Provided by

Lafayette

Lafayette (English: /lɑːfaɪˈɛt/, French: [lafajɛt]) is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest incorporated city in the state, and is the larger principal city of the Lafayette-Acadiana, LA Combined Statistical Area, which, in 2007, had an estimated total population of 538,470.

This city should not be confused with Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, which was absorbed into New Orleans. It was founded as Vermilionville in 1821 by a French-speaking Acadian named Jean Mouton. In 1884, it was renamed for General Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero who fought with and significantly aided the American Army during the American Revolutionary War. The city's economy was primarily based on agriculture until the 1940s, when the petroleum and natural gas industries became dominant. In recent years, the medical profession has taken a more predominant role in the area economy.[citation needed]

Lafayette is the center of Cajun culture in Louisiana and the United States. The city has a strong tourism industry because of the Cajun culture of the surrounding region. There is also a a Creole influence in the area as well, although most Creoles and descendents of such originate to the east in New Orleans. The cuisine of the region, Creole and Cajun cuisine, is one of the most famous regional cuisines in the United States.