it is land and 6.1 km&2 (2.4 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 5.57% water. NEARBY CITIES The following is a list of Lake Charles' nearby cities:
NEIGHBORHOODS/DISTRICTS List of relatively large or established neighborhoods and districts in Lake Charles: Central Business District
North Lake Charles(Especially north of Broad St. to the east of Hodges St. A region generally with lowest standards of living.)
Central Lake Charles(Location of major shopping districts.)
South Lake Charles(Especially south of Interstate-210. A region generally with highest standards of living as a result of upper-middle class residential urban sprawl.)
DEMOGRAPHICS As of the census of 2000, there were 71,757 people, 27,974 households, and 18,015 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 689.7/km&2 (1,786.6/mi&2). There were 31,429 housing units at an average density of 302.1/km&2 (782.5/mi&2). 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 , and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 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. 19.6% of the population and 16.3% of families were below the Poverty Line . 26.6% of those under the age of 18 and 13.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Note: Since Hurricane Katrina city officials estimate that the population has grown 10-15%, which would bring the population to approximately 80,000. RELIGION The City of Lake Charles is a very Christian city. Many Catholics are prevalent in the city. The Diocese of Lake Charles has around 90,000 Catholics. Many Protestants dwell in the city as well. A Jewish presence is also in the city, coming mainly from New York and the northeastern part of the United States. TRANSPORTATION The city is located on Interstate 10 , with Interstate 210 serving most of the city. Interstate 210 is a loop that provides interstate highway access across the mid-section of the city. U.S. Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 171 are other major roads connecting Lake Charles to nearby cities. The main commercial road through the city is Ryan Street. Airport service is provided by the Lake Charles Regional Airport , located south of the city. Chennault International Airport , while a fully operational airport, is an industrial center and provides no commercial air services. This 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, 4th largest liner service seaport in the U.S. Gulf and a major West Gulf container load center with the Calcasieu Ship Channel providing direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, 34 miles downstream from the city docks. The ship channel intersects the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway just north of Calcasieu Lake . The Ship Channel has a project depth of 40 feet and a bottom width of 400 feet. INDUSTRY The Trunkline LNG terminal immediately to the Southwest of Lake Charles is one of the United States' few LNG terminals. It has facilities for LNG receipt, storage and regassification. CONTRABAND DAYS Contraband Days is a 12-day festival/carnival extravaganza filled with savory Cajun food, family fun and festivities, and is attended by over 200,000 people annually. It is one of the largest celebrations in Louisiana, second only to Mardi Gras . Taking place during the first two weeks in May, Contraband Days is the city's official celebration of the legend of the pirate Jean Lafitte . History notes that Lafitte and his band of pirates once sailed the area's waterways and are said to have buried Lafitte's Contraband treasure somewhere in the vicinity of the lake. The Contraband Days festivities kicks off every year with a pirate ship bombardment to "take control of the city" at the seawall of the Lake Charles Civic Center. A gang of rowdy and unruly buccaneers led by an actor playing Jean Lafitte himself overruns the blazing cannons of the local militia. They then raise their "Jolly Roger" flag, capture the Mayor, and force him - with swords drawn - to walk the plank into the swirling waters of the lake. Thus begins the two-weeks of pageantry and festivities, which include:
CURRENT EVENTS Rideau retrial Lake Charles was the locale of the January 2005 retrial of Wilbert Rideau . Rideau, an African-American described by ''Life'' magazine in March 1993 as "the most rehabilitated prisoner in America", was three times convicted by all-white, all-male Juries for a 1961 murder of a bank teller during a botched bank robbery. All three convictions were later overturned, but, to the surprise of many, Calcasieu Parish decided to try Rideau for a fourth time, despite the fact that most surviving convicted murderers from that long ago have long since been released from Louisiana prisons. A jury picked from Monroe, Louisiana convicted him on January 15 , 2005 , of Manslaughter , which, by 1961 's standards, only carried a 21-year sentence, and Rideau was freed on time served. Hurricane Rita 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 . The city urged residents to not return until power, water, and emergency systems could be restored, much to the frustrations of the citizens. Yet, residents did return, and in a true pioneer spirit, have vowed to rebuild the area as soon as possible. Pinnacle, Inc. The casino company Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. opened their riverboat Casino in May 2005 with much fanfare. The name of the resort is L'Auberge Du Lac Resort , which means 'Inn on the Lake' in French . This major casino resort is complete with an 18-hole championship Golf course designed by Tom Fazio , several distinct dining venues, spa and salon, lavish pool area with a lazy river, and several retail stores. It employs over 2000 citizens, and regularly brings in celebrities to put on acts and shows. Downtown Development As part of the city's recovery from Hurricane Rita , city officials plan on reworking the entire downtown area to make it a more pedestrian-friendly area, and to make it more asthetically pleasing. Charrettes were presented showing concepts and ideas that showed the possibilities that downtown Lake Charles could have and develop in the next few 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. Many citizens showed enthusiasm and great interest in the idea of making downtown truly unique and worthy for the City. LOCAL RADIO & TELEVISION STATIONS Lake Charles is home to KPLC TV, Channel 7, a NBC afilliate. KVHP TV, Channel 29, a Fox afilliate, 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. FAMOUS RESIDENTS (PAST & PRESENT)
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