Westlake, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Westlake is a city in Calcasieu Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
and is part of the Lake Charles
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. It is considered a suburb of Lake Charles
. The population was 4,668 at the 2000 census. Westlake was incorporated in 1945.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles , all of it land.
Westlake is located slightly northwest of Lake Charles. Moss Bluff is just to the northeast. Sulphur is to the west of Westlake, after the small community of Mossville. Westlake is bordered by Lake Charles and the Calcasieu River
.
of 2000, there were 4,668 people, 1,805 households, and 1,326 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,988.3 people per square mile (766.9/km²). There were 1,936 housing units at an average density of 824.6 per square mile (318.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.27% White, 17.95% black, 0.19% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.17% from other races
, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population.
There were 1,805 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,583, and the median income for a family was $39,057. Males had a median income of $42,500 versus $21,060 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,569. About 14.9% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.
Elementary schools:
Middle School:
High School:
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...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is part of the Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Lake Charles metropolitan area
The Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Acadiana region of southwest Louisiana that covers two parishes - Calcasieu and Cameron. According to a 2009 Census estimate, the MSA had a population of 194,138. It is also part of the larger Lake Charles-Jennings...
. It is considered a suburb of Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
. The population was 4,668 at the 2000 census. Westlake was incorporated in 1945.
Geography
Westlake is located at 30°14′54"N 93°15′33"W (30.248455, -93.259047).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles , all of it land.
Westlake is located slightly northwest of Lake Charles. Moss Bluff is just to the northeast. Sulphur is to the west of Westlake, after the small community of Mossville. Westlake is bordered by Lake Charles 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...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,668 people, 1,805 households, and 1,326 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,988.3 people per square mile (766.9/km²). There were 1,936 housing units at an average density of 824.6 per square mile (318.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.27% White, 17.95% black, 0.19% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.17% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population.
There were 1,805 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,583, and the median income for a family was $39,057. Males had a median income of $42,500 versus $21,060 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,569. About 14.9% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.
Notable natives and residents
- David LaFleurDavid LaFleurDavid Alan LaFleur is a former American football tight end in the National Football League who played from 1997 to 2000 for the Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted in the first round by the Cowboys in the 1997 NFL Draft. LaFleur played college football at Louisiana State University...
is a professional American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player He started as a tight endTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
at Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
and later played for the Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. - Will Ousley is an artist and native to Westlake.
Education
Public schools in the town are operated by the Calcasieu Parish Public School System.Elementary schools:
- Westwood Elementary School
- Western Heights Elementary Schoolhttp://www.cityofwestlake.com/school.htm.
Middle School:
High School:
List of mayors
- 1945 - 1950 Gus Warren Anderson
- 1950 - 1954 John Warren (Jack) Grout
- 1954 - 1957 Gus Warren Anderson (2.)
- 1957 - 1974 Charles M. Carroll
- 1974 - 1982 Wilridge P. Doucet
- 1982 - 2006 Dudley Dixon
- 2007 Gerald "Wash" WashingtonGerald WashingtonGerald Washington was the mayor-elect of Westlake, Louisiana, until he was shot and killed on December 30, 2006. He was scheduled to take office on January 2, 2007, as the first black mayor in the city's history, elected by voters who were over 80% white...
was a mayor-elect found shot to death in a parking lot. His death was ruled a suicide by the Calcasieu Parish coroner. He was to have taken office Tuesday, January 2, 2007 - 2007–present Daniel Cupit