Opelousas
Sign in to saveAlso known as Les Opelousas, Opelousas, Louisiana, Opelousas, LA
parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- State
- Louisiana
- Parish
- St. Landry
- Incorporated
- 1821 (205 years ago) ( 1821 )
- Named after
- Opelousas people
- Total
- 9.68 sq mi (25.06 km )
- Land
- 9.67 sq mi (25.05 km )
- Water
- 0.0039 sq mi (0.01 km )
- Elevation
- 66 ft (20 m)
- Density
- 1,632.2/sq mi (630.18/km )
- Time zone
- UTC−6 ( CST )
- Summer dst
- UTC−5 ( CDT )
- Fips code
- 22-58045
- Website
- http://www.cityofopelousas.com
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Official name
- Opelousas
- Population
- 16634
- Area
- 0.008028
- Elevation
- 21
- Official website
- www.cityofopelousas.com
- Image
- OpelFedCourtWM.JPG
- Households
- 6607
- Dialing code
- 337
- Motto
- All Things to the Glory of God.
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- Opelousas, Louisiana
- postal code
- 70571
- inception
- 1720-00-00
- P8168
- Azane
- per capita income
- 19497
Sources (10)
via Wikidata · CC0
~20 min read
Article
Opelousas (/ˌɒpəˈluːsəs/; French: Les Opélousas; Spanish: Los Opeluzás) is a small city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 were constructed with a junction here. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 estimated population for Opelousas is 15,098. According to the 2020 census, Opelousas has a population of 15,786, a 6.53 percent decline since the 2010 census, which had recorded a population of 16,634. Opelousas is the principal city for the Opelousas-Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 80,808 in 2020. Opelousas is also the fourth largest city in the Lafayette-Acadiana Combined Statistical Area, which has a population of 537,947.
Historically an area of settlement by French and Spanish Creoles, Creoles of color, and Acadians, Opelousas is the center of zydeco music. It celebrates its heritage at the Creoles of Color 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.