Acadiana (;
French and
Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane'' or ''Acadiane''), also known as Cajun Country (
Louisiana French: ''Pays des Cadiens''), is the official name given to the
French Louisiana
The term French Louisiana ( ; ) refers to two distinct regions:
* First, to Louisiana (New France), historic French Louisiana, comprising the massive, middle section of North America claimed by Early Modern France, France during the 17th and 18th ...
region that has historically contained much of the state's
Francophone
The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...
population.
Many inhabitants of Cajun Country have
Acadian
The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...
ancestry and identify as
Cajuns
The Cajuns (; Louisiana French language, French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French people, Louisiana French ethnic group, ethnicity mainly found in t ...
or
Creoles.
Of the 64
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
that make up the
U.S. state of
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment make up this
intrastate region.
Lafayette Parish and the seven surrounding parishes are identified as the "Cajun Heartland, USA" district.
Etymology
The word "Acadiana" reputedly has two origins. Its first recorded appearance dates to the October 15, 1946, when a
Crowley, Louisiana
Crowley (Local pronunciation: ) is a city in, and the parish seat of, Acadia Parish, Louisiana, Acadia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 United States census, Crowley had a population of 11,710. Crowley is the principal city of ...
, newspaper, the ''Crowley Daily Signal'', coined the term in reference to the area of Louisiana in which French descendants of the Acadians settled. However,
KATC television in Lafayette independently coined "Acadiana" in the early 1960s, giving it a new, broader meaning, and popularized it throughout southern Louisiana. Founded in 1962, KATC was owned by the Acadian Television Corporation. In early 1963, the
ABC affiliate received an invoice erroneously addressed to the "Acadiana" Television Corp. Someone had typed an extra "a" at the end of the word "Acadian". The station started using it to describe the region covered by its broadcast signal.
Today, numerous business, governmental, and nonprofit organizations incorporate Acadiana in their names, e.g.,
Mall of Acadiana and
Acadiana High School. Notably,
KLFY-TV, the regional
CBS affiliate, used the term in its "Hello News" branding campaign as "Hello Acadiana". KATC hosts a morning television show, "Good Morning Acadiana".
History
Historically part of
French Louisiana
The term French Louisiana ( ; ) refers to two distinct regions:
* First, to Louisiana (New France), historic French Louisiana, comprising the massive, middle section of North America claimed by Early Modern France, France during the 17th and 18th ...
, present-day Acadiana was inhabited by
Attakapa Native Americans at the time of European encounter. After the
expulsion of French-speaking Acadian refugees from Canada by the victorious British at the end of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, many Acadians settled in this region. The Acadians intermarried with other settlers, forming what became known as
Cajun culture.
In 1971, the
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature (; ) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a bicameral legislature, body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 ...
officially recognized 22 Louisiana parishes and "other parishes of similar cultural environment" for their "strong French Acadian cultural aspects". It made "The Heart of Acadiana" the official name of the region, although the term ''Acadiana'' is the more common name for the region. The official term appears on regional maps and highway markers.
Effects of hurricanes
Like much of Louisiana, this area is subject to damaging hurricanes. On October 3, 2002, the central Acadiana region suffered a direct hit from category one
Hurricane Lili. The hurricane caused most of Acadiana to lose power, and some areas lost phone service. In addition, some high-rise buildings in downtown
Lafayette had windows broken, and the roofs were damaged of many homes throughout the region. The high winds of Lili toppled the tower of KLFY TV-10 onto the station's studio facilities. Only one injury inside the station was reported from the tower's collapse.
The eastern Acadiana region was somewhat affected by
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
on August 29, 2005, although the damage was limited compared to the severe flooding farther east in Greater New Orleans. This area was used by many evacuees when they returned to the region as a "last stop" of temporary domicile before returning to Greater New Orleans. The
Greater Baton Rouge area had already been handling numerous evacuees. Governor
Kathleen Blanco made a public request that those returning not try to seek lodging in the capital due to this crisis of overpopulation.
Lafayette and several other municipalities set up both public and church-run shelters to handle the influx. The largest of these shelters, run by the
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
, was the Lafayette sports arena (the
Cajundome), holding a reported 9,800 persons.
The western Acadiana region and east Texas were most affected by
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico, tying with Hurricane Milton in 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, 2024, as well as being the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the ...
which hit on September 24, 2005. The Greater Lake Charles metropolitan area suffered the majority of the damage.
On Labor Day 2008,
Hurricane Gustav caused severe damage to the region. Although Lafayette,
Saint Martinville and
Crowley had little damage (comparatively) and some residents still had power, the rest of the region was severely affected. From
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
to the coast and
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
to Lake Charles, massive power failures and flooding were reported. Most notable was the flooding south of Louisiana Highway 14 and the communities there. U.S. 90 was shut down for several days due to the flooding caused by Hurricane Gustav.
The total death toll from Hurricane Gustav in Acadiana was limited. This was attributed to the evacuation and mitigation plans that had been drilled by state and local official, and to a strong presence of representatives from both the
Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...
and the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...
. In total, almost two million people along the Louisiana coast were evacuated in over two days. Gustav preparations comprised the largest evacuation in Louisiana history, and one of the most successful evacuations in the nation's history.
In 2020,
Hurricane Laura caused significant damage to the western-most portion of Acadiana, including Calcasieu, Cameron, Jeff Davis, and portions of Vermilion and Acadia. A confirmed 18 people died in the storm and its aftermath. In addition,
Intracoastal City saw a storm surge of . Storm surge also flooded over
SH 317 at Burns Point in St. Mary Parish, and flash flooding surrounded homes in
Abbeville
Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu.
Geography
Location
A ...
.
Six weeks later,
Hurricane Delta made landfall near
Creole, Louisiana, with winds of 100 mph. Virtually the same parishes were affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Over 740,000 residents had no power following both storms.
Geography
Acadiana consists mainly of low gentle hills in the north section and dry land
prairies, with
marshes and
bayous in the south closer to the
Gulf Coast area. The wetlands increase in frequency in and around the
Calcasieu River
The Calcasieu River ( ; ) is a river on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southwestern Louisiana. Approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed J ...
,
Atchafalaya Basin, and the
Mississippi River Delta. The area is cultivated with fields of
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
and
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
.
Acadiana, as defined by the
Louisiana legislature, refers to the area that stretches from just west of
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
to the
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
border along the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
coast, and about inland to
Marksville. This includes the 22 parishes of
Acadia
Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...
,
Ascension,
Assumption,
Avoyelles,
Calcasieu,
Cameron,
Evangeline,
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
,
Iberville,
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...
,
Lafayette,
Lafourche,
Pointe Coupee,
St. Charles,
St. James,
St. John The Baptist,
St. Landry,
St. Martin,
St. Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
,
Terrebonne,
Vermilion
Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a moder ...
, and
West Baton Rouge. The total land area of Acadiana is . If Acadiana was a U.S. state, it would be larger than
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
; if it were a
sovereign state
A sovereign state is a State (polity), state that has the highest authority over a territory. It is commonly understood that Sovereignty#Sovereignty and independence, a sovereign state is independent. When referring to a specific polity, the ter ...
, it would be larger than
the Bahamas
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...
.
Three of the parishes (St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist) are considered the
River Parishes and made up the area formerly known as the
German Coast
The German Coast (French: ''Côte des Allemands'', Spanish: ''Costa Alemana'', German: ''Deutsche Küste'') was a region of early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans, and on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Specifically, from ...
or ''les côtes des Allemands'', because of settlement by German immigrants in the 18th century. Ascension Parish is sometimes included within the River Parishes; the River Parishes border the first and third largest regions in Louisiana by population (the
Greater New Orleans area and
Florida Parishes
The Florida Parishes, on the east side of the Mississippi River—an area also known as the Northshore or Northlake region—are eight parishes in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana.
The Florida Parishes were part of what ...
). St. James and Ascension parishes were originally known as the ''Comté d'Acadie'' (Acadia County) because of the initial settlement of 18th-century exiled
Acadians
The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French colonial empire, French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern Americ ...
. St. James Parish was known as the First Acadian Coast and Ascension Parish was known as the Second Acadian Coast. Collectively they were known as ''les côtes des Acadiens'', the
Acadian Coasts.
Major cities
The largest metropolitan areas in Acadiana are
Lafayette,
Lake Charles, and
Houma-Thibodaux. Other cities and towns within Acadiana are
Abbeville
Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu.
Geography
Location
A ...
,
Berwick,
Breaux Bridge,
Broussard,
Bunkie,
Carencro,
Church Point,
Crowley,
Delcambre,
Donaldsonville,
Erath,
Eunice,
Franklin,
Gonzales,
Gueydan,
Jeanerette,
Jennings
Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include:
*Jennings (Swedish noble family)
A–G
*Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...
,
Kaplan,
Lutcher,
Mamou,
Marksville,
Maurice,
Morgan City,
New Iberia
New Iberia (; ) is the largest city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Iberia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The city of New Iberia is located approximately southeast of Lafayette, Louisiana, Lafayette, and forms part of ...
,
New Roads,
Opelousas,
Patterson,
Plaquemine,
Port Allen,
Rayne,
Scott,
Simmesport,
St. Amant,
St. Gabriel,
St. Martinville,
Sulphur
Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...
,
Sunset
Sunset (or sundown) is the disappearance of the Sun at the end of the Sun path, below the horizon of the Earth (or any other astronomical object in the Solar System) due to its Earth's rotation, rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth, it ...
,
Ville Platte, and
Youngsville.
Demographics
At the
2000 U.S. census the total population of Acadiana was 1,352,646 residents. At the 2019
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
, the tabulated population of Acadiana was an estimated 1,490,449. In 2020, the tabulated population of Acadiana's parishes was 1,486,345.
Cajun-Creole ethnicity
Cajuns
The Cajuns (; Louisiana French language, French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French people, Louisiana French ethnic group, ethnicity mainly found in t ...
are the descendants of 18th-century
Acadian
The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...
exiles from what are now Canada's
Maritime Provinces
The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...
, expelled by the British and New Englanders during and after the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
(see
Expulsion of the Acadians
The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal of inhabitants of the North American region historically known as Acadia between 1755 and 1764 by Great Britain. It included the modern Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Br ...
).
They prevail among the region's visible cultures, but not everyone who lives in Acadiana is ethnically Acadian or speaks
Louisiana French
Louisiana French (Louisiana French: ''français louisianais''; ) includes the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louisiana French is primarily use ...
. Similarly, not everyone who is culturally "Cajun" is descended from the Acadian refugees.
German and Polish settlers found their way to this area as early as 1721, settling an area that became known as the
German Coast
The German Coast (French: ''Côte des Allemands'', Spanish: ''Costa Alemana'', German: ''Deutsche Küste'') was a region of early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans, and on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Specifically, from ...
. They preceded the Acadians. Acadiana is home to several
Native American tribes, including the
Chitimacha, Houma,
Tunica-Biloxi,
Attakapas, and
Coushatta
The Coushatta () are a Muskogean-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native American people now living primarily in the United States, U.S. states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.
When the Coushatta first encountered Europeans, the ...
. Acadiana also is home to other ethnic groups, including
Anglo-Americans
Anglo-Americans are a demographic group in Anglo-America. It typically refers to the predominantly European-descent nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world ...
, who came into the region in increasing numbers beginning notably with the
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...
of 1803. Since the late 20th century, political refugees from Southeast Asia (
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, and
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
, among others) have brought their families, cultures, and languages to the area, and have contributed significantly to its
fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity that takes, cultures, processes, preserves, stores, transports, markets or sells fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including recreational, sub ...
.
The region also boasts a large population of
Creoles, descendants of the region's original settlers who arrived in Louisiana before and after the arrival of the Acadians. In the broadest sense, the term "Creole" has been used to denote anyone who is "native to Louisiana", regardless of race or ethnic origin. In this sense, Creoles can identify as black, white, and persons of mixed-race origin. The term has also come to denote cultural origins in addition to racial classification. While many in Acadiana associate Creoles specifically with those people descended from the (free people of color), others cling to the word's original definition, so Creoles of every ethnic background are still present in the region. Many Creoles also identify as Cajuns (and vice versa), whereas others reject association with one identity while still claiming the other. The two identities have never been mutually exclusive of one another, and documents written in Acadiana throughout the 19th century often make references to Acadiana's "Creole populations" that are understood to include people of Acadian descent.

Prior to the
U.S. Civil War, Louisiana
Creoles of color
The Creoles of color are a multiracial ethnic group of Louisiana Creoles that developed in the former French and Spanish colonies of Louisiana (especially in New Orleans), Mississippi, Alabama, and Northwestern Florida, in what is now the Unite ...
were a class of free people who either gained their freedom or were born into free families. The played an important role in the history of
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
and French Louisiana, both under
French and
Spanish occupation, and after the Louisiana Purchase by the United States. Some Creoles of color were wealthy businessmen, entrepreneurs, clothiers, real estate developers, doctors, and other respected professions; they owned estates and properties in French Louisiana.
Being a French, and later Spanish colony, Louisiana maintained a
three-tiered society that was very similar to other Latin American and Caribbean countries.
In the colonial period of French and Spanish rule, men tended to marry later after becoming financially established. Men frequently took Native American women as their wives (see
Marriage ), and as slaves were imported into the colony, settlers also took African wives. Intermarriage between the different groups of Louisiana created a large
multiracial Creole population.
As more families settled Louisiana, young Frenchmen or French Creoles coming from wealthy backgrounds courted mixed-race women as their mistresses, known as , before they officially married. The developed formal arrangements for , which the young women's mothers negotiated. Under the system of , the suitor had to be wealthy and prove that he could support the daughter, and take care of their children. Often the mothers arranged a kind of
dowry
A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage.
Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
or property transfer to their daughters; if the daughter was a slave, she and their children would gain freedom. The fathers often paid for the education of their mixed-race children from relationships, especially if they were sons, generally sending them to France to be educated.
Many descendants of the , or free people of color, of the Louisiana area celebrate their culture and heritage through a New Orleans–based Louisiana Creole Research Association (LA ). The term is not synonymous with "free people of color" or , but many members of LA have traced their genealogies through those lines. Today, the multiracial descendants of the French and Spanish colonists, Africans, and other ethnicities are widely known as Louisiana Creoles. Louisiana's Governor
Bobby Jindal signed Act 276 on 14 June 2013, creating the license plate "I'm Creole", honoring Louisiana Creoles' contributions and heritage.
Similarly, the Acadiana region is home to many African Americans, who have contributed greatly to the region over the centuries. Many primarily descend from those persons brought to the State of Louisiana in various waves during the colonial period to work the area's sugarcane and rice plantations in the southern part of the state and the cotton plantations in the northern part of the state. Between 1723 and 1769, most slaves imported to Louisiana were from modern day
Senegal
Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
,
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
and
Congo, many thousands being imported to Louisiana from there.
A large number of the imported slaves from the Senegambia region were members of the
Wolof and
Bambara ethnic groups.
Saint-Louis and
Goree Island were sites where a great number of slaves destined for Louisiana departed from Africa.
[Rodriguez, Junius P]
''Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion''
Volume 2.
During the
Spanish control of Louisiana, between 1770 and 1803, most of the slaves still came from the Congo and the Senegambia region, but others were imported from modern-day
Benin
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
.
Many slaves imported during this period were members of the
Nago people, a
Yoruba subgroup.
The slaves brought with them their cultural practices, languages, and religious beliefs rooted in spirit and
ancestor worship
The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...
, as well as Roman Catholic Christianity—all of which were key elements of
Louisiana Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, was an African diasporic religion that existed in Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to ...
.
In addition, in the early nineteenth century, many
Saint Dominicans
Saint-Domingue Creoles (, ) or simply Creoles, were the people who lived in the French colony of Saint-Domingue prior to the Haitian Revolution.
These Creoles formed an ethnic group native to Saint-Domingue and were all born in Saint-Domingue. Th ...
also settled in Louisiana, both free people of color and slaves, following the
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...
on
Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...
, contributing to the Voodoo tradition of the state. During the American period (1804–1820), almost half of the slaves came from the
Congo.
Before the American Civil War (1861–1865), African Americans comprised a significant portion of the state's population, with most being employed on sugar cane and cotton plantations (see
history of slavery in Louisiana and
Louisiana African American Heritage Trail).
Religion

Religiously, Acadiana differs from much of the
American South
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...
because a majority of its people are Christians of the
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
tradition in contrast to the surrounding regions (e.g.,
Central and
Northern Louisiana), which are part of the largely Protestant
Bible Belt
The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States and the Midwestern state of Missouri (which also has significant Southern influence), where evangelical Protestantism exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been de ...
. This is largely attributed to the region's French, Spanish, and Caribbean influences. Among the Catholic population of Acadiana, the majority are served by the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana, though some areas in western and eastern Acadiana belong to the
Diocese of Lake Charles, and the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge in the
Florida Parishes
The Florida Parishes, on the east side of the Mississippi River—an area also known as the Northshore or Northlake region—are eight parishes in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana.
The Florida Parishes were part of what ...
.
Transportation
The traditional industries of the area,
agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
,
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
, and
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
, initially drove the need for transportation development. In recent years,
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
evacuation plans for the area's growing towns and cities have hastened the planning and construction of better roadways. The abundance of swamps and marshes previously made Acadiana difficult to access, a major reason for the near isolation of the early Cajun people.
After
oil was found in the area in the early 20th century, oil industry development was geared to improving access by roads and waterways. Damage has been done to the region by dredging and straightening of waterways, which has damaged the wetlands that used to absorb water and storms, leaving the area more vulnerable. Coastline continues to erode.
Land
High-capacity, modern highways are the lifelines of the region.
U.S. highways 90,
190, and
167 were the main connectors through south Louisiana until the 1950s.
Interstates 10,
210,
55, and
49 now play the major role in transportation. US and state highways also cross the region.
Rail transport through the area is limited by the difficult terrain and the sheer number of bridges required to build over numerous streams and bayous. A robust railroad system was being built at the time of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, but much of it was destroyed during the conflict. By the end of the war, river transport via
paddlewheeler had taken over as the preferred mode of travel. The major railways in operation through the region are the
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad
BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...
and the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
.
Water
Waterways are vital to the commercial and recreational activities of the region.
Seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...
s,
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
s,
lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
s,
bayou
In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...
s,
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
s, and
spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
s dot the landscape, and served as the primary source of shipping and travel through the early 1930s. The
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
is important to the eastern section, the
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River () is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River of the South, Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and is the fifth largest river in N ...
to the middle.
Calcasieu River
The Calcasieu River ( ; ) is a river on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southwestern Louisiana. Approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed J ...
flowing through
Lake Charles enables shipping traffic in the western portion, while the
Sabine River forms the western border of both Acadiana and Louisiana. Fresh and saltwater lakes, along with almost the entire Louisiana portion of the
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...
, enable the flow of people and materials.
Air
Airports in
Lafayette and
Lake Charles provide scheduled airline service. Helicopter pilots serve the oilfields in the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
. Small planes are used for short trips and agricultural needs. Small
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...
airports serve communities throughout the area.
See also
*
Acadia
Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...
*
Area code 337
In the North American Numbering Plan, telephone area code 337 covers southwestern Louisiana. It was created on October 11, 1999. Before the 337 code was formed, this area was the southern half of area code 318, which had covered most of Louisian ...
*
French Louisiana
The term French Louisiana ( ; ) refers to two distinct regions:
* First, to Louisiana (New France), historic French Louisiana, comprising the massive, middle section of North America claimed by Early Modern France, France during the 17th and 18th ...
(disambiguation page)
*
List of Louisiana parishes by French-speaking population
*
Acadian Coast
*
Acadian Village
*''
Acadiana Profile''
magazine
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
, established 1968 by Robert Angers
*''
The Independent (Acadiana)'' newspaper established 2003
*
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve () protects the natural and cultural resources of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta region. It is named after French pirate Jean Lafitte and consists of six separate sites and a park headquar ...
*
Southwest Louisiana
*
Center for Louisiana Studies
References
External links
{{Louisiana
Cajun
Cultural regions of the United States
Regions of Louisiana
Geography of Acadia Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Ascension Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Assumption Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Cameron Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Evangeline Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Iberia Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Iberville Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
Geography of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
Geography of St. James Parish, Louisiana
Geography of St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
Geography of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
Geography of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
Geography of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Geography of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
Geography of West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
1950s neologisms
1960s neologisms