Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles | |
|---|---|
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°11′50″N 93°14′12″W / 30.19722°N 93.23667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Calcasieu |
| Founded | About 1857 as Charleston |
| Renamed | March 16, 1867 as Lake Charles |
| Founded by | Charles Sallier |
| Named after | Charles Sallier |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nicholas E. "Nic" Hunter (R) |
| • City Council | Members list |
| Area | |
| 48.46 sq mi (125.51 km2) | |
| • Land | 45.65 sq mi (118.23 km2) |
| • Water | 2.81 sq mi (7.28 km2) |
| Elevation | 15 ft (5 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 84,872 | |
• Estimate (2024) | 81,157 |
| • Density | 1,800/sq mi (680/km2) |
| • Urban | 162,501 |
| • 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 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404859 |
| Website | www |
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.
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".