Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake

Prien Lake

Prien Lake is a lake that is connected to the Calcasieu River, which flows through the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana . The Interstate 210 bridge crosses over the lake, which is just southwest of Lake Charles. The lake is home to a small beach near Interstate 10. L'Auberge du Lac is nearby, as...

, and the Calcasieu River

Calcasieu River

The Calcasieu River is a river on the Gulf Coast of southwestern Louisiana, U.S.A.. Approximately long, it drains a largely rural area of forests and bayou country, meandering southward to the Gulf of Mexico. The name "Calcasieu" comes from the Native American Atakapa language katkosh, for...

. Located in Calcasieu Parish

Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

Calcasieu Parish[p] is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lake Charles. As of 2010, the parish population was 192,768...

, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region

Southwest Louisiana

Southwest Louisiana is a five-parish area intersecting the Acadiana and Central Louisiana regions in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is composed of the following parishes : Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis...

 of the state, and one of the most important in Acadiana

Acadiana

Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...

.

As of the 2010 census, the population was 71,993. Lake Charles is the principal city of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area, having a population of 194,138.