Acadiana 361178 220866186 2008-06-22T00:03:55Z Jeff Darby 6895433 /* Natural disasters */ [[Image:Acadiana Louisiana region map.svg|thumb|right|250 px|Map of Acadiana Region with the Cajun Heartland subregion highlighted in dark red.]] '''Acadiana''' (also called '''Cajun Country''') is the official name given to the [[French Louisiana]] region that is home to a large [[Cajun]] population. Of the 64 [[List of parishes in Louisiana|parishes]] that comprise [[Louisiana]], 22 parishes, or about one-third of the total, make up Acadiana. <ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEEDB1539F934A15752C0A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all "The Cajun Kingdom Of the Bayou," ''The New York Times.'' January 27, 1991]</ref> ==Origin of the term== The word '''Acadiana''' reputedly has two origins. Its first recorded appearance dates to the mid-1950s, when a [[Crowley, Louisiana]], newspaper, the ''Crowley Daily Signal'', coined the term in reference to [[Acadia Parish, Louisiana]].<ref>Shane K. Bernard, The ''Cajuns: Americanization of a People'' (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2003), p. 79.</ref> However, [[KATC (TV)|KATC]] [[TV]]-3 in Lafayette independently coined "Acadiana" in the early 1960s, gave it a new, broader meaning, and popularized it throughout south Louisiana. Founded in 1962, KATC was owned by the [[Acadian]] Television Corporation. In early 1963, the station 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.<ref>{{cite web | title = Lafayette History | work = Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission | url = http://www.lafayettetravel.com/culture/history/? | accessdate = 6 December | accessyear = 2006 }}</ref> In 1971 the Louisiana state legislature officially recognized 22 Louisiana [[List of parishes of Louisiana|parishes]] for their unique Cajun and Acadian heritage (House Concurrent Resolution No. 496, [[June 6]], [[1971]]), and made ''Acadiana'' the official name of the region.<ref>Shane K. Bernard, ''The Cajuns: Americanization of a People'' (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2003), p. 80.</ref> Today, there are numerous business, governmental and nonprofit organizations that utilize ''Acadiana'' in their names, e.g., [[Mall of Acadiana]], [[Acadiana CARES]], and [[Acadiana High School]]. ==Flag==<!-- This section is linked from [[Fleur-de-lis]] --> [[Image:Flag of Acadiana.svg|thumb|right||Official flag of Acadiana]] In 1965, Thomas J. Arceneaux designed a flag for Acadiana<ref>{{cite web | title = The Acadiana Flag | url = http://www.acadian.org/flags.html }}</ref>. Arceneaux was a professor at [[University of Louisiana at Lafayette|The University of Louisiana at Lafayette]] and had derived the flag from the University seal. In 1974, the legislature officially adopted Arceneaux's design as the official Acadiana flag, (House Concurrent Resolution 143, passed 5 July 1974).<ref>Shane K. Bernard, ''The Cajuns: Americanization of a People'' (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi), p. 167.</ref> The three silver [[fleurs-de-lis]] on the blue field represent the French heritage of Acadiana, the gold star on the white field symbolizes [[Assumption of Mary|Our Lady of the Assumption]], [[patron saint]] of Acadiana (the star also symbolizes the active participation of the Cajuns in the [[American Revolution]], as soldiers under General [[Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez|Bernardo de Gálvez]], Spanish governor of Louisiana). The gold tower on the red field represents Spain, which governed Louisiana at the time the Acadians arrived.<ref>{{cite web | title = Acadiana Flag | work = CRW Flags.com | url = http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-cajun.html | accessdate = 6 December | accessyear = 2006 }}</ref> (Purely by coincidence, this flag closely resembles the [[Philippine flag]].) == People == [[Cajuns]] are the descendants of [[Acadian]] exiles from what are now Canada's [[Maritime Provinces]], particularly [[Nova Scotia]]. They prevail among the region's visible cultures, but not everybody who lives in Acadiana is culturally Acadian or speaks [[Cajun French]], nor is everybody who is culturally Acadian or "Cajun" descended from the Acadian refugees. In addition to the Cajuns, Acadiana is home to several [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes and enclaves of [[African-American|black]] [[Louisiana Creole people|Creoles]]. [[German Coast|German settlers]] also found their way to Acadiana as early as 1721, preceding even the Cajuns.<ref>http://www.acadian-cajun.com/germanc.htm History of the Cajuns: The German Coast of Louisiana</ref> More recently, political refugees from southeast Asia ([[Laos]], [[Vietnam]], and [[Cambodia]], among others) have brought their families, cultures, and languages to the area, and have contributed significantly to its [[fishing industry]]. {{details|:Cajun}} ==Geography== Despite the frequent association of Cajuns with [[swamps|swamplands]], '''Acadiana''' actually consists mainly of low gentle hills in the north section and dry land [[prairies]], with [[marshes]] and [[bayous]] in the south closer to the coast, increasing in frequency in and around the [[Atchafalaya Basin|Atchafalaya]] and [[Mississippi Basin|Mississippi]] basins. The area also is filled with fields of [[rice]] and [[sugarcane]]. '''Acadiana''', as defined by the Louisiana legislature, refers to the area that stretches from just west of [[New Orleans, LA|New Orleans]] to the [[Texas]] border along the [[Gulf of Mexico]] coast, and about 100 miles inland to [[Marksville, Louisiana|Marksville]]. This includes the 22 parishes of [[Acadia Parish, Louisiana|Acadia]], [[Ascension Parish, Louisiana|Ascension]], [[Assumption Parish, Louisiana|Assumption]], [[Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana|Avoyelles]], [[Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Calcasieu]], [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron]], [[Evangeline Parish, Louisiana|Evangeline]], [[Iberia Parish, Louisiana|Iberia]], [[Iberville Parish, Louisiana|Iberville]], [[Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana|Jeff Davis]], [[Lafayette Parish, Louisiana|Lafayette]], [[Lafourche Parish, Louisiana|Lafourche]], [[Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana|Pointe Coupee]], [[St. Charles Parish, Louisiana|St. Charles]], [[St. James Parish, Louisiana|St. James]], [[St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana|St. John The Baptist]], [[St. Landry Parish, Louisiana|St. Landry]], [[St. Martin Parish, Louisiana|St. Martin]], [[St. Mary Parish, Louisiana|St. Mary]], [[Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana|Terrebonne]], [[Vermilion Parish, Louisiana|Vermilion]], and [[West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana|West Baton Rouge]]. The total land area is 37,746.756 km² (14,574.105 sq mi). At the [[United States Census, 2000|2000 census]] its total population was 1,352,646 residents. Of those 22, eight parishes make up the '''Cajun Heartland''', which is the central portion of ''Cajun Country'' initially settled by the majority of relocated [[Acadians]]. These parishes include Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion. The total land area of the Heartland is 14,554.693 km² (5,619.598 sq mi). Its census population was 601,654 residents. Three of the parishes, St. Charles, St. James, St. John The Baptist, are considered the '''[[River Parishes]]''', along with occasionally included Ascension Parish. Present-day St. Charles, St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes also made up an area called the '''[[German Coast]]''' of Louisiana. ===Most populous areas=== The largest metropolitan area in Acadiana is [[Lafayette metropolitan area|Lafayette]] (the hub of Acadiana, from which it derives its nickname, "Hub City"), followed by [[Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Metropolitan Area|Houma-Thibodaux]], and then [[Lake Charles metropolitan area|Lake Charles]]. All three of these metropolitan areas are among the six largest metropolitan areas in Louisiana. Other large cities and towns within Acadiana are [[Abbeville, Louisiana|Abbeville]], [[Breaux Bridge, Louisiana|Breaux Bridge]], [[Broussard, Louisiana|Broussard]], [[Carencro, Louisiana|Carencro]], [[Crowley, Louisiana|Crowley]], [[Donaldsonville, Louisiana|Donaldsonville]], [[Eunice, Louisiana|Eunice]], [[Franklin, Louisiana|Franklin]], [[Gonzales, Louisiana|Gonzales]], [[Jeanerette, Louisiana|Jeanerette]], [[Jennings, Louisiana|Jennings]], [[Kaplan, Louisiana|Kaplan]], [[Marksville, Louisiana|Marksville]], [[New Roads, Louisiana|New Roads]], [[Morgan City, Louisiana|Morgan City]], [[New Iberia, Louisiana|New Iberia]], [[Opelousas, Louisiana|Opelousas]], [[Patterson, Louisiana|Patterson]], [[Plaquemine, Louisiana|Plaquemine]], [[Port Allen, Louisiana|Port Allen]], [[Rayne, Louisiana|Rayne]], [[Scott, Louisiana|Scott]], [[St. Gabriel, Louisiana|St. Gabriel]], [[St. Martinville, Louisiana|St. Martinville]], [[Sulphur, Louisiana|Sulphur]], [[Ville Platte, Louisiana|Ville Platte]], and [[Youngsville, Louisiana|Youngsville]]. ==Transportation== The traditional industries of the area: [[tourism]], [[agriculture]], and [[petroleum]] initially drove the need for transportation development. In recent years, [[hurricane]] 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, until [[Petroleum|oil]] was found in the area in the early 1900s. :'''Land''' :High capacity, modern highways are the lifeline of the region. US Highways 90, 190, and 167 (now partially replaced by I-49) were the main connectors through south Louisiana until the 1950s. [[Interstate highways|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 every little stream and bayou. A robust railroad system was being built at the time of the [[American Civil War]], 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 railway in operation through the region is the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]], now part of the [[Union Pacific Railroad]]. :'''Water''' :Waterways are vital to the commercial and recreational activities of the region. [[Seaport]]s, [[river]]s, [[lake]]s, [[bayou]]s, [[canal]]s, and [[spillway]]s dot the landscape, and served as the primary source of shipping and travel through the early 1930s. The [[Mississippi River]] is important to the eastern section, the [[Atchafalaya River]] to the middle, with [[Calcasieu River]] flowing through [[Lake Charles (Louisiana)|Lake Charles]], and the Sabine river enabling shipping traffic to the western portion. Fresh and saltwater lakes, along with almost the entire Louisiana portion of the [[Intracoastal Waterway]], enable the flow of people and materials. :'''Air''' :The area's larger airports in Houma, Lafayette, and Lake Charles provide regional leisure travel. Most air travel in the area, not counting the extreme amount of flyover traffic from hubs like New Orleans and [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], is local in nature and provided by small planes and helicopters. Many hours of flight time is logged by helicopter pilots servicing the oilfields in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Small planes are used for short trips and agricultural needs. There are small regional airports seving communities throughout the area. ==Natural disasters== [[Image:Lili tree.jpg|thumb|right|Tree blown down during Hurricane Lili]] The eastern Acadiana region was among those affected by [[Hurricane Katrina]] on [[August 29]], [[2005]] (although not severely like areas from [[Greater New Orleans]] eastward). The western Acadiana region and east Texas were most affected by [[Hurricane Rita]] on [[September 24]], [[2005]]. On October 3, 2002, central Acadiana region suffered a direct hit from category one [[Hurricane Lili]]. The hurricane caused most of [[Lafayette, Louisiana|Lafayette]] to lose power. In addition, some high-rise buildings in downtown had windows broken and many homes had roof damage. ==See also== *[[French Louisiana]] *[[List of Louisiana parishes by French-speaking population]] *[[List of regions of the United States#Intrastate regions|Intrastate regions]] *[[Acadian Village]] *[[Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve]] *[[Southwest Louisiana]] ==Sources== ===Footnotes=== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.realcajunrecipes.com/heritage/acadiana/ Complete Listing of all cities and communities in Acadiana] *[http://cls.louisiana.edu/ UL Lafayette Center for Louisiana Studies] {{Louisiana}} [[Category:Acadiana| ]] [[Category:Cajun]] [[de:Acadiana]] [[fr:Acadiane (Louisiane)]] [[ja:アケイディアナ]] [[pl:Akadiana]] [[pt:Acadiana]] [[ru:Акадиана]]