Lake Charles Civic Center |
Lake Charles is about 100 miles southwest from Alexandria via U.S. 165, and located strategically on I-10 and the Calcasieu River, as shown on the map below.
The parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, the City of Lake Charles is located near Sulphur, Westlake, Vinton, Iowa, Dequincy, Kinder, Jennings, Cameron and Holly Beach on the Gulf of Mexico.
Lake Charles, the 5th largest city in Louisiana, is known for its Cajun and Creole culture, and its legendary Cajun cooking and fine cuisine.
For more information, contact the Southwest Louisiana Chamber of Commerce and Economic Alliance.
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Lake Charles is considered the "Festival Capital of Louisiana" with its 75 annual festivals.
For more information, contact the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau
Lake Charles is also the home of McNeese State University, and serves a large, regional retail area in Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas.
McNeese is a public university founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College. It was renamed McNeese State University after John McNeese, an early local educator. It serves nearly 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
For more information, link to the website of McNeese State University
Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH) began operation in 1961, and today provides commercial air service and serves the air travel needs of the residents of Southwest Louisiana. It is served by the following air carriers:
In addition to commercial air travel, LCH also serves general aviation and corporate travel needs with two runways including a crosswind secondary runway.
LCH is also home to multiple helicopter operators that service the medical and offshore oil and gas industries in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. Bristow Group, Inc., the largest offshore commercial helicopter operator in the World, operates a large facility to perform maintenance, repair, overhaul, flight training, painting and other services on their extensive fleet of helicopters.
The Airport is situated on nearly 2,000 acres placing it among the larger airports is Louisiana in terms of total acreage. Over 30 entities currently operate on the airport’s property.
The first people to settle the lake were Mr. and Mrs. LeBleu of Bordeaux, France. They arrived in 1781 and built their home six miles east of the present site of Lake Charles, and known today as LeBleu Settlement.
On March 16, 1867 the area formerly known as Charleston was incorporated into the town of Lake Charles.
Rich in history, the Charpentier Historic District extends over 40 blocks of downtown Lake Charles, and includes one of the finest collections of Victorian architecture in Louisiana, dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Vintage Postcard of Ryan Street, Lake Charles, La, Circa 1020s |
City Hall |
Steamer in Port |
Sammy's |
Majestic Hotel |
Crystal Courts |
Calcasieu River Bridge |
Boat Club |
Aragon Cafe |
Chateau Charles |
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