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Lake Charles, Louisiana
City in Louisiana, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lake Charles is the fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu Parish, it is a major industrial, cultural, and educational center in the southwest region of the state. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Lake Charles's population was 84,872.[5]
Lake Charles | |
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![]() Top to bottom, L-R: Downtown Lake Charles, L'Auberge du Lac Casino, McNeese State University, John McNeese statue, Israel LaFleur Bridge, Lake Charles City Court, Henderson Bayou | |
Nickname: The Lake Area | |
![]() Location of Lake Charles in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana | |
Coordinates: 30°12′53″N 93°12′31″W[1] | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Parish | Calcasieu |
Founded | March 7, 1861; 163 years ago (1861-03-07) as Charleston |
Renamed | March 16, 1867; 157 years ago (1867-03-16) as Lake Charles |
Founded by | Charles Sallier |
Named for | Charles Sallier |
Government | |
• Mayor | Nicholas E. "Nic" Hunter (R) |
• City Council[2] | Members list
|
Area | |
• City | 48.60 sq mi (125.87 km2) |
• Land | 45.73 sq mi (118.44 km2) |
• Water | 2.87 sq mi (7.43 km2) |
Elevation | 15 ft (5 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• City | 84,872 |
• Estimate (2022) | 83,444[4] |
• Density | 1,856.0/sq mi (716.59/km2) |
• Urban | auto |
• Metro | 254,652 |
Demonym | Lake Charlesian |
Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CST) |
ZIP Codes | 70601, 70602, 70605, 70606, 70607, 70609, 70615, 70616, 70629 |
Area Code | 337 |
FIPS code | 22-41155 |
Website | www |
The city and metropolitan area of Lake Charles is considered a regionally significant center of petrochemical refining, gambling, tourism, and education, being home to McNeese State University and Sowela Technical Community College. Because of the lakes and waterways throughout the city, metropolitan Lake Charles is often called the Lake Area.