What’s in a Name?

When you’re talking about my city, I’m proud to say, a lot.  Not many people know this but we weren’t always Lafayette.  The original Lafayette was a small suburb of New Orleans that was absorbed in the growth of New Orleans.

In 1821, 18 short years after the Louisiana Purchace,  we were given the name "St. Jean du Vermilionville". Later, the name would be shortened to "Vermilionville".  And before that the earliest records label the area as the Attakapas and Opelousas districts named after the local Indian tribes.  None of those roll off the tongue like Lafayette though. 

Previous to the Louisiana Purchase, in an effort to colinize the area, in the latter half of the 18^th century, both the French and Spanish officials granted lands freely along the bayous Carencro and Vermilion. Generally, the size of 6-8 arpents along the stream with a depth of 40 arpents (arpent is a French measurment equaling 0.84 acre so these were generally 5 - 6.75 acres by 33.5 acres).

Before 1765, very few Europeans settled in the area other than trappers and smugglers. The earliest settlers in the area were Attakapas Indians. Several burial mounds exist along the Vermilion and Bayou Teche.  By 1765, Acadians were arriving in New Orleans and the Spanish governor began settling them in the Lafayette area at St. Martinville and Opelousas.

In 1803, Thomas Jeferson, negotiated one of America’s biggest achievement in History with the Louisiana Purchase from Nepolian.  Our French roots are still felt throughout Louisiana.  In 1823, the Louisiana legislature divided St. Martin parish and created Lafayette Parish. The parish name Lafayette was chosen due to the enthusiasm of General Lafayette's visit to the United States. However, the city's name remained Vermilionville due to the fact that the name "Lafayette" was already given to a suburb of New Orleans. Eventually, in 1884, the suburb was incorporated into New Orleans and Vermilionville became Lafayette.

Lafayette and the surrounding area is a mix of American Indian, African American, English, French and Spanish culture. The area is situated in the region known as Southwest Louisiana. The Vermilion River runs through the city. Today, the city and parish are at the heart of Acadiana.

The Homewood Suites by Hilton, Lafayette embarks on its Grand Opening and while we are excited about our future we still find it enlightening to reflect on our rich history!