Lake Charles, Louisiana

City
	Coordinates: 30°12′53″N 93°12′31″W / 30.21472°N 93.20861°WCoordinates: 30°12′53″N 93°12′31″W / 30.21472°N 93.20861°W
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Calcasieu
Founded	March 7, 1861; 163 years ago as Charleston
Renamed	March 16, 1867; 157 years ago as Lake Charles
Founded by	Charles Sallier
Named for	Charles Sallier
Government
• Mayor	Nicholas E. "Nic" Hunter (R)
• City Council	Members list
Area
• City	48.5 sq mi (125.5 km2)
• Land	45.7 sq mi (118.2 km2)
• Water	2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2)
Elevation	15 ft (5 m)
Population (2020)
• City	84,872
• Estimate (2023)	79,633
• Rank	CA: 1st; LA: 5th
• Density	1,749.9/sq mi (676.27/km2)
• Urban	162,501
• Metro	254,652
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CST)
ZIP Codes	70601, 70602, 70605, 70606, 70607, 70609, 70615, 70616, 70629
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 about 85,000. 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.

Lake Charles, Louisiana Media

Ryan Street in Lake Charles, 1903
Downtown Lake Charles, c. 1917
Henderson Bayou, located in Lake Charles, Louisiana
Heavy Rainfall in Lake Charles
Swimming in polluted Lake Charles opposite the Olin Mathieson chemical plant in 1972. Cleanup efforts of Lake Charles' waterways have been so successful that Prien Lake now supports both recreational and commercial fishing, and has a safe public beach.
Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles
City Hall Arts and Cultural Center
Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu
Calcasieu Parish Public Library
McNeese Cowboys football stadium