Profile for Lake Charles, Louisiana, LA

The eye of Hurricane Rita made landfall about 30 miles from here in September 2005. During the peak of the storm, some areas of the city were under 6 feet of water.

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 524. The number of murders and homicides was 6. The violent crime rate was 7.4 per 1,000 people.

Well-known residents have included:
· Ted Lyons, baseball player
· Charlie Joiner, football player
· Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie, astronaut
· Lucinda Williams, singer

Coffee: National and regional coffee companies with outlets here include Starbucks

Local festivals include:

• Contraband Days - May 1-15, 2007
• Calca-Chew Festival - Sept. 30, 2007
• Celtic Nations Heritage Festival of Louisiana - Oct. 12-14, 2007
• Mardi Gras in Southwest Louisiana - Feb. 16-20, 2007
• Black Heritage Festival - March 3, 2007

Performing arts: Lake Charles Symphony

Nearby parks & recreation: Sam Houston Jones State Park

Lake Charles attractions: Casino

Sports teams: Louisiana Swashbucklers (Intense Football League)

Historic sites and museums: Children's Museum, Imperial Calcasieu Museum

Colleges and universities: McNeese State University, Delta School of Business and Technology

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was on par with the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 78

Quotes:
Through Lake Charles, Orange, Port Arthur, and Beaumont the presence of oil is palpable: you can smell it.
-- Roads
Larry McMurtry

Listed places near Lake Charles

Airports (1)

Cemeteries (17)

Colleges (1)

Communities (3)

Hotels (13)

Libraries (7)

Museums (1)

Parks (1)

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• Lake Charles population
• Ancestry of people in Lake Charles
• Housing in Lake Charles
• Income in Lake Charles
• Marital status of adults in Lake Charles
• Place of birth of people in Lake Charles
• Residence in 1995, of people in Lake Charles
• School enrollment & education levels in Lake Charles
• Transportation & commute times in Lake Charles
• Calcasieu Parish data
• Fastest-growing counties in Louisiana
• State data - Louisiana
• Data by street address
• Historical census records (Ancestry.com)

Sections below provide additional information and links about Lake Charles demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Calcasieu Parish economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, Lake Charles area jobs, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 70605 ZIP code.

(Also see local map below.)

• Lake Charles city government
• Lake Charles Chamber of Commerce
• Lake Charles tourism

6% of Lake Charles residents report German ancestry, and 6% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Lake Charles ancestry & family history guide.

• Cemeteries in or near Lake Charles
• Records of immigrants arriving in Lake Charles ( National Archives)
• Libraries in or near Lake Charles

Post a query on a message board:

• Calcasieu Parish Ancestry forum
• GenForum

Records & databases:

• Ancestry.com - LA data
• Birth, marriage & death records
• Cemetery records
• County history catalog
• Census records (historic)
• Court, land & probate records
• Death index
• Family & local history
• Immigration records
• Military records (historic)
• Newspaper articles

Music

• Lake Charles Symphony

• Lake Charles area attractions
• Lake Charles museums
• Lake Charles historic sites
• Lake Charles area parks

• Add a local cemetery to our listings
• Lake Charles area cemeteries
• Cemetery record compendium
• Louisiana cemetery message boards
• National database of cemetery records
• Veteran grave locator

• Communities near Lake Charles
• Nearby cities of 10,000 or more
• Nearby cities of 50,000 or more

• Lake Charles business guide
• Lake Charles Chamber of Commerce
• Better Business Bureau
• Business licenses

• Courts in Louisiana
• Local ordinances in Louisiana (Partial selection)

• Crime in Calcasieu Parish
• Arrests in Calcasieu Parish

• Obituaries - search nearby newspapers
• Obituary database - Ancestry.com
• Charitable donations

• Local information on disability access
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Independent living centers in Louisiana
• National Council on Independent Living

At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Lake Charles was $17,922, compared with $21,587 nationally.

• Banks
• Building permits
• Current labor force
• Wage estimates
• Calcasieu Parish economic census
• Calcasieu Parish economic summary
• Calcasieu Parish employment growth
• Calcasieu Parish unemployment rate
• Louisiana economic data

20% of Lake Charles residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

• Colleges in or near Lake Charles
• Colleges in Louisiana
• Learning Disabilities Association in Louisiana
• Schools in or near Lake Charles
• School districts in or near Lake Charles
• School report cards
• Yearbooks (old) of Louisiana high schools

• Movies playing in or near Lake Charles
• YouTube videos about Lake Charles

• Air pollution in Calcasieu Parish
• Diesel soot in Calcasieu Parish
• Land contamination in Calcasieu Parish
• Nature Conservancy projects in Louisiana
• Ozone status & air pollution - American Lung Association
• Toxic chemical releases in Calcasieu Parish
• Water levels & streamflow conditions in Louisiana

Lake Charles festival dates:

• Contraband Days - May 1-15, 2007
• Calca-Chew Festival - Sept. 30, 2007
• Celtic Nations Heritage Festival of Louisiana - Oct. 12-14, 2007
• Mardi Gras in Southwest Louisiana - Feb. 16-20, 2007
• Black Heritage Festival - March 3, 2007

Dates often change. Check with local tourism officials to be sure.

Lake Charles festival web sites:

• Contraband Days

• ePodunk festival listings
• Louisiana county fairs
• Louisiana festivals (Louisiana tourism department)
• Send us festival info for Lake Charles

• Confluence of latitude & longitude near Lake Charles
• Geocaches in Louisiana

• Lake Charles items now on sale

• Lake Charles local government Web site
• Louisiana state government
• Driver's licenses
• Motor vehicles
• Passports
• Social Security
• Veterans affairs
• Where to write for birth, death, marriage or divorce records

• Ancestry & family history
• Business
• Demographics
• Health
• Moving
• Nonprofit resources
• Sports & rec
• Travel

• Lake Charles medical services & health statistics

• State historical society

• Historic sites in or near Lake Charles
• Historic sites in Louisiana
• Museums in or near Lake Charles
• Museums in Louisiana
• Louisiana state archives
• National Historic Landmark search
• Search the Library of Congress
• Search the National Register for historic properties
• Post history questions in Calcasieu Parish genealogy forum

Median rent in Lake Charles, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $376.   Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $734.

• Research Lake Charles Apartments
• Find Foreclosure in Lake Charles
• Homes for sale in Lake Charles
• Find a Lake Charles Realtor
• Get free moving quotes
• Free home valuation
• Check Louisiana mortgage rates
• Property and neighborhood reports
• Mortgage calculator

• Jobs in the Lake Charles area
• Job services in Louisiana
• Minimum wage laws by state

Libraries in Lake Charles include Calcasieu Parish Public Library, Carnegie Memorial Branch, Epps Memorial Branch, Moss Bluff Branch, Southwest La Genealogical & Historical Library ... View libraries

• Louisiana library

• Get directions from Lake Charles
• Get directions to Lake Charles
• Census map of Lake Charles area
• Historic maps of LA cities - Library of Congress
• Historic maps of Louisiana
• Topographic map of Lake Charles

Newspapers in Lake Charles include Lake Charles American Press

TV stations in Lake Charles include KLTL, KPLC, KVHP.

• Daily newspapers in or near Lake Charles
• AM radio stations in or near Lake Charles
• Commercial FM radio stations in or near Lake Charles
• Public & educational radio stations in or near Lake Charles
• TV stations in or near Lake Charles
• Media ownership in the Lake Charles area
• Search historic newspaper articles
• Search recent news archives in Louisiana

• Military bases in Louisiana
• American Legion post locator
• Veterans of Foreign Wars post locator

• Check daily newspapers in or near Lake Charles
• Search obituaries in Louisiana
• Recent death notices - selected LA newspapers

• Lake Charles Chamber of Commerce
• Community foundations (by state)
• Foundations (by name)
• Kiwanis clubs in Louisiana
• Lions clubs in Louisiana
• Nonprofit groups
• Nonprofit guide for Lake Charles
• Rotary club search
• Volunteer opportunities in or near Lake Charles

• Parks near Lake Charles
• National forests in Louisiana
• State parks in Louisiana

• Find friends & family
• Photos of people from Lake Charles

• Find a local animal shelter
• Report animal cruelty

• Aerial photo of Lake Charles
• Historic photos of U.S. cities
• Panoramic photos of Louisiana communities
• Photo collection - Louisiana communities
• Photos of Louisiana places
• Post cards of Louisiana communities

Calcasieu Parish supported George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Lake Charles political report.

• Louisiana Democratic party
• Louisiana Republican party
• Louisiana elections board

• ZIP codes (by street address)
• ZIP codes (by city)
• ZIP code reverse lookup (find cities in a ZIP code)

• Churches, other places of worship in or near Lake Charles
• Total membership by faith, in Calcasieu Parish

• Chowhound message boards for LA

The average commute time for Lake Charles workers is 17 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.

A total of 17 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Lake Charles between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is a rate of 2.4 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was lower than the national norm.

• Lake Charles travel guide
• Airports near Lake Charles
• Amtrak station in Lake Charles
• Hotels near Lake Charles
• Louisiana tourism bureau

• Monthly averages & records
• Major storms (searchable by county)
• Louisiana coastal water temperatures
• National weather map

• Audubon centers
• Birding spots in Louisiana
• Wildlife refuges in Louisiana

Browse list of Louisiana community profiles