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Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Parish of Calcasieu | |
 Calcasieu Parish District Courthouse | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
 Louisiana's location within the U.S. | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Region | Acadiana |
| Founded | March 24, 1840 |
| Named for | Atakapa leader Katkōsh Yōk ('Crying Eagle') |
| Parish seat (and largest city) | Lake Charles |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,830 km2 (1,094 sq mi) |
| • Land | 2,760 km2 (1,064 sq mi) |
| • Water | 80 km2 (31 sq mi) 2.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 216,785 |
| • Rank | LA: 7th |
| • Density | 77/km2 (200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | Calcasieu Parish Police Jury |
Calcasieu Parish (/ˈkælkəˌʃuː/; French: Paroisse de Calcasieu) is a parish located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 216,785.[1] The parish seat and largest city is Lake Charles.[2]
Calcasieu Parish is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area; it is also located near the Beaumont–Port Arthur (Texas), Lafayette, and Alexandria metropolitan areas.
Calcasieu Parish was created March 24, 1840, from the parish of Saint Landry, one of the original nineteen civil parishes established by the Louisiana Legislature in 1807 after the United States acquired the territory in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.[3] The original parish seat was Comasaque Bluff, a settlement east of the river and later called Marsh Bayou Bluff. On December 8, 1840, it was renamed as Marion, Louisiana.
In 1852 Jacob Ryan, a local planter and businessman, donated land and offered to move the courthouse in order to have the parish seat moved to Lake Charles. As the population in this area grew over the years, the original Calcasieu Parish has since been divided into five smaller parishes. The original area of Calcasieu Parish is called Imperial Calcasieu.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts". www.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Ellender, Allie (May 2007). "A BRIEF HISTORY OF CALCASIEU PARISH". ereserves.mcneese.edu. McNeese State University. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014.