Lake Charles

Sister cities

• Goya
• Perpignan
• Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole
• Cóbh
• Sioux City

History

On March 7, 1861, Lake Charles was incorporated as the town of Charleston, named after an early settler, Charles Sallier. On March 16, 1867, Charleston was reincorporated as the City of Lake Charles. Lake Charles soon rebuilt, grew and expanded in the 20th century. The Charleston Hotel was completed in 1929, during the administration of Mayor Henry J. Geary. During and after World War II, Lake Charles experienced industrial growth with the arrival of petrochemical refineries. The city grew to a high of some 75,000 people in the early 1980s, but with local economic recession, the population declined and stagnated. In 1985, the city was identified as a potential Strategic Homeport to support Navy Secretary John Lehman's desire for a 600-ship Navy. Support ships were to be operated from the new Naval Station Lake Charles, but with the tailing-off of the Cold War, the 1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended it be closed. By 1991, the incomplete base was dropped from the program and shuttered. In 2005, the city was heavily damaged by Hurricane Rita. In 2020, it was battered by two hurricanes, category 4 Hurricane Laura on August 26–27, and Hurricane Delta on October 9, 2020. Lake Charles after the hurricanes was described as if "20 tornadoes came in and wiped the city". The southern portion of the city was damaged by an EF2 tornado on October 27, 2021, and an EF1 tornado caused minor damage to downtown Lake Charles on May 13, 2024.

Geography

Lake Charles, located on a level plain about from the Gulf of Mexico, has an elevation around above sea level, and is located on the banks of the Calcasieu River in southwestern Louisiana. It borders both Lake Charles and Prien Lake. Contraband Bayou, Henderson Bayou, and English Bayou flow through the city. Oak and pine trees dot the landscape; the lumber industry was once the main economic engine of the area. The Calcasieu Ship Channel, which allows large, ocean-going vessels to sail up from the gulf, also borders the city. The 2010 census recorded Lake Charles' total land size was 48.6 sq mi . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 6.12%, is covered by water. Lake Charles is tied with Port Arthur, Texas, and Astoria, Oregon, as the most humid city in the contiguous United States, and the second-most humid measured location behind unincorporated Quillayute, Washington. The average relative humidity in Lake Charles is 90% in the morning, and 72% in the afternoon. Average annual precipitation is also high among U.S. cities, at per year. Hurricane Laura devastated the city in 2020. The National Weather Service called the storm surge "unsurvivable" with one-minute sustained wind speeds of 150 mph (240 km/h). The Lake Charles Regional Airport had a gust of 133 miles per hour (214 km/h), and several hangars were destroyed. Another gust in the city reached 137 mph (220 km/h). Many windows were blown out of Capital One Tower downtown, which was later demolished due to the severity of the damage. A communications tower collapsed onto the KPLC studio building (which had been evacuated), and part of a sky bridge was blown out. The radar at the NWS Lake Charles forecast office (whose staff…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,003
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,885
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,367
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,281
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,906
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,873
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,828
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,787

Largest nearby schools

• Sulphur High School
  High · Sulphur · 2,043 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Alfred M. Barbe High School
  High · Lake Charles · 1,991 students · 22.4:1 ratio
• Sam Houston High School
  High · Lake Charles · 1,216 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• S. J. Welsh Middle School
  Middle · Lake Charles · 1,107 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Lake Charles Charter Academy
  Elementary · Lake Charles · 989 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Moss Bluff Elementary School
  Elementary · Lake Charles · 973 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• LaGrange High School
  High · Lake Charles · 907 students · 11.2:1 ratio
• Moss Bluff Middle School
  Middle · Lake Charles · 883 students · 17.7:1 ratio