Visit Louisiana - Opelousas

<body> <p> Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the juncture of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's population to 25,508. Opelousas is the principal city for the Opelousas-Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 92,178 in 2008. Opelousas is also the 3rd largest city in the Lafayette-Acadiana Combined Statistical Area, which has a population of 537,947. Founded in 1720, Opelousas is Louisiana's 3rd oldest city. The city served as a major trading post between New Orleans and Natchitoches in the 18th and 19th centuries. Traditionally an area of settlement by French Creoles and Acadians, Opelousas is the center of zydeco music. It celebrates its heritage at the Creole Heritage Folklife Center, one of the destinations on the new Louisiana African American Heritage Trail. It is also the location of the Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino. The city is known as the spice capital of the world, with production and sale of seasonings such as Tony Chachere's products, Targil Seasonings, Savoie's cajun meats and products, and LouAna Cooking Oil. Opelousas is also home to one of the nation's two Yoohoo Factories. Since 1982, Opelousas has hosted the Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival. Usually held the Saturday before Labor Day, the festival features a day of performances by Zydeco musicians, with the goal of keeping the genre alive. The exposure helped the city to be named the Zydeco Capital of the World on May 27, 2000, reflecting its significance in the history and continuing evolution of zydeco. Opelousas is also the home of Clifton Chenier, the king of Zydeco. The Yambilee Festival is held each year in Opelousas. It starts on the Thursday before the last full weekend of October and continues throughout the weekend with events including concerts, cooking competitions and beauty pageants. Additional events sometimes include: Frank's Downtown Gumbo Cook-off-January International Joke Telling Contest- April Zydeco Extravaganza- May Juneteenth Festival- 3rd Sat. in June Holy Ghost Creole Festival- 1st weekend of November Christmas Lighting of Le Vieux Village- 1st Friday of December Here's the Beef Cook-off Frank's Mardi Gras Parade- Mardi Gras Day Opelousas Mardi Gras Celebration/Street Dance on Court St.- Mardi Gras Day All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License </p> <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-119091-1"; urchinTracker(); </script> </body>