View source for Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

{{short description|Parish in Louisiana, United States}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
| official_name      = Parish of Calcasieu
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<!-- website, footnotes -->| website            = {{URL|http://www.cppj.net/|Calcasieu Parish Police Jury}}
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}}

'''Calcasieu Parish''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|æ|l|k|ə|ˌ|ʃ|uː}}; {{langx|fr|Paroisse de Calcasieu}}) is a [[List of parishes in Louisiana|parish]] located on the southwestern border of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Louisiana]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 216,785.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/calcasieuparishlouisiana/POP010220 |website=www.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=December 19, 2021}}</ref> The [[County seat|parish seat]] and largest city is [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref>

Calcasieu Parish is part of the Lake Charles [[Lake Charles metropolitan area|metropolitan statistical area]]; it is also located near the [[Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area|Beaumont–Port Arthur]] ([[Texas]]), [[Lafayette, Louisiana metropolitan area|Lafayette]], and [[Alexandria, Louisiana metropolitan area|Alexandria]] metropolitan areas.

Calcasieu Parish was created March 24, 1840, from the parish of [[St. Landry Parish, Louisiana|Saint Landry]], one of the original nineteen civil [[List of parishes in Louisiana|parishes]] established by the [[Louisiana Legislature]] in 1807 after the United States acquired the territory in the [[Louisiana Purchase]] of 1803.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://ereserves.mcneese.edu/depts/archive/FTBooks/ellender%20history.htm|title=A BRIEF HISTORY OF CALCASIEU PARISH|first=Allie|last=Ellender|publisher=McNeese State University|website=ereserves.mcneese.edu|date=May 2007|access-date=September 3, 2014|archive-date=September 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904110633/http://ereserves.mcneese.edu/depts/archive/FTBooks/ellender%20history.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The original parish seat was Comasaque Bluff, a settlement east of the river and later called Marsh Bayou Bluff. On December 8, 1840, it was renamed as Marion, Louisiana.

In 1852 Jacob Ryan, a local planter and businessman, donated land and offered to move the courthouse in order to have the parish seat moved to Lake Charles. As the population in this area grew over the years, the original Calcasieu Parish has since been divided into five smaller parishes. The original area of Calcasieu Parish is called Imperial Calcasieu.

==Etymology==
The name ''Calcasieu'' is traditionally explained as coming from the [[Atakapa language]] via French, which recorded the name of the [[Calcasieu River]] as "{{lang|Fr|Quelqueshue}}" after the local Atakapa leader {{lang|aqp|Katkōsh Yōk|italic=no}} ('Crying Eagle'). An alternate etymology based upon the Spanish name for the river, {{lang|es|Río Hondo}}, is that Calcasieu comes from an unrecorded Native American word meaning 'deep river'. A questionable folk etymology claims that after the United States acquired the region, a long-winded discussion over renaming the Río Hondo was ended by a frustrated francophone who suggested "name it {{lang|fr|quelque-chose}}" (English: 'anything'), which was recorded as "Calacasieu."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Economic and Social Development of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, 1840–1912 |last=Ulmer |first=Grace |journal=The Louisiana Historical Quarterly |date=July 1949 |volume=2 |issue=3 |page=521}}</ref> A similar dubious folk etymology relies upon the French {{lang|fr|quelques choux}} (English: 'some cabbages').<ref name=Read1927>{{cite book|last=Read |first=William A. |title=Louisiana Place-Names of Indian Origin |pages=15–16 |date=February 1927 |series=University Bulletin (Vol. 19, No. 2) |publisher=Louisiana State University |location=Baton Rouge, Louisiana |url=https://archive.org/details/laplacenamesind |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

Various spellings of 'Calcasieu' are found in early French- and English-language sources, including ''Calcasutt'', ''Culqueshoe'', ''Culkeshoe'', ''Kelke-chute'', ''Quelqueshue'', ''Calcasu'', ''Calcasiu'', ''Quelqueshoe'', and ''Calcasiew''. The earliest version of the name—''rivieére Calkousiouk''—was published in 1807 by French explorer {{ill|Charles César Robin|fr}}. An older pronunciation, {{IPAc-en|k|ʌ|l|k|ə|ʃ|uː|}}, was noted among older residents of the parish in 1927.<ref name=Read1927/>

==History==
===Early history===
The early history of the parish dates to the period of the [[Spain|Spanish]] occupation of Louisiana, after France had ceded this territory following its defeat by Great Britain in the [[Seven Years' War]]. In 1797, [[Jose M. Mora]] was granted a large tract of land between the Rio Hondo (now [[Calcasieu River]]) and the [[Sabine River (Texas-Louisiana)|Sabine River]],{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} known for years as the [[Neutral Ground (Louisiana)|"Neutral Strip"]] between Louisiana and Texas. The area became a refuge for outlaws and [[Filibuster (military)|filibusters]] from Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi of the United States, which had recently gained independence from Great Britain.

The territory was disputed for years between [[Spain]] and the [[United States]] after [[France]] had [[Louisiana Purchase|ceded Louisiana]] to the American government as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. It was definitively acquired by the United States from Spain with the [[Adams-Onis Treaty]] in 1819. The treaty was formally ratified on February 22, 1821. By an act of [[US Congress|Congress]], approved on March 3, 1823, this strip of land was attached to the district of the [[Louisiana Territory]] south of the [[Red River of the South|Red River]].

Early settlers to the area included the Ryan, Perkin, Hodges, Bilbo, LeBleu, Deviers, and Henderson families. Some of these families also brought along a few enslaved servants. [[Acadia]]n settlers, from the eastern parishes of Louisiana, also migrated to this area. Of French descent and exiled by the British from [[Acadia]] (eastern [[Canada]]), many of these refugees had settled in Louisiana. The parish had a diverse ethnic mix of [[Louisiana Creole people|French and Spanish Creoles]], [[Acadians]], Anglo-[[United States|Americans]], Enslaved African Americans, Free African Americans, and [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]]. Data compiled from historical volumes of the US Center of Population and Housing indicate that in 1850, 240 of 3914 Parish residents were "Free Men of Color". By 1860 that number had risen to 305 of 5928. The 1860 U.S. census of Louisiana counts 1171 Slaves among Calcasieu Parish residents.

=== "Imperial Calcasieu" era ===
Calcasieu Parish was created in 1840 from the Parish of [[St. Landry Parish, Louisiana|Saint Landry]]. The new parish was the largest in the state, larger than either of the two smallest states, [[Delaware]] and [[Rhode Island]].<ref name=":0" /> This size, which ultimately was divided into five parishes, led to the parish's nickname "Imperial Calcasieu."<ref name=":0" />

On August 24, 1840, six men met at a private home near present-day [[Chloe, Louisiana|Chloe]] to organize as the parish [[police jury]] representing six wards. The first order of business was to elect officers, appoint a parish clerk, and settle on simple parliamentary rules that would enable the president to keep the meetings orderly and progressive. The jury adopted all of the laws then in force in Saint Landry Parish. They appointed a parish constable, a parish treasurer, two parish assessors, and an operator of the ferry at Buchanan's crossing. The assessors were given two months to assess all of the property in the parish and a salary of $90.

On September 14, 1840, a survey was authorized of land known then as Marsh Bayou Bluff in order to establish a seat of justice (parish seat) and construct a courthouse and jail. On December 8, 1840, the jury chose to rename this community as Marion. In 1843, the Legislature authorized a vote to move the parish seat.

Finally in 1852, Jacob Ryan was successful in having the parish seat relocated from Marion to the east bank of Lake Charles. This parish seat was incorporated in 1857 as the town of Charleston; it was reincorporated in 1868 as [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]]. It is located about {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} from Marion, now known as Old Town. The name Lake Charles commemorates one of the first European settlers, Charles Sallier, a Frenchman who acquired land in this area at the beginning of the 19th century.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cppj.net/government/parish-history|title=History of Calcasieu Parish|website=Calcasieu Parish Police Jury|access-date=July 10, 2019}}</ref>

=== Division ===
In 1870 [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron Parish]] was created from the southern portion of Imperial Calcasieu. It was one of several parishes organized during the [[Reconstruction era]] by the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-dominated legislature, in an effort to build Republican strength. Many Freedmen had joined the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] elsewhere in the state. However, while other areas of Louisiana had been developed as cotton plantations, Calcasieu Parish had not. Although the parish had been larger in land mass than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island it was primarily utilized as grazing land for cattle with no significant plantings of cotton, sugar cane or other crops requiring the utilization of slave labor.<ref>Some Aspects of Agricultural Retardation in Southwest Louisiana, 1865-1900 - Donald J. Millet, Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Winter, 1970), pp. 37-61</ref> Therefore, Calcasieu before the Civil War was home to a lower percentile of African-American slaves than many other parts of the State.

In 1912 Calcasieu Parish still comprised an area of more than {{convert|3600|sqmi|km2}}, and remained the largest parish in the state by geographic area. In 1912, "Imperial Calcasieu" was further divided with the creation of the three new parishes of [[Allen Parish, Louisiana|Allen]], [[Beauregard Parish, Louisiana|Beauregard]], and [[Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana|Jefferson Davis]], with a total area of approximately {{convert|2548|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> These were the most recent parishes organized in Louisiana. Following these jurisdictional changes, Calcasieu Parish lost almost half of its population between the [[1910 United States census|1910]] and [[1920 United States census]].

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the parish has a total area of {{convert|1094|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1064|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|31|sqmi}} (2.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_22.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928155956/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_22.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 28, 2013 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 27, 2014 |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files }}</ref>

===Major highways===
{{div col}}
* [[Image:I-10.svg|25px]] [[Interstate 10 (Louisiana)|Interstate 10]]
** [[Image:I-210.svg|25px]] [[Interstate 210 (Louisiana)|Interstate 210]]
* [[Image:US 90.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Highway 90]]
* [[Image:US 165.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Highway 165]]
* [[Image:US 171.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Highway 171]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 12 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 12]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 14 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 14]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 27 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 27]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 378 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 378]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 384 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 384]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 385 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 385]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 397 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 397]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 1138-1 (2008).png|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 1138-1]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 1138-2 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 1138-2]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 1138-3 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 1138-3]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 3020 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 3020]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 3092 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 3092]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 3186 (2008).svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 3186]]

{{div col end}}

===Adjacent counties and parishes===
* [[Beauregard Parish, Louisiana|Beauregard Parish]]  (north)
* [[Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana|Jefferson Davis Parish]]  (east)
* [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron Parish]]  (south)
* [[Orange County, Texas|Orange County]], [[Texas]]  (west)
* [[Newton County, Texas|Newton County]], [[Texas]]  (northwest)

===Major waterways===
* [[Lake Charles (Louisiana)|Lake Charles]]
* [[Calcasieu River]]
* [[Intracoastal Canal]]
* [[Ouiski Chitto Creek]]
* English Bayou
* West Fork
* [[Calcasieu Lake]]

== Hazardous Waste Sites ==

=== Calcasieu Estuary Bayou Verdine ===
Bayou Verdine is located in a heavily industrialized area; over 30 major companies are active nearby. The two companies responsible for cleaning up the bayou, [[Phillips 66]] and [[Sasol]] North America (the cleanup parties), operate a petroleum refinery and a petrochemical complex. Both of these facilities have operated for decades, during which time their operations contaminated bayou sediments with [[polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)]] and heavy metals. In 2003, the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] completed a remedial investigation for the Calcasieu Estuary. EPAs investigation found that contamination in Bayou Verdine did not pose a threat to people but was harmful to plants and animals.  In 2010, Phillips 66 and Sasol signed a consent decree agreeing to clean up the bayou. EPA approved the removal action work plan in December 2011. Cleanup work began in September 2012.  The cleanup parties first prepared a settling basin to receive sediments to be dredged from the bayou. Two pre-existing ponds on the refinery property had been created decades ago to provide fill for construction of nearby Interstate 10. One of these ponds (the east pond) was converted into the settling basin. It was emptied by pumping the water into the bayou. The bottom sediments were solidified by mixing in fly ash and a drainage system was placed at the bottom of the basin. Finally, the cleanup parties installed a flexible membrane liner on the bottom of the settling basin as an extra precaution.  Bayou dredging followed. The cleanup parties used hydraulic dredging and mechanical excavation techniques to remove the top 1 to 2 feet of sediments from about 7,000 feet of the bayou on the Phillips 66 refinery property and downstream. The dredged sediment and water mixture (slurry) was then pumped through a pipeline to the settling basin, where the sediment was allowed to separate from the water by gravity settling. The water was tested and then released into the bayou in accordance with a discharge permit from the state. About 30,000 cubic yards of bayou sediments were placed in the containment cell. Dredging was completed in February 2014.  During the cleanup process, EPA provided updates to the Calcasieu Estuary Task Force (a group of local leaders). EPA and the cleanup parties also provided fact sheets to the task force and others to keep the community informed during the cleanup.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DIVER Admin Record |url=https://www.diver.orr.noaa.gov/web/guest/diver-admin-record/7902 |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=Liferay |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Bayou d'Inde ===

==== What Happened ====
The banks of Bayou d’Inde have been industrialized since oil and natural gas deposits were discovered nearby in the 1920s. Chemical manufacturing and petroleum refining facilities have released toxins—including PCBs, dioxins, lead, and mercury—into the bayou and surrounding areas for decades.

Some of the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) began cleanup activities in late 2014 and they are expected to be completed by the end of 2018. Collectively they will dredge contaminated sediment from the main channel, use articulated concrete block mat technology for in-situ capping of approximately 36,000 square yards, and cap the remaining contaminated areas with clean sediment.

[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] is currently working with the other trustees to ensure that sediment dredging and capping limits risks to the local ecosystem. We will also monitor contaminant levels in the bayou to track the long-term effects of the remediation.

==== What Were the Impacts? ====
Bayou d’Inde is a major tributary of the Calcasieu River, supporting a diverse ecosystem, including many types of fish, birds, and terrestrial and marine mammals. PCBs, dioxins, lead, mercury, and other contaminants have accumulated in the water and sediments of the bayou and its surrounding wetlands and floodplains.

Restrictions on consumption of fish and shellfish(link is external) from the bayou have been in place since 1987 due to elevated toxin levels. Swimming and other water-based recreation activities are also considered unsafe. In addition, contaminants from the bayou have contributed to a fish consumption advisory for the entire Calcasieu Estuary, first issued in 1992.

==== What's Happening Now? ====
NOAA and the other trustees have conducted a natural resource damage assessment in cooperation with the PRPs.

On October 15, 2018, the court approved an $11 million consent decree resolving claims pertaining to the discharge of hazardous substances into Bayou d'Inde. NOAA and other trustees will use settlement funds to pay for future natural resource restoration actions selected by the trustees.

On June 20, 2023, The Trustees of the Bayou d’Inde hazardous waste site published a Draft Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) that describes injuries to natural resources attributed to hazardous substances released into the environment and proposes certain restoration projects. The Trustee Council is accepting comments on the Draft RP/EA for a 30-day comment period open through July 21, 2023.

On July 19, 2024, the Final Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment was released. The Trustee propose to proceed with the selected restoration activities after considering comments from the public scoping period.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bayou d'Inde {{!}} Hazardous Waste {{!}} Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program |url=https://darrp.noaa.gov/hazardous-waste/bayou-dinde |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=darrp.noaa.gov}}</ref>

=== Citgo Refinery - Calcasieu River Oil Spill - Calcasieu River, LA - June 2006 ===

==== What Happened? ====
On June 19, 2006, over 99,000 barrels of waste oil and millions of gallons of untreated oily wastewater overflowed from storage tanks and discharged into a containment area in [[Citgo|CITGO]]’s Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex. An estimated 54,000 barrels of waste oil and an undetermined amount of oily wastewater flowed out of the containment area and into the Indian Marais, the [[Calcasieu River]], and adjoining waterways in the Calcasieu Estuary.

==== What Were the Impacts? ====
Approximately 150 linear miles of shoreline habitats were affected by the spill, including hundreds of acres of marsh, intertidal, and subtidal sediments. The oil directly impacted fish, benthic organisms, and several species of birds, including secretive marsh birds such as rails and larger birds such as gulls.

The released oil was in a highly volatile and acutely toxic form, requiring initial closure of oiled areas to responders and natural resource damage assessment teams. The highly toxic compounds in the oil were soluble, resulting in significant mixing into the water column. Between June 23 and June 28, numerous fish kills were observed in and around the floating oil.

In the days following the spill, fishing and other recreational activities in the area were shut down.

==== What’s Happening Now? ====
On August 31, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized a [[Consent decree|Consent Decree]] valued at $19.69 million to restore natural resources injured by the Citgo Refinery oil spill.

This Consent Decree settled claims of injuries and will go towards restoration projects that benefit habitats, fish, wildlife, and outdoor recreational activities impacted by the oil spill.

On February 24, 2022, the trustees released the Final Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan,<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2022 |title=DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT |url=https://losms-api.losco.org/api/File/OpenOrDownload/Public/11154 |access-date=11 Oct 2025 |website=losms-api.losco.org}}</ref> with selected projects to restore the resources injured by the spill. The selected restoration projects include

* Restoring 392 acres of saline marsh, including tidal creeks, in shallow open water in Cameron Parish, Louisiana,
* Creating approximately 18 acres of oyster reef habitat in Cameron Parish, Louisiana and, 
* Contributing to an ongoing large project to create suitable nesting habitat for coastal island nesting birds in Terrebonne Bay, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana

With the projects identified in this Final Restoration Plan, the trustees aim to restore approximately 432 acres of habitat near the Calcasieu estuary to compensate for injuries to shoreline habitats, oysters and birds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Citgo Refinery - Calcasieu River {{!}} Oil Spills {{!}} Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program |url=https://darrp.noaa.gov/oil-spills/citgo-refinery-calcasieu-river |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=darrp.noaa.gov}}</ref>

== Communities ==

[[Image:Map of Calcasieu Parish Louisiana With Municipal Labels.PNG|thumb|300px|Map of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana with municipal labels.]]

=== Cities ===
* [[DeQuincy, Louisiana|DeQuincy]]
* [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]] (parish seat and largest municipality)
* [[Sulphur, Louisiana|Sulphur]]
* [[Westlake, Louisiana|Westlake]]

=== Towns ===
* [[Iowa, Louisiana|Iowa]]
* [[Vinton, Louisiana|Vinton]]

=== Unincorporated areas ===

==== Census-designated places ====

* [[Carlyss, Louisiana|Carlyss]]
* [[Gillis, Louisiana|Gillis]]
* [[Hayes, Louisiana|Hayes]]
* [[Moss Bluff, Louisiana|Moss Bluff]]
* [[Prien, Louisiana|Prien]]
* [[Starks, Louisiana|Starks]]

==== Other communities ====

* [[Bell City, Louisiana|Bell City]]
* [[Bellevue, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Bellevue]]
* [[Holmwood, Louisiana|Holmwood]]
* [[Mossville, Louisiana|Mossville]] that was taken over by [[Sasol]].<ref>[https://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i12/Mossvilles-end.html End of Mossville]- Retrieved June 4, 2018</ref>

==Demographics==

{{US Census population
|1840= 2057
|1850= 3914
|1860= 5928
|1870= 6733
|1880= 12484
|1890= 20176
|1900= 30428
|1910= 62767
|1920= 32807
|1930= 41963
|1940= 56506
|1950= 89635
|1960= 145475
|1970= 145415
|1980= 167223
|1990= 168134
|2000= 183577
|2010= 192768
|2020= 216785 
|estyear= 2024
|estimate= 206861
|estref= <ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 29, 2025}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2014}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=August 27, 2014}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/la190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2014}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 27, 2014}}</ref> 2010-2019<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22019.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606150841/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22019.html|archive-date=June 6, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>{{Cite web|title=1980 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Louisiana - Table 14 - Persons by Race and Table 15 - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race (p. 20/12-20/20)|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_laABC-02.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|page=}}</ref>
!Pop 1990<ref name=1990Census>{{Cite web|title=1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Louisiana - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-2/cp-2-20-1.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|pages=15–38}}</ref>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=050XX00US22019&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US22019&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US22019&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|128,321
|126,922
|133,716
|133,703
|style='background: #ffffe6; |137,110
|76.74%
|75.49%
|72.84%
|69.36%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |63.25%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|35,851
|38,265
|43,769
|47,490
|style='background: #ffffe6; |54,825
|21.44%
|22.76%
|23.84%
|24.64%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |25.29%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|263
|362
|532
|836
|style='background: #ffffe6; |902
|0.16%
|0.22%
|0.29%
|0.43%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.42%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|403
|568
|1,163
|2,052
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,797
|0.24%
|0.34%
|0.63%
|1.06%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.75%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref>
|x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref>
|45
|76
|style='background: #ffffe6; |137
|x
|x
|0.02%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|152
|170
|213
|514
|style='background: #ffffe6; |853
|0.09%
|0.10%
|0.12%
|0.27%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.39%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref>
|x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref>
|1,676
|3,152
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,777
|x
|x
|0.91%
|1.64%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.59%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|2,233
|1,847
|2,463
|4,945
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11,384
|1.34%
|1.10%
|1.34%
|2.57%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.25%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''167,223'''
|'''168,134'''
|'''183,577'''
|'''192,768'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''216,785 '''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}
 
According to the [[2020 United States census]], there were 216,785 people, 77,232 households, and 53,308 families residing in the parish. In 2010, 70.8% of the population were [[White American|White]], 24.9% [[African American|Black or African American]], 1.1% [[Asian American|Asian]], 0.5% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.9% of some other race and 1.9% [[Multiracial American|of two or more races]]. 2.6% were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race); 24.9% were of [[French American|French]], [[French Canadian American|French Canadian]] or [[Cajun]], 8.4% [[American ethnicity|American]], 6.2% [[Irish American|Irish]], 6.2% [[English American|English]] and 6.1% [[German American|German]] ancestry.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml |title="American FactFinder" |access-date=January 8, 2015 |archive-date=January 8, 2015 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150108070337/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2020, the racial and ethnic makeup was 63.25% non-Hispanic white, 25.29% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.75% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.98% other or two or more races, and 5.25% Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US22019&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 29, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

In 2010, were 73,996 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the parish, 27.40% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $35,372, and the median income for a family was $41,903. Males had a median income of $36,569 versus $21,390 for females according to the 2010 census. The [[per capita income]] for the parish was $17,710. About 12.80% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 19.90% of those under age 18 and 14.20% of those age 65 or over.

==Law and government==
[[File:Calcasieu Parish.JPG|200px|left|thumb|Calcasieu Parish Police Jury building]]

Calcasieu Parish is governed by an elected body known as the Police Jury. Some 15 [[single-member district]]s have been defined, with a population of approximately 12,200 persons per district (based on the 2000 census). Each district elects one Juror for representation, in keeping with the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court of the "[[one man, one vote]]" principle.

The Court had found that Louisiana and a number of other states had failed to reapportion their state legislatures for decades, in many cases keeping representation based on geographic boundaries, such as counties or parishes, rather than population. This had resulted in under-representation for decades of urban and industrialized districts in the state legislature. Redistricting was also required at the parish level for election of police juries. By the constitution, reapportionment (or redistricting) of the parish is required following each official census. This can change the boundaries of the single-member districts, to ensure that each Juror represents approximately the same number of people.

A 2003 report found that the office of the public defender in Calcasieu Parish used an expert in only 1 of 171 cases. The criminal defense lawyers in that parish visited their clients in jail in only 1 out of 14 cases.<ref>{{Cite report|last1=Kurth|first1=Michael M.|last2=Burckel|first2=Daryl V.|url = http://lpdb.la.gov/Serving%20The%20Public/Reports/txtfiles/pdf/Defending%20the%20Indigent%20in%20Southwest%20Louisiana.pdf |title= Defending the Indigent in Southwest Louisiana |date= July 22, 2003 |access-date= September 30, 2019}}</ref>

=== Courthouse ===
The first courthouse erected at Marion, a crudely built log cabin, was completed in August 1841. When the seat of justice was changed to Lake Charles in 1852, Sheriff Jacob Ryan with the help of his slave, Uncle George, and the aid of his good friend and fellow landowner, Samuel Adams Kirby, loaded the log cabin courthouse on an ox cart and transported the small building through the piney woods to Lake Charles. A new wooden courthouse was completed within a year.

This courthouse was replaced in 1891 by a colonial-style brick building erected at a cost of $20,000. In 1902 the parish added an annex to this building. A disastrous fire on April 23, 1910, destroyed the courthouse as well as most of downtown Lake Charles. Many of the records of the parish were burned or damaged. On April 4, 1911, the Police Jury decided to build a new courthouse on the old site.

It is a brick and terracotta structure completed in 1912 at a cost of $200,000. It is a replica of the famous [[Villa Copra]], known as the Rotunda in [[Vicenza]]. The villa was designed by noted Italian architect, [[Andrea Palladio]]. His work became internationally known in the 17th and 18th centuries, and was influential both in Great Britain and the United States. Calcasieu Parish's replica was designed by [[Favrot and Livaudais]] of New Orleans. The dome atop the courthouse is of solid copper.

An annex containing two additional court rooms and additional space for the Clerk of Court and the Police Jury was added in the year 1958. Another annex for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals of the State of Louisiana was completed in 1960.

In 1967, a Parish Government Building was completed to house the various offices of the Police Jury. This building was expanded in 2003, and houses the following departments: Office of the Parish Administrator, Records Department, Division of Finance/Purchasing, Facilities Management, Human Resources Department, Division of Planning and Development, Division of Engineering and Public Works, and the Government Access Channel.

In 1987, a new building was constructed to house the District Attorney's Office. A new state-of-the-art correctional center was completed in 1990 to replace the old jail, which was constructed in 1956. A separate building was completed in 1991 for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. A Judicial Center was constructed on the site of the old jail to house the Fourteenth Judicial District, and was completed in March 1994.

Between 1993 and 1998 an extensive interior and exterior restoration and renovation was performed on the 1912 Parish Courthouse. The Courthouse houses several offices, including the Clerk of Court, Juvenile and Family Court, Registrar of Voters, Sheriff's Civil Division, Veterans Affairs Office, and others.

===Law enforcement===
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
| agencyname        = Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office
| abbreviation      = CPSO
| patch             = CPSO Patch 2012.jpg
| patchcaption      = 
| logo              = 
| logocaption       = 
| badge             = 
| badgecaption      = 
| flag              = 
| flagcaption       = 
| motto             = '''Duty, Respect and Trust'''
| mottotranslated   = 
| formed            = 1840
| preceding1        = 
| employees         = 980
| volunteers        = 
| budget            = 
| governingbody     = 
| constitution1     = 
| police            = Yes
| local             = Yes
| restriction       = 
| overviewtype      = 
| overviewbody      = 
| headquarters      = [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]]
| sworn             = 980
| unsworn           = 
| electeetype       = Sheriff
| minister1name     = 
| minister1pfo      = 
| chief1name        = Gary “Stitch” Guillory
| chief1position    = [[Sheriff]]
| parentagency      = 
| child1agency      = 
| unittype          = Division
| unitname          = {{collapsible list |title=9 | Administration | Special Services | Enforcement | Civil | Programs | Corrections | Law Enforcement Centers | Investigations | Security Enforcement}}
| officetype        = 
| officename        = 
| provideragency    = 
| uniformedas       = 
| stationtype       = Law Enforcement Center
| stations          = {{collapsible list |title=10 | Bell City/Hayes | Carlyss | Central Lake Charles | DeQuincy | Iowa | Moss Bluff | South Lake Charles | Starks | Sulphur | Vinton}}
| lockuptype        = Corrections Facilities
| lockups           = {{collapsible list |title=2 | Calcasieu Correctional Center | Calcasieu Sheriff's Prison}}
| vehicle1type      = Patrol Car
| vehicles1         = [[Ford Taurus Police Interceptor]], [[Chevrolet Tahoe]], [[Dodge Charger]]
| vehicle2type      = Patrol Motorcycle
| vehicles2         = [[Harley Davidson Road King]]
| boat1type         = various sized watercraft
| boats1            = 
| aircraft1type     = Fixed wing
| aircraft1         = 1
| animal1type       = Polica Dog
| animals1          = Yes
| website           = {{URL|cpso.com}}
| footnotes         = 
}}

The primary law enforcement for the parish is the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office. In 2016, employees of the office were amongst the lowest-paid in the region.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chatelin|first1=Kim|title=How much do your police make? See list of 12 agencies|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/06/how_much_do_local_cops_make_se.html#incart_river_home_pop|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615111959/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/06/how_much_do_local_cops_make_se.html#incart_river_home_pop|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 15, 2016|access-date=June 15, 2016|publisher=Times-Picayune|date=June 14, 2016}}</ref>

The [[Louisiana State Police]] is the primary law enforcement on state highways within the parish.

==Education==
Public schools in all parts of the parish are operated by the [[Calcasieu Parish School Board]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st22_la/schooldistrict_maps/c22019_calcasieu/DC20SD_C22019.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731232908/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st22_la/schooldistrict_maps/c22019_calcasieu/DC20SD_C22019.pdf |archive-date=July 31, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Calcasieu Parish, LA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=July 31, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st22_la/schooldistrict_maps/c22019_calcasieu/DC20SD_C22019_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

It is in the service area of [[Sowela Technical Community College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lctcs.edu/our-colleges|title=Our Colleges|publisher=[[Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges]]|access-date=June 3, 2021}}</ref>

Lake Charles, the largest city in Calcasieu Parish, is home to [https://www.mcneese.edu/ McNeese State University].

==National Guard==
Elements of the [[256th IBCT]] and the 139TH RSG (Regional Support Group) are based in [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]]. The 256th IBCT deployed to Iraq twice, 2004-5 and 2010. [[De Quincy, Louisiana|De Quincy]] is the home of H Company of the 199th Forward Support Battalion which is a detachment of 3-156th Infantry Battalion. The Battalion's HHC is located in Lake Charles. These units deployed to [[Iraq]] with the 256TH IBCT.

==Notable people==
* [[Mark Abraham]] (born 1953), politician elected in 2015 as state representative for Calcasieu Parish, was sworn in January 2016.
* [[Ken Bahnsen]] (born 1930), former [[National Football League|NFL]] [[fullback (gridiron football)|fullback]] and collegiate football and tennis coach. Member of the Athletic Hall of Fame at the [[University of North Texas]].
* [[James W. Bryan (Louisiana politician)|James W. Bryan]] (1834–1897), Louisiana state politician<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-democrat-capt-james-w-bryan/183448150/ |title=Capt. James W. Bryan, Lake Charles |date=1897-06-19 |newspaper=The Times-Democrat |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=2025-10-21}}{{Open access}}</ref>
* [[Terry Burrows (baseball)|Terry Burrows]] (Born 1968), former [[Major League Baseball]] [[pitcher]] and head baseball coach at [[McNeese State University]].
* [[A.C. Clemons]] (1921–1992), Democratic politician elected to the [[Louisiana State Legislature|Louisiana State Senate]]. He switched parties and became the first declared [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] member of the state senate since the [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction era]]. His district included part of Calcasieu Parish.
* [[Casey Daigle]] (born 1981), former [[Major League Baseball]] [[pitcher]]. Husband of American [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] gold medalist [[Jennie Finch]].
* [[Mike Danahay]], Democratic [[Louisiana House of Representatives|state representative]] for Calcasieu Parish since 2008; sales representative in Lake Charles; formerly resided in Sulphur and Vinton<ref>{{cite web|url=http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Reps/members.asp?ID=33|title=Mike Danahay|publisher=house.louisiana.gov|access-date=April 20, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502113236/http://house.louisiana.gov/h_reps/members.asp?ID=33|archive-date=May 2, 2015}}</ref>
*[[Alvin Dark]] (1922–2014) former [[Major League Baseball]] player and manager
*[[Michael E. DeBakey]] (1908–2008), heart surgeon; first person to successfully implant an artificial heart (1963); member of the Health Care Hall of Fame; recipient of the United Nations Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, and the National Medal of Science; originator of the M.A.S.H. unit concept.
* [[Sean Patrick Flanery]] (born 1965), is an American actor, author and martial artist.
* [[Dan Flavin (politician)|Dan Flavin]] (born 1957), Republican former member of the [[Louisiana State Legislature|Louisiana House of Representatives]] from Calcasieu and Cameron parishes. He operates a real estate office in Lake Charles.
* [[Douglas B. Fournet|1LT. Douglas B. Fournet]] (1943–1968), [[Medal of Honor]] recipient killed-in-action in the [[Vietnam War]].
* [[Lether Frazar]] (1904–1960), university administrator, was the fourth president of [[McNeese State University]], the second president of the [[University of Louisiana at Lafayette]], and a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.
* [[Gilbert Franklin Hennigan]] (1883–1960), served in the Louisiana Senate from Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jeff Davis parishes from 1944 to 1956. He was born in Meadows in Calcasieu Parish and also lived in Beauregard Parish.
* [[Harry Hollins]], state representative for Calcasieu Parish from 1964 to 1980.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ereserves.mcneese.edu/depts/archive/pdfs/HOLLINS124.pdf|title=Guide to Harry Hollins Papers|publisher=ereserves.mcneese.edu|access-date=July 13, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714083311/http://ereserves.mcneese.edu/depts/archive/pdfs/HOLLINS124.pdf|archive-date=July 14, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Ronnie Johns (Louisiana politician)|Ronnie Johns]] (born 1949), a [[State Farm Insurance]] agency owner in Sulphur who served in the [[Louisiana State Legislature|Louisiana House of Representatives]] from 1996 to 2008; he was unopposed for the [[Louisiana State Legislature|state senator]] from District 27 in 2011.
* [[Charlie Joiner]] (born 1947), former [[National Football League|NFL]] [[wide receiver]] and member of the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].
* [[Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones]] (1905–1982), former football and baseball coach and later president at [[Grambling State University]].
* [[Robert G. Jones|Robert G. "Bob" Jones]] (born 1939), a Lake Charles stockbroker, served in both houses of the Louisiana legislature between 1968 and 1976. He later switched to the Republican Party after running unsuccessfully in the 1975 gubernatorial primary.
* [[Sam H. Jones|Sam Houston Jones]] (1897–1978), born and raised in nearby [[Beauregard Parish]], he practiced law in Lake Charles for years prior to his election as governor in 1940.
* [[Eddie Kennison]] (born 1973), former [[Louisiana State University|LSU]] and [[National Football League|NFL]] and wide receiver. Member of [[Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame]].
* [[Bobby Kimball]] (born 1947), former lead singer and original member of the band [[Toto (band)|Toto]]. 
* [[Tony Kushner]] (born 1956), [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning playwright
* [[Conway LeBleu (Louisiana politician)|Conway LeBleu]] (1918–2007), a Lake Charles native who represented Cameron and part of Calcasieu parishes in the Louisiana House from 1964 to 1988.
* [[Zachary Levi]] (born 1980), American actor, comedian, and singer.
* [[Coleman Lindsey]] (1892–1968), born in a part of Calcasieu Parish that is now the Dry Creek community of [[Allen Parish, Louisiana|Allen Parish]]. He was a state senator from [[Bossier Parish, Louisiana|Bossier]] and [[Webster Parish, Louisiana|Webster]] parishes, lieutenant governor from 1939 to 1940, and a state court district judge in [[East Baton Rouge Parish]] from 1950 until his death.
* [[Nate Livings]] (born 1982), former [[National Football League|NFL]] offensive lineman.
* [[Janice Lynde]] (born 1948), American actress and original cast member of ''[[The Young and the Restless]]''.
* [[Ted Lyons]] (1900–1986), former [[Major League Baseball]] pitcher and manager. 1955 inductee to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]].
* [[Tommy Mason]] (1939–2015), former professional [[American football]] player in the [[National Football League|NFL]]. First overall pick of the [[1961 NFL draft]].
* [[Dak Prescott]] (born 1993), current [[quarterback]] for the [[Dallas Cowboys]] of the [[National Football League|NFL]].
* [[Trey Quinn]] (born 1995), professional athlete for the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] of the [[National Football League|NFL]].
* [[Rupert Richardson]] (1930–2008), [[African-American]] [[civil rights activist]] and [[civil rights leader]] who served as president of the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] (NAACP) from 1992 to 1995.
* [[Wilbert Rideau]] (born 1943), was a winner of the [[George Polk Awa]]rd as editor of ''[[The Angolite]],'' the [[Louisiana State Penitentiary]]'s prisoner-produced newsmagazine.
* [[Guy Sockrider]] (1921–2011), businessman and state senator from Jennings and Lake Charles from 1948 to 1964
* [[Vic Stelly|Victor T. "Vic" Stelly]] (1941–2020), former Republican state representative from Calcasieu Parish and author of the [[Stelly Plan]]<ref>"House District 35", ''Louisiana Encyclopedia'' (1999)</ref>
* [[Martin Waldron]] (1925–1981), winner of the [[1964 Pulitzer Prize]] for reporting on unchecked spending on the [[Florida Turnpike]].<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/28/obituaries/martin-o-waldron-is-dead-at-56-reporting-led-to-a-pulitzer-prize.html "MARTIN O. WALDRON IS DEAD AT 56; REPORTING LED TO A PULITZER PRIZE"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 28, 1981. Accessed July 13, 2010.</ref>

==Politics==
After having been part of the [[Solid South]], Calcasieu Parish voted for Republicans in 1956, 1972, and 1984, while supporting George Wallace in his [[American Independent Party]] bid in 1968. Since 2000, in tandem with much of Louisiana, the parish has trended towards Republican. 
{{PresHead|place=Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=April 28, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|171|2,144|931|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|165|1,798|10|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|483|2,480|13|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|1,129|2,494|33|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|1,997|3,532|3|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|678|6,105|22|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,037|6,259|13|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,425|6,993|11|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|1,867|7,861|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|1,940|7,074|3,424|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|11,102|15,814|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|13,760|12,255|718|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|10,243|24,233|3,151|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|17,046|23,285|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|9,520|14,593|20,250|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|24,778|15,330|2,817|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|17,485|33,980|1,130|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|27,600|35,446|1,813|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|35,566|33,214|430|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|29,649|33,932|519|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|24,847|33,570|11,445|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|26,494|38,238|8,929|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|38,086|33,919|1,631|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|46,075|32,864|759|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|50,449|30,244|1,438|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|51,850|28,359|1,517|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|54,191|26,296|3,298|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|55,066|25,982|1,615|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|56,064|23,918|1,219|Louisiana}}
{{PresFoot}}

==See also==
{{Portal|United States}}
* [[History of Lake Charles, Louisiana]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cppj.net/ Calcasieu Parish Government's Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014225250/http://www.cppj.net/ |date=October 14, 2017 }}

Geology
* Heinrich, P. V., J. Snead, and R. P. McCulloh, 2002, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100628132034/http://www.lgs.lsu.edu/deploy/uploads/Lake%20Charles%20100K.pdf ''Lake Charles 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''] Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
|North     = [[Beauregard Parish, Louisiana|Beauregard Parish]]
|Northeast =
|East      = [[Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana|Jefferson Davis Parish]]
|Southeast =
|South     = [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron Parish]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Orange County, Texas]]
|Northwest = [[Newton County, Texas]]
}}

{{Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana}}
{{Louisiana parishes}}

{{Coord|30.23|-93.36|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-LA_source:UScensus1990}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana| ]]
[[Category:Louisiana parishes]]
[[Category:Parishes in Acadiana]]
[[Category:Louisiana placenames of Native American origin]]
[[Category:Acadiana]]
[[Category:Parishes in the Lake Charles metropolitan area]]
[[Category:1840 establishments in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1840]]