Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lake Charles, Louisiana
City
City of Lake Charles
Zephyr's at Downtown Lake Charles
Nickname(s):  The Lake Area
Interactive map of Lake Charles
Coordinates: 30°12′53″N 93°12′31″W
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Calcasieu
Founded	March 7, 1861 (1861-03-07) as Charleston
Renamed	March 16, 1867 (1867-03-16) as Lake Charles
Founded by	Charles Sallier
Named for	Charles Sallier
Government
• Mayor	Nicholas E. "Nic" Hunter (R)
• City Council	Members list Dist A: Marshall Simien Dist B: Luvertha W. August Dist C: Rodney Geyen Dist D: John Ieyoub Dist E: Stuart Weatherford Dist F: Dana Carl Jackson Dist G: Mark Eckard
Area
• City	44.8 sq mi (116 km2)
• Land	42.1 sq mi (109 km2)
• Water	2.7 sq mi (7 km2)
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	84,872
• Estimate  (2022)	87,448
• Rank	CA: 1st LA: 5th
• Density	1,855.98/sq mi (716.59/km2)
• Urban	132,977
• Metro	210,409
Demonym(s)	Lake Charlesian
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CST)
ZIP Codes	70601, 70602, 70605, 70606, 70607, 70609, 70615, 70616, 70629
Area Code	337
Primary airport	Lake Charles Regional Airport
Interstates
U.S. Route
Waterways	Calcasieu River
Website	www.cityoflakecharles.com

Lake Charles is the most populous city in the southwest Louisiana. it is the second most populous city in the Acadiana (after Lafayette). It is the fifth most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana (after New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lafayette). The actual population is almost 72,000. The city was founded as Charleston, March 7, 1861. The name was changed to Lake Charles on March 16, 1867. The city was founded by and named for Charles Sallier.