Originally established as Vermilionville in the 1820s and incorporated in 1836,[7] Lafayette developed as an agricultural community until the introduction of retail and entertainment centers, and the discovery of oil in the area in the 1940s.

[8] With the issuance of a bond ordinance for a series of roads connecting nearby settlements; the establishment of the University of Louisiana System's Lafayette campus; and the continued diversification of its economy, Lafayette and its metropolitan area have experienced population growth since the 1840 census and was promptly nicknamed "The Hub City.

[14] Notable corporations with headquarters or a large presence in the Lafayette area have included Amazon,[15][16] Brookshire Grocery Company,[17] CGI,[18] JP Morgan Chase, Ochsner Health System,[19] Petroleum Helicopters International,[20] and Rouses Markets.

French colonists founded the first European settlement, Petit Manchac, a trading post along the Vermilion River.

[26] In the mid-to-late eighteenth century, numerous Acadian refugees settled in this area,[27] after being expelled from Canada after Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years' War.

[28] They intermarried with other settlers, forming what became known as Cajun culture, which maintained use of the French language and adherence to the Roman Catholic Church.

[29][30] Jean Mouton, an Acadian settler, donated land to the Roman Church for construction of a small Catholic chapel at this site.

In 1824, this area was selected for the Lafayette Parish seat and was named Vermilionville,[7] for its location on the river; in 1836, the Louisiana State Legislature approved its incorporation.

In 1884, Vermilionville was renamed for General Lafayette, a French aristocrat who had fought with and significantly aided the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

[8] Since the latter half of the 20th century, Lafayette has hosted the Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, and was candidate as site for the New Orleans Pelicans NBA G League team in 2017.

[57] The city of Lafayette's architecture is diverse, with a collection of more than eight downtown structures listed within the National Register of Historic Places.

Attakapa Native Americans were originally the primary residents of the Lafayette area before French colonization, concentrated along the Vermilion River.

[26] After the Louisiana Purchase, American settlers began moving into the area and intermarrying among the French, enslaved Africans, and free people of color.

[73][74] French, German, English, American, Irish, and Italian were the largest European ancestry groups among the non-Hispanic or Latino white population.

According to 2021 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, its non-Hispanic or Latino white population have been prevalent throughout the city proper's geographic foothold with exception to its northern neighborhoods.

[89] Owing in part to Spanish and French colonialism and missionary work, Christians have historically affiliated with the Latin Church's Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana.

In a separate religious study by Sperling's BestPlaces in 2020,[96] Judaism and Islam were tied as the second largest non-Christian religions within Lafayette and its metropolitan area.

Jews began immigrating to the area in the 1800s,[97] and one of Louisiana's oldest continuously operated synagogues (Temple Shalom) has been present in the city since 1869.

The historic synagogue of Temple Shalom originally functioned as an Orthodox Jewish congregation before joining the Reform Judaism movement.

[8] In addition, the city and its metropolitan area became major centers for technology, health care and social services, aerospace, banking and retail from the latter 20th- and early 21st centuries.

[102] Prominent corporations with headquarters or a large presence in Lafayette have included or currently include Albertsons,[103] Amazon,[15][16] Brookshire Grocery Company,[17] CGI,[18] First Horizon Bank, JP Morgan Chase, LUSFiber, the Ochsner Health System,[19] Petroleum Helicopters International,[20] Perficient, and Rouses Markets.

[104] Other notable corporations stimulating the city and metropolitan economies have been Lowe's,[105] Costco,[106] and various national retail and department stores in the Mall of Acadiana.

[122] The Lafayette area is home to multiple sports venues: Blackham Coliseum, Cajundome, Cajun Field (now Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium), Earl K. Long Gymnasium, Evangeline Downs, and Planet Ice Skating and Hockey Arena.

[137] Major television stations include KATC 3 (ABC), KLFY-TV (CBS, with the CW Plus on DT2), KLAF-LD (NBC), KADN-TV (Fox), and KLPB-TV (PBS).

South Louisiana Community College partnered with Acadian Ambulance to form the National EMS Academy, which offers EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic certification.

[147] Lafayette is home to the Louisiana Army National Guard headquarters of the 256th Infantry Brigade, a military unit of more than 3,000 soldiers.

[148] Lafayette Regional Airport—located on U.S. Highway 90 (future Interstate 49), on the southeast side of the city with daily scheduled passenger airline services nonstop to Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and effective April 2, 2021 to Charlotte—is the primary airport for Acadiana.

Greyhound also operates a station downtown on Lee Avenue with destinations east and west on I-10, north on I-49 and southeast on U.S. Hwy 90.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has installed an off-road paved bicycle path beginning at its Horticultural Center on Johnston Street extending up Cajundome Boulevard to Eraste Landry Road.

A recreational trail extending from Downtown Lafayette into the Cypress Island region of Saint Martin Parish is under development.