122-482: U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 ( US 90 ) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States . Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. It generally travels near Interstate 10 (I-10) and passes through the southern states of Texas , Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama , and Florida . US 90 also includes part of
244-473: A grid pattern . Interstate 10 passes through Lake Charles, connecting the city with Houston to the west and New Orleans to the east. The Calcasieu River Bridge crosses the Calcasieu River and part of lake . Featuring decorative flintlock pistols on the railing, it is 135 feet (41 m) high. About 50,000 vehicles pass over it daily. Despite its age of over 60 years, it is considered safe by
366-500: A 121-acre (0.49 km ) campus lined with oak trees in the heart of Lake Charles, is a four-year public university in the University of Louisiana System . Contraband Bayou flows through it. McNeese was founded in 1939 and named after educator John McNeese . It offers over 80 majors, and includes the colleges of Business , Education , Engineering and Engineering Technology, Liberal Arts , Nursing , Science , Honors College, and
488-425: A banner such as alternate or bypass —are also managed by AASHTO. These are sometimes designated with lettered suffixes, like A for alternate or B for business. The official route log, last published by AASHTO in 1989, has been named United States Numbered Highways since its initial publication in 1926. Within the route log, "U.S. Route" is used in the table of contents, while "United States Highway" appears as
610-665: A bicycle/pedestrian path. It also stands 85 feet (26 m) high at its highest point. Two-way traffic resumed on the eastbound lanes of the bridge on May 17, 2007, after an afternoon ceremony, effectively ending the temporary ferry service. The remaining half of the bridge opened to traffic on January 4, 2008. On June 6, 2006, a $ 338.6 million contract was let for the Biloxi-Ocean Springs replacement. The bridge will be 95 feet (29 m) tall at its highest point and will carry six traffic lanes, 8-foot-wide (2.4 m) inside and 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) outside shoulders, and
732-439: A bicycle/pedestrian path. To many area residents' and leaders' delight, the bridge's westbound lanes opened to two-way traffic after a ceremony and parade on November 1, 2007, two weeks ahead of schedule. Total bridge construction, including the opening of all six lanes of traffic, was scheduled to be completed by April 2008. After it was closed due to storm damage, the 1929 vintage bridge carrying US 90 over Chef Menteur Pass
854-689: A casino, golf course, meeting space, retail corridor and a private beach and marina. While Horseshoe Lake Charles is technically in one of the city's suburbs known as Westlake, Louisiana , it forms part of the city's gambling market along with Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana and Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder, Louisiana . Lake Charles has a Creole and Cajun culture because of its location in Southwest Louisiana —an extension of Acadiana . The city has its own symphony orchestra ,
976-521: A distinctively-shaped white shield with large black numerals in the center. Often, the shield is displayed against a black square or rectangular background. Each state manufactures their own signage, and as such subtle variations exist all across the United States. Individual states may use cut-out or rectangular designs, some have black outlines, and California prints the letters "US" above the numerals. One- and two-digit shields generally feature
1098-558: A dozen small businesses. Lake Charles has Louisiana's biggest casino market. The L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort is a 242 acres (98 ha), 26-story hotel in Lake Charles. It has nearly 1000 guest rooms, a casino, golf course, spa, and meeting center. A second casino, the Golden Nugget Lake Charles , opened in 2014 next to L'Auberge du Lac. The 18-story casino resort hotel has more than 740 guest rooms,
1220-561: A household in the city was $ 36,001. The per capita income for the city was $ 22,855. 20.9% of the population was below the poverty line ; in 2020, the median income for a household in the city was $ 37,894. 26.7% of the population was below the poverty line. The average commute time was 22.4 minutes. The 2010 census determined that the racial and ethnic makeup for the city was 47% African American , 46% White <1% Native American , 2% Asian , 1% from other races , 2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3% of
1342-464: A level plain about 30 miles (48 km) from the Gulf of Mexico , has an elevation of approximately 13 feet (4.0 m) above sea level, and is located on the banks of the Calcasieu River in southwestern Louisiana . It borders both Lake Charles and Prien Lake . Contraband Bayou , Henderson Bayou, and English Bayou flow through the city. Oak trees and pine trees dot the landscape; the lumber industry
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#17327932828901464-714: A local route connecting the towns along its path. As it enters the Sunshine State, US 90 shifts south towards Pensacola while US 90 Alternate stays to the north of the city. This stretch of highway is also known as Nine Mile Road. After Hurricane Ivan destroyed the I-10 Bridge in Northwest Florida, motorists waited as long as two hours to cross the Escambia bridge between Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. The highway's route continues to
1586-623: A main route. Odd numbers generally increase from east to west; U.S. Route 1 (US 1) follows the Atlantic Coast and US 101 follows the Pacific Coast. (US 101 is one of the many exceptions to the standard numbering grid; its first "digit" is "10", and it is a main route on its own and not a spur of US 1.) Even numbers tend to increase from north to south; US 2 closely follows the Canadian border, and US 98 hugs
1708-491: A manufacturing facility which manufactures and exports parts for nuclear power plants. With small businesses, big box stores, and a regional mall, Lake Charles serves as the shopping and retail hub of the five-parish area . Prien Lake Mall , which serves nearly 300,000 people is anchored by three department stores. The Lake Charles Power Center is a shopping area that has 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m ) of shopping space. The Cottage Shop District supports approximately
1830-441: A means for interstate travelers to access local services and as secondary feeder roads or as important major arteries in their own right. In other places, where there are no nearby Interstate Highways, the U.S. Routes often remain as the most well-developed roads for long-distance travel. While the system's growth has slowed in recent decades, the U.S. Highway System remains in place to this day and new routes are occasionally added to
1952-512: A part of popular culture. US 101 continues east and then south to end at Olympia, Washington . The western terminus of US 2 is now at Everett, Washington . Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana , and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish , located on Lake Charles , Prien Lake , and the Calcasieu River . Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu Parish, it
2074-413: A population of 276,909. The 2020 population of the five-parish region of Southwest Louisiana was 313,951. For the city proper of Lake Charles at the 2020 census , it had a population of 84,872, with a population density of 1,890 people per square mile among 38,434 housing units. In 2010, the population was 71,993, reflecting a rebound from its 1990 population of 70,580. In 2010, the median income for
2196-602: A rough grid. Major routes from the earlier map were assigned numbers ending in 0, 1 or 5 (5 was soon relegated to less-major status), and short connections received three-digit numbers based on the main highway from which they spurred. The five-man committee met September 25, and submitted the final report to the Joint Board secretary on October 26. The board sent the report to the Secretary of Agriculture on October 30, and he approved it November 18, 1925. The new system
2318-656: A southern turn and passes through New Iberia , Franklin , Morgan City , and the Houma – Bayou Cane – Thibodaux metropolitan area before reaching New Orleans . The four-laning of US 90 was pushed in the 1990s by former State Senator Carl W. Bauer through his role as the chairman of the Governor's Interstate 49 Task Force while also a member of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce . The portion of US 90 from Lafayette to New Orleans
2440-568: A state-of-the-art park, was also built by volunteers, and is specifically designed for handicapped children. Hunting and fishing are popular with both residents and visitors to the Lake Area. An All-American Road , the Creole Nature Trail – "Louisiana's Outback" – brings tourists to Lake Charles and throughout Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas . Lake Charles has a mayor-council government. The elected officials include
2562-1163: Is McNeese State University 's student newspaper. Major television network affiliates include KPLC 7, an NBC affiliate also operating the area's CW affiliate on its DT2 subchannel, KSWL-LD 17, a CBS affiliate, KLTL 18, a PBS member station, KWWE-LD 19, a MyNetworkTV / MeTV affiliate, and KVHP 29, a Fox affiliate also operating the area's ABC affiliate on its DT2 subchannel. KBYS 88.3 Oldies , KRVS 88.7 Npr , KRLR 89.1 K-Love , KYLC 90.3, KOJO (FM) 91.1, KBAN 91.5, KTSR 92.1 Classic Rock , KHLA 92.9 Classic Hits , KPPM-LP 93.5 Black Gospel , KSMB 94.5 Top40(Chr) , KYKZ 96.1 Country , KQLK 97.9 Country , W252AQ 98.3, KNGT 99.5 Country , KELB-LP 100.5, KKGB 101.3 Mainstream Rock , KYBG 102.1 Classic Hits , KAJN-FM 102.9 Contemporary Christian , KBIU 103.3 Chr , KLCJ 104.1 Oldies , KKMY 104.5 Rhythmic Top 40 , KZWA 104.9 Urban Adult Contemporary , KIOC 106.1 Active Rock , KJMH 107.5 Urban , KLVI 560 News/Talk , KAOK 1400 Talk , KLCL 1470 Urban Adult Contemporary , KHB42 162.400 NOAA Weather Radio The city's streets are laid out primarily in
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#17327932828902684-550: Is 55 mph (89 km/h) for all rural points west of Monticello, Florida , and it is 60 mph (97 km/h) on all rural points beginning in Madison County to Glen St. Mary . The US 90 bridge between Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi , and Pass Christian, Mississippi , as well as the bridge between Biloxi, Mississippi , and Ocean Springs, Mississippi , were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. During
2806-721: Is Frazar Memorial Library, on the McNeese State University campus. The first library, Carnegie Memorial Library, was financed by Andrew Carnegie and opened in 1904. It also houses the Southwest Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Library. It, Central Library and Epps Memorial Library are part of the Calcasieu Parish Public Library , which has 13 locations in Calcasieu Parish . Lake Charles
2928-416: Is a major industrial, cultural, and educational center in the southwest region of the state. As of the 2020 U.S. census , Lake Charles's population was 84,872. The city and metropolitan area of Lake Charles is considered a regionally significant center of petrochemical refining, gambling, tourism, and education, being home to McNeese State University and Sowela Technical Community College . Because of
3050-637: Is a north–south route, unlike its parent US 22 , which is east–west. As originally assigned, the first digit of the spurs increased from north to south and east to west along the parent; for example, US 60 had spurs, running from east to west, designated as US 160 in Missouri , US 260 in Oklahoma , US 360 in Texas , and US 460 and US 560 in New Mexico . As with
3172-438: Is also high among U.S. cities, at 57.49 inches (1,460 mm) per year. Hurricane Laura devastated the city in 2020. The National Weather Service called the storm surge "unsurvivable" with one-minute sustained wind speeds of 150 mph (240 km/h). Numerous trees were blown down. The Lake Charles Regional Airport saw a gust of 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) as well as multiple hangars destroyed. Another gust in
3294-439: Is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States . As the designation and numbering of these highways were coordinated among the states, they are sometimes called Federal Highways , but the roadways were built and have always been maintained by state or local governments since their initial designation in 1926. The route numbers and locations are coordinated by
3416-644: Is appointed to a six-year term, and the fire chief is also appointed. The Lake Charles Fire Department has eight stations and 15 companies. McNeese State University also has its own police department, the McNeese State University Police Department. The Lake Charles City Court's jurisdiction covers the city and Ward 3 in Calcasieu Parish . The Fourteenth Judicial District Court, in downtown Lake Charles, covers Calcasieu Parish and includes nine judges who preside over family, juvenile, civil, and criminal trials. Lake Charles
3538-888: Is at Florida State Road A1A in Jacksonville Beach, Florida , three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean . On August 29, 2005, a number of the highway's bridges in Mississippi and Louisiana were destroyed or damaged due to Hurricane Katrina , including the Bay St. Louis Bridge , the Biloxi Bay Bridge , and the Fort Pike Bridge which have been replaced. US 90 begins at an intersection with BL I-10 and SH 54 in downtown Van Horn . It then heads south-southeast towards Marfa , where
3660-530: Is designated to become the corridor for I-49 . In New Orleans, US 90 again meets up with I-10, and the two highways follow a similar path into Mississippi. The description of US 90's route in Mississippi is explained in State Code § 65-3-3. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi's portion of US 90 was entirely four-lanes except for a very short segment at the state's west end leading to
3782-582: Is home to a United States District Court , also downtown. The Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeals is headquartered in the city. Lake Charles is represented by Clay Higgins of Louisiana's 3rd congressional district . Most of the city is represented by Senator Jeremy Stine of District 27 in the Louisiana State Senate , though Mark Abraham's District 25 includes some neighborhoods of south Lake Charles. The city has one university and one community college. McNeese State University , on
U.S. Route 90 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-693: Is home to the McNeese Cowboys , whose football team hosts games at Cowboy Stadium which has a seating capacity of 17,410. Burton Coliseum hosts the McNeese basketball teams. Lake Charles has been home to the Lake Charles Lakers and other minor-league baseball teams, indoor football teams, a minor-league ice hockey team and soccer teams. Golf is popular at the city's Mallard Cove Golf Course. Other golf courses include Gray Plantation Golf Course, Lake Charles Country Club Golf Course,
4026-772: Is in the process of eliminating all intrastate U.S. Highways less than 300 miles (480 km) in length "as rapidly as the State Highway Department and the Standing Committee on Highways of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials can reach agreement with reference thereto". New additions to the system must serve more than one state and "substantially meet the current AASHTO design standards ". A version of this policy has been in place since 1937. The original major transcontinental routes in 1925, along with
4148-411: Is land and 2.7 square miles (7.1 km ), or 6.12%, is water. Lake Charles is tied with Port Arthur, Texas , and Astoria, Oregon , as the most humid city in the contiguous United States , and the second-most humid measured location behind unincorporated Quillayute, Washington. The average relative humidity in Lake Charles is 90% in the morning, and 72% in the afternoon. Average annual precipitation
4270-493: Is multiplexed with I-10 through Houston is the only section of the route that is unsigned. In eastern Houston, US 90 splits from I-10 and heads northeast towards Liberty , eventually traveling through downtown Beaumont where it rejoins I-10 for the rest of its routing through Texas. The speed limit on US 90 between Van Horn and Del Rio is mainly 75 miles per hour (121 km/h). Beginning at Seguin , US 90 Alternate splits from US 90 and travels parallel to
4392-513: Is named after him. There are also urban tales he had planned to name the settlement Nouveau Cadix (New Cádiz )", after the city in Spain , but this is uncertain. The town was first incorporated in 1857 as Charleston, after an early settler, Charles Sallier . Ten years later, on March 16, 1867, Charleston was reincorporated as the City of Lake Charles. The Great Fire of April 1910 devastated much of
4514-428: Is one of the United States' few liquified natural gas terminals. It has facilities for LNG receipt, storage, and re-gasification. Other industrial companies include PPG Industries , Phillips 66 , Sasol , and W. R. Grace . Local industry also includes a number of manufacturing companies. Chennault International Airport hosts AAR Corp , which services airplanes, and a Northrop Grumman facility. The Shaw Group has
4636-693: Is owned by the city. Charpentier is French for "carpenter", a reference to the carpenter-architects who built the mixed-style homes in the district. Central School features the Black Heritage Art Gallery, which is on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail , as well as the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu, which features extravagant costumes and an interactive float. It has the largest collection of Mardi Gras memorabilia in
4758-487: Is regularly attended by more than 200,000 people, making it one of the largest celebrations in Louisiana. In a reference to the legends of piracy on the lake and Contraband Bayou, the festival begins when the pirate Jean Lafitte and his crew capture the city and force the mayor to walk the plank. Mardi Gras in Lake Charles has a long history dating back to 1882, when Momus, King of Mardi Gras, landed his royal yacht at
4880-554: The Alfred Lawson, Jr. Highway. Continuing east, the highway is a two-lane road north of I-10 along the rest of its route, except as it turns to the south to pass through Lake City at I-75 . After going through the Osceola National Forest , it passes I-295 heading into Jacksonville , becoming four lanes through the industrialized west side as Beaver Street, and through downtown as Union Street. It crosses
5002-566: The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), worked to form a national numbering system to rationalize the roads. After several meetings, a final report was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in November 1925. After getting feedback from the states, they made several modifications; the U.S. Highway System was approved on November 11, 1926. Expansion of the U.S. Highway System continued until 1956, when
U.S. Route 90 - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-532: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The only federal involvement in AASHTO is a nonvoting seat for the United States Department of Transportation . Generally, most north-to-south highways are odd-numbered, with the lowest numbers in the east and the highest in the west, while east-to-west highways are typically even-numbered, with the lowest numbers in
5246-519: The Calcasieu Parish Public School System . There are two charter schools and several private schools. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles operates and/or is affiliated with private Roman Catholic schools. The most widely distributed, daily newspaper is The American Press . Other popular periodicals include Lagniappe Magazine , The Jambalaya News , Gumbeaux Magazine , and Thrive Magazine . The Contraband
5368-470: The DeSoto Trail between Tallahassee and Lake City, Florida . With the exception of a short-lived northward extension to US 62 / US 180 near Pine Springs, Texas , that existed for less than one year, its western terminus has always been at Van Horn, Texas ; this is an intersection with I-10 Business (formerly US 80 ) just north of an interchange with I-10 . Its eastern terminus
5490-505: The Everett Turnpike . However, US Routes in the system do use parts of five toll roads: U.S. Routes in the contiguous United States follow a grid pattern, in which odd-numbered routes run generally north to south and even-numbered routes run generally east to west, though three-digit spur routes can be either-or. Usually, one- and two-digit routes are major routes, and three-digit routes are numbered as shorter spur routes from
5612-688: The Gulf Freeway carried US 75 , the Pasadena Freeway carried US 66 , and the Pulaski Skyway carries US 1 and US 9 . The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 appropriated funding for the Interstate Highway System, to construct a vast network of freeways across the country. By 1957, AASHO had decided to assign a new grid to the new routes, to be numbered in the opposite directions as
5734-539: The Interstate Highway System was laid out and began construction under the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower . After the national implementation of the Interstate Highway System, many U.S. Routes that had been bypassed or overlaid with Interstate Highways were decommissioned and removed from the system. In some places, the U.S. Routes remain alongside the Interstates and serve as
5856-618: The New England states got together to establish the six-state New England Interstate Routes . Behind the scenes, the federal aid program had begun with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , providing 50% monetary support from the federal government for improvement of major roads. The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 limited the routes to 7% of each state's roads, while 3 in every 7 roads had to be "interstate in character". Identification of these main roads
5978-610: The Old Spanish Trail . The pdf document is available at the 'Project Updates' page of the Mississippi Department of Transportation 's website (www.gomdot.com). US 90, internally designated by the Alabama Department of Transportation as State Route 16 ( SR 16 ), is a major east–west state highway across the southern part of the U.S. state of Alabama . US 90/SR 16 crosses
6100-486: The Pacific coast . Many local disputes arose related to the committee's choices between designation of two roughly equal parallel routes, which were often competing auto trails. At their January meeting, AASHO approved the first two of many split routes (specifically US 40 between Manhattan, Kansas and Limon, Colorado and US 50 between Baldwin City, Kansas and Garden City, Kansas ). In effect, each of
6222-852: The St. Johns River on the Main Street Bridge and continues east as Beach Boulevard to its terminus at Florida State Road A1A in Jacksonville Beach . US 90 passes through the county seats of 15 counties on its course in Florida, and is never more than 6 miles (9.7 km) from I-10 throughout the state. The highway's hidden state road designation is primarily Florida State Road 10 ( Florida State Road 10A in Pensacola), but along Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville it becomes Florida State Road 212 . The speed limit
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#17327932828906344-592: The United Methodist Church , National Baptist Convention, USA , Churches of Christ , Church of God in Christ , and the Assemblies of God USA . Additionally, outside of Christianity, there were an estimated 354 adherents of Islam in the city and metropolitan area. According to Dwellics and Sperling's BestPlaces , there is also a small Jewish population. In 2018, the violent crime rate in
6466-415: The auto trails which they roughly replaced, were as follows: US 10, US 60, and US 90 only ran about two thirds of the way across the country, while US 11 and US 60 ran significantly diagonally. US 60's violation of two of the conventions would prove to be one of the major sticking points; US 60 eventually was designated as US 66 in 1926, and later it became
6588-409: The 1940s and 1950s to adopt the same number as the U.S. Route they connected to – mostly in the western provinces. Examples include British Columbia 's highways 93 , 95 , 97 , and 99 ; Manitoba 's highways 59 , 75 , and 83 ; or Ontario King's Highway 71 . The reverse happened with U.S. Route 57 , originally a Texas state highway numbered to match Mexican Federal Highway 57 . In the 1950s,
6710-736: The Artists Civic Theatre and Studio (ACTS), and the Children's Theatre. Many festivals are held at the Civic Center. The most popular, the Louisiana Pirate Festival (formerly Contraband Days), is hosted on the Civic Center grounds and lakefront. The festival is a twelve-day annual festival held during the first two weeks of May. The celebrations are filled with savory Cajun food, family fun, and live entertainment, including several national acts. The festival
6832-588: The Calcasieu Parish School System, employs approximately 5,000 workers. The second-largest employer is L'Auberge Casino Resort, which has 2,400 workers. Several petrochemical plants and an oil refinery are located nearby along the Calcasieu Ship Channel . Turner Industries, Westlake Chemical Corporation , and Citgo each employ over a thousand people. The Trunkline LNG terminal, immediately southwest of Lake Charles,
6954-595: The Contraband Bayou Golf Club, and the Country Club at Golden Nugget. Gray Plantation Golf Course is featured on Louisiana's Audubon Golf Trail. South Lake Charles Little League has had nationally winning teams televised on ESPN. The city has 31 parks, many of which include playground equipment, athletic facilities, and walking paths. Shiver-Me-Timbers Millennium Park, located downtown, was built entirely by volunteers in 2000. Adventure Cove,
7076-1078: The Doré School of Graduate Studies. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . Other properties include a 65-acre (260,000 m ) athletic plant and student apartment complex, the Louisiana Environmental Research Center, Burton Coliseum , the 503-acre (2.04 km ) MSU Farm, and nearly 1,600 acres (6.5 km ) of donated farm property used for research, farming, and ranching. Over 8,500 students attend McNeese. SOWELA Technical Community College offers associate degrees, technical diplomas, certificate programs, and general education courses that can transfer to four-year universities. Delta School of Business and Technology specializes in vocational courses. Lake Charles's public schools are operated by
7198-484: The Gulf Coast. The longest routes connecting major cities are generally numbered to end in a 1 or a 0; however, extensions and truncations have made this distinction largely meaningless. These guidelines are very rough, and exceptions to all of the basic numbering rules exist. The numbering system also extended beyond the borders of the United States in an unofficial manner. Many Canadian highways were renumbered in
7320-406: The Lake Area. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, the Roman Catholic Church is the area's largest individual Christian denomination, with 51,161 adherents in Calcasieu Parish alone. The Southern Baptist Convention was the city and area's second largest denomination, followed by non-denominational Protestant churches. Other prominent Christian denominations have included
7442-453: The Lake Charles Symphony. It was founded in 1938 and hosts concerts at the Rosa Hart Theatre, which has a capacity of over 2,000. The Lake Charles Little Theatre was founded in 1927 and is the second oldest community theater in Louisiana. Lake Charles is home to a number of museums and art galleries. The largest, the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, features a permanent historical exhibit with artifacts and an art gallery. Its grounds are home to
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#17327932828907564-488: The Lake Charles area was of the highest in the United States, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked include rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. Lake Charles is safer than 13% of cities in the United States. For every 100,000 people, 13.11 daily crimes occur in Lake Charles. Year over year, crime in Lake Charles has decreased by 25%. The top employer,
7686-544: The Northeast, New York held out for fewer routes designated as US highways. The Pennsylvania representative, who had not attended the local meetings, convinced AASHO to add a dense network of routes, which had the effect of giving six routes termini along the state line. (Only US 220 still ends near the state line, and now it ends at an intersection with future I-86 .) Because US 20 seemed indirect, passing through Yellowstone National Park , Idaho and Oregon requested that US 30 be swapped with US 20 to
7808-419: The Sallier oak tree, which is around 400 years old. The Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center is used as exhibition space; moving art exhibits are displayed at this public art gallery each month. It also hosts the Charlestown Farmers' Market, which provides a venue for local farmers and merchants to sell goods. The Central School Arts and Humanities Center, located in the historical Charpentier District,
7930-419: The South. Other studios and cultural activities include the Art Associates Gallery, Studio 347 Gallery, the Lake Charles Symphony, and the Lake Charles Community Band. McNeese State University produces the annual Banners Series of various musical and theatrical performances. Banners also hosts lectures and presentations from notable persons and academics. Local theaters include the Lake Charles Little Theatre,
8052-595: The U.S. Highway grid. Though the Interstate numbers were to supplement—rather than replace—the U.S. Route numbers, in many cases (especially in the West ) the US highways were rerouted along the new Interstates. Major decommissioning of former routes began with California 's highway renumbering in 1964 . The 1985 removal of US 66 is often seen as the end of an era of US highways. A few major connections not served by Interstate Highways include US 6 from Hartford, Connecticut, to Providence, Rhode Island and US 93 from Phoenix, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada, though
8174-476: The US Highway system, three-digit numbers are assigned to spurs of one or two-digit routes. US 201 , for example, splits from US 1 at Brunswick, Maine , and runs north to Canada. Not all spurs travel in the same direction as their "parents"; some are connected to their parents only by other spurs, or not at all, instead only traveling near their parents, Also, a spur may travel in different cardinal directions than its parent, such as US 522 , which
8296-477: The US highway, which did not end in zero, but was still seen as a satisfyingly round number. Route 66 came to have a prominent place in popular culture, being featured in song and films. With 32 states already marking their routes, the plan was approved by AASHO on November 11, 1926. This plan included a number of directionally split routes, several discontinuous routes (including US 6 , US 19 and US 50 ), and some termini at state lines. By
8418-504: The United States Numbered Highways system had a total length of 157,724 miles (253,832 km). Except for toll bridges and tunnels , very few U.S. Routes are toll roads . AASHTO policy says that a toll road may only be included as a special route , and that "a toll-free routing between the same termini shall continue to be retained and marked as a part of the U.S. Numbered System." U.S. Route 3 (US 3) meets this obligation; in New Hampshire , it does not follow tolled portions of
8540-409: The approval of the states along the former US 60. But Missouri and Oklahoma did object—Missouri had already printed maps, and Oklahoma had prepared signs. A compromise was proposed, in which US 60 would split at Springfield, Missouri , into US 60E and US 60N, but both sides objected. The final solution resulted in the assignment of US 66 to the Chicago-Los Angeles portion of
8662-405: The auto trail associations were not able to formally address the meetings. However, as a compromise, they talked with the Joint Board members. The associations finally settled on a general agreement with the numbering plans, as named trails would still be included. The tentative system added up to 81,000 miles (130,000 km), 2.8% of the public road mileage at the time. The second full meeting
8784-593: The city reached 137 miles per hour (220 km/h). Many windows were blown out of Capital One Tower downtown. A communications tower collapsed onto the KPLC studio building (which had been evacuated) and part of a sky bridge was blown out. The radar at the NWS Lake Charles forecast office (whose staff evacuated, with the office's operations transferred to the Brownsville, Texas office) was destroyed around
8906-406: The city. Lake Charles soon rebuilt, grew and expanded in the twentieth century. The Charleston Hotel was completed in 1929, during the administration of Mayor Henry J. Geary. During and after World War II , Lake Charles experienced industrial growth with the arrival of petrochemical refineries. The city grew to a high of some 75,000 people in the early 1980s, but with local economic recession,
9028-406: The entire route is now restored. Reconstruction projects continue on much of the highway and lane closures are common. Substantial completion of all US 90 Katrina-related road work in this state was scheduled to have been completed by now. 'US Highway 90 Project History' recounts in some detail this roadway's colorful past in Mississippi, dating back to the early 20th century when it was part of
9150-508: The extreme southern part of the state, covering approximately 77 miles (124 km). The routes pass through Baldwin County before entering the city of Mobile where it gains a wrong way concurrency with US 98. and later joins US Truck Route 98, briefly also overlapping Interstate 165 . The portion of US 90 that crosses Mobile Bay is locally referred to as the " Causeway ". With the completion of I-10 , US 90/SR 16 serves primarily as
9272-471: The first documented person to drive an automobile from San Francisco to New York using only a connection of dirt roads, cow paths, and railroad beds. His journey, covered by the press, became a national sensation and called for a system of long-distance roads. In the early 1910s, auto trail organizations—most prominently the Lincoln Highway —began to spring up, marking and promoting routes for
9394-414: The foot of Pujo Street downtown. Throughout the two World Wars, Mardi Gras was downsized which led to a lack of participation by the area's youth. However, an interest in redeveloping the festivities arose, and the first Mardi Gras Ball in Lake Charles was staged in 1964. The full revival of Mardi Gras in Lake Charles was not realized until 1979, when several Krewe captains formed the "Krewe of Krewes", with
9516-517: The heading for each route. All reports of the Special Committee on Route Numbering since 1989 use "U.S. Route", and federal laws relating to highways use "United States Route" or "U.S. Route" more often than the "Highway" variants. The use of U.S. Route or U.S. Highway on a local level depends on the state, with some states such as Delaware using "route" and others such as Colorado using "highway". In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson became
9638-644: The highway in New Orleans were impassable under flood waters for weeks due to the general flooding of that city; see Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans . The Crescent City Connection bridge over the Mississippi River in Sector 49, also known as US 90 Business , remained intact and was the only usable route out of that city in the immediate aftermath of the storm until the section of Leake Avenue/River Road between New Orleans and Metairie
9760-467: The intended use, provide a parallel routing to the mainline U.S. Highway. Before the U.S. Routes were designated, auto trails designated by auto trail associations were the main means of marking roads through the United States. These were private organizations, and the system of road marking at the time was haphazard and not uniform. In 1925, the Joint Board on Interstate Highways , recommended by
9882-585: The intersection of I-10 (East Freeway) and the I-610 (East Loop) . On January 24, 2011, the new extension officially opened. Due to lack of funds, overpasses were not built over Greens Bayou and over future Purple Sage Road, leaving traffic to briefly exit to the frontage roads before rejoining the freeway. Entering Louisiana from the west, US 90 and I-10 travel side by side through Lake Charles to Lafayette . In Lafayette, US 90 and I-10 part ways: I-10 proceeds east to Baton Rouge , while US 90 takes
10004-441: The lakes and waterways throughout the city, metropolitan Lake Charles is often called the Lake Area . On March 7, 1861, Lake Charles was incorporated as the town of Charleston, Louisiana. Lake Charles was founded by merchant and tradesman Marco Eliche (or Marco de Élitxe) as an outpost. He was a Sephardic Jewish trader of either Basque-Spanish or Venetian-Italian origins. He had arrived in Louisiana after hitchhiking and
10126-478: The latter is planned to be upgraded to Interstate 11 . Three state capitals in the contiguous U.S. are served only by U.S. Routes: Dover, Delaware ; Jefferson City, Missouri ; and Pierre, South Dakota . In 1995, the National Highway System was defined to include both the Interstate Highway System and other roads designated as important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. AASHTO
10248-413: The mayor, the clerk of court, and seven city council members. Each council member represents a district within the city limits. One is elected president and presides over each meeting. The mayor serves a four-year term. The current mayor is Nic Hunter . The mayor appoints the city attorney . The Lake Charles Police Department (LCPD) provides law enforcement and protection for the city. The police chief
10370-483: The more colorful names and historic value of the auto trail systems. The New York Times wrote, "The traveler may shed tears as he drives the Lincoln Highway or dream dreams as he speeds over the Jefferson Highway , but how can he get a 'kick' out of 46, 55 or 33 or 21?" (A popular song later promised, " Get your kicks on Route 66! ") The writer Ernest McGaffey was quoted as saying, "Logarithms will take
10492-509: The most scenic roadways in the south, offering beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico on its south side and lovely mansions — some antebellum — on its north. The median featured many old, stately oak trees, a good number of which survived the storm. Many segments and important bridges were heavily damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. With the opening of two lanes of the Biloxi Bay Bridge on November 1, 2007,
10614-516: The new recreation of long-distance automobile travel. The Yellowstone Trail was another of the earliest examples. While many of these organizations worked with towns and states along the route to improve the roadways, others simply chose a route based on towns that were willing to pay dues, put up signs, and did little else. Wisconsin was the first state in the U.S. to number its highways , erecting signs in May 1918. Other states soon followed. In 1922,
10736-460: The north of I-10 as a two-lane highway through most of the sparsely-populated inland areas of the panhandle , becoming four lanes through and near several towns. In Gadsden County , US 90 cuts to the southeast toward downtown Tallahassee , where it passes the north entrance of Florida State University and expands to six lanes until its intersection with US 27 . The portion of the highway that extends through Midway has been designated as
10858-593: The north, and the highest in the south, though the grid guidelines are not rigidly followed, and many exceptions exist. Major north–south routes generally have numbers ending in "1", while major east–west routes usually have numbers ending in "0". Three-digit numbered highways are generally spur routes of parent highways; for example, U.S. Route 264 (US 264) is a spur off US 64 . Some divided routes , such as US 19E and US 19W , exist to provide two alignments for one route. Special routes, which can be labeled as alternate, bypass or business, depending on
10980-506: The numbering grid for the new Interstate Highway System was established as intentionally opposite from the US grid insofar as the direction the route numbers increase. Interstate Highway numbers increase from west-to-east and south-to-north, to keep identically numbered routes geographically apart in order to keep them from being confused with one another, and it omits 50 and 60 which would potentially conflict with US 50 and US 60 . In
11102-454: The old Pearl River Bridge into Louisiana. That segment of old highway is obviated for most purposes by an extension of the four-lane roadway from its split with US 90 to I-10 just east of the much newer Pearl Bridge. Before Hurricane Camille in 1969, the 26-mile (42 km) stretch of US 90 from the Bay St. Louis Bridge at the west end to the Biloxi Bay Bridge at the east was one of
11224-492: The optional routes into another route. In 1934, AASHO tried to eliminate many of the split routes by removing them from the log, and designating one of each pair as a three-digit or alternate route, or in one case US 37 . AASHO described its renumbering concept in the October 1934 issue of American Highways : "Wherever an alternate route is not suitable for its own unique two-digit designation, standard procedure assigns
11346-458: The other states. Many states agreed in general with the scope of the system, but believed the Midwest to have added too many routes to the system. The group adopted the shield, with few modifications from the original sketch, at that meeting, as well as the decision to number rather than name the routes. A preliminary numbering system, with eight major east–west and ten major north–south routes,
11468-412: The place of legends, and 'hokum' for history." When the U.S. numbered system was started in 1925, a few optional routings were established which were designated with a suffixed letter after the number indicating "north", "south", "east", or "west". While a few roads in the system are still numbered in this manner, AASHO believes that they should be eliminated wherever possible, by the absorption of one of
11590-460: The population declined and stagnated. In 1985, the city was identified as a potential Strategic Homeport to support Navy Secretary John Lehman 's desire for a 600-ship Navy . Support ships were to be operated from the new Naval Station Lake Charles; but with the tailing-off of the Cold War , the 1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended it be closed. By 1991, the incomplete base
11712-473: The population. In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the racial and ethnic makeup for Lake Charles was 46.2% Black or African American, 42.5% non-Hispanic white, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.6% Asian, 2.6% some other race, 5.6% two or more races, and 5.6% Hispanic or Latino American of any race. In common with most of the American South , Christianity is the predominant religion in
11834-910: The primary purpose of parading and promoting Mardi Gras for local residents. In 1985, Mardi Gras of Imperial Calcasieu, Inc. was formed by a group of civic-minded volunteers to further aid in the preservation of this festival. Mardi Gras in Lake Charles regularly draws in crowds of 150,000. Some of the city's cultural events include Chuck Fest, Martin Luther King Festival, Livestock Show & Rodeo, Black Heritage Festival, Garden Festival, Palm Sunday Tour of Homes, Downtown at Sundown, Memorial Day Avenue of Flags, Crawfish Festival, Asian/American Culturefest, Cajun French, Creole, Zydeco Music & Zydeco Trail Rides, Food Festivals, Marshland Festival, Gatorman Triathlon, Music & Food Festival, Arts Fest, and Riverside Fall Festival. Lake Charles has four libraries. The largest, with over 400,000 volumes,
11956-594: The route and the nominal direction of travel. Second, they are displayed at intersections with other major roads, so that intersecting traffic can follow their chosen course. Third, they can be displayed on large green guide signs that indicate upcoming interchanges on freeways and expressways. Since 1926, some divided routes were designated to serve related areas, and designate roughly-equivalent splits of routes. For instance, US 11 splits into US 11E (east) and US 11W (west) in Bristol, Virginia , and
12078-535: The route begins to head generally east. The route is mostly two lanes west of Uvalde . At this point, it becomes a four-lane surface road until it reaches western Bexar County where it becomes a freeway , joining I-10 in Downtown San Antonio . This concurrency with I-10 continues intermittently into western Houston , where US 90 follows the Katy Freeway. The section of US 90 that
12200-646: The routes rejoin in Knoxville, Tennessee . Occasionally only one of the two routes is suffixed; US 6N in Pennsylvania does not rejoin US ;6 at its west end. AASHTO has been trying to eliminate these since 1934; its current policy is to deny approval of new split routes and to eliminate existing ones "as rapidly as the State Highway Department and the Standing Committee on Highways can reach agreement with reference thereto". Special routes —those with
12322-500: The same large, bold numerals on a square-dimension shield, while 3-digit routes may either use the same shield with a narrower font, or a wider rectangular-dimension shield. Special routes may be indicated with a banner above the route number, or with a letter suffixed to the route number. Signs are generally displayed in several different locations. First, they are shown along the side of the route at regular intervals or after major intersections (called reassurance markers ), which shows
12444-525: The south, rejoining the main route in northeast Houston. In 1991, the construction on a four- to six-lane freeway northeast of Houston in Harris County was completed along a new routing for US 90; that portion was designated the Crosby Freeway. This segment traveled from just inside Beltway 8 to east of the town of Crosby . Construction began in 2006 to extend the freeway westward to
12566-564: The southwest to Oklahoma City , from where it ran west to Los Angeles . Kentucky strongly objected to this designated route, as it had been left off any of the major east–west routes, instead receiving the US ;62 designation. In January 1926, the committee designated this, along with the part of US 52 east of Ashland, Kentucky , as US 60 . They assigned US 62 to the Chicago-Los Angeles route, contingent on
12688-538: The splits in US 11 , US 19 , US 25 , US 31 , US 45 , US 49 , US 73 , and US 99 . For the most part, the U.S. Routes were the primary means of inter-city vehicle travel; the main exceptions were toll roads such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike and parkway routes such as the Merritt Parkway . Many of the first high-speed roads were U.S. Highways:
12810-920: The storm, the St. Louis Bay bridge was under water and destroyed. Portions of US 90 were damaged along the Battleship Parkway on Mobile Bay in Baldwin County, Alabama. Sections of the highway in Harrison County, Mississippi , including other bridges and much of the roadbed, were damaged or destroyed. Both the Rigolets Bridge and the Chef Menteur Bridge across Chef Menteur Pass in New Orleans East were damaged, but have since been reopened. Some sections of
12932-430: The system. In general, U.S. Routes do not have a minimum design standard, unlike the later Interstate Highways , and are not usually built to freeway standards. Some stretches of U.S. Routes do meet those standards. Many are designated using the main streets of the cities and towns through which they run. New additions to the system, however, must "substantially meet the current AASHTO design standards ". As of 1989,
13054-531: The time of landfall, with its dome and much of its internal equipment sheared from the radar tower's base. A few weeks later, Hurricane Delta also hit Lake Charles. Lake Charles is the principal city of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area , which had a population of 240,082 as of 2023. It is the larger principal city of the Lake Charles-DeRidder combined statistical area , with
13176-550: The time the first route log was published in April 1927, major numbering changes had been made in Pennsylvania in order to align the routes to the existing auto trails. In addition, U.S. Route 15 had been extended across Virginia . Much of the early criticism of the U.S. Highway System focused on the choice of numbers to designate the highways, rather than names. Some thought a numbered highway system to be cold compared to
13298-548: The two routes received the same number, with a directional suffix indicating its relation to the other. These splits were initially shown in the log as—for instance—US 40 North and US 40 South, but were always posted as simply US 40N and US 40S. The most heated argument, however, was the issue of US 60. The Joint Board had assigned that number to the Chicago-Los Angeles route, which ran more north–south than west–east in Illinois, and then angled sharply to
13420-468: The two-digit routes, three-digit routes have been added, removed, extended and shortened; the "parent-child" relationship is not always present. AASHTO guidelines specifically prohibit Interstate Highways and U.S. Routes from sharing a number within the same state. As with other guidelines, exceptions exist across the U.S. Some two-digit numbers have never been applied to any U.S. Route, including 37, 39, 47, 86, and 88. Route numbers are displayed on
13542-477: The unqualified number to the older or shorter route, while the other route uses the same number marked by a standard strip above its shield carrying the word 'Alternate'." Most states adhere to this approach. However, some maintain legacy routes that violate the rules in various ways. Examples can be found in California , Mississippi , Nebraska , Oregon , and Tennessee . In 1952, AASHO permanently recognized
13664-524: Was able to be cleared of heavy debris, but was blocked off by Jefferson Parish and Gretna law enforcement officials in a politically controversial move to prevent the looting and general anarchy from spreading to the relatively intact west bank of the Mississippi River. In mid-2006, construction began on the replacement for the Bay St. Louis bridge. It was completed on January 4, 2008, and includes four traffic lanes plus emergency shoulders and
13786-770: Was also chosen, based on the shield found on the Great Seal of the United States . The auto trail associations rejected the elimination of the highway names. Six regional meetings were held to hammer out the details—May 15 for the West , May 27 for the Mississippi Valley , June 3 for the Great Lakes , June 8 for the South , June 15 for the North Atlantic , and June 15 for New England . Representatives of
13908-510: Was both praised and criticized by local newspapers, often depending on whether that city was connected to a major route. While the Lincoln Highway Association understood and supported the plan, partly because they were assured of getting the US 30 designation as much as possible, most other trail associations lamented their obsolescence. At their January 14–15, 1926 meeting, AASHO was flooded with complaints. In
14030-524: Was completed in 1923. The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), formed in 1914 to help establish roadway standards, began to plan a system of marked and numbered "interstate highways" at its 1924 meeting. AASHO recommended that the Secretary of Agriculture work with the states to designate these routes. Secretary Howard M. Gore appointed the Joint Board on Interstate Highways , as recommended by AASHO, on March 2, 1925. The Board
14152-418: Was composed of 21 state highway officials and three federal Bureau of Public Roads officials. At the first meeting, on April 20 and 21, the group chose the name "U.S. Highway" as the designation for the routes. They decided that the system would not be limited to the federal-aid network; if the best route did not receive federal funds, it would still be included. The tentative design for the U.S. Route shield
14274-518: Was deferred to a numbering committee "without instructions". After working with states to get their approval, the committee expanded the highway system to 75,800 miles (122,000 km), or 2.6% of total mileage, over 50% more than the plan approved August 4. The skeleton of the numbering plan was suggested on August 27 by Edwin Warley James of the BPR, who matched parity to direction, and laid out
14396-530: Was dropped from the program and shuttered. In 2005, the city was heavily damaged by Hurricane Rita . In 2020, it was battered by two hurricanes, Category 4 Hurricane Laura on August 26–27, and Hurricane Delta on October 9, 2020. Lake Charles after the hurricane was described as if “20 tornadoes came in and wiped the city”. The southern portion of the city was damaged by an EF2 tornado on October 27, 2021, and an EF1 tornado caused minor damage to downtown Lake Charles on May 13, 2024. Lake Charles, located on
14518-424: Was held August 3 and 4, 1925. At that meeting, discussion was held over the appropriate density of routes. William F. Williams of Massachusetts and Frederick S. Greene of New York favored a system of only major transcontinental highways, while many states recommended a large number of roads of only regional importance. Greene in particular intended New York's system to have four major through routes as an example to
14640-590: Was invited onto a Spanish vessel due to his determination and loyalty to volunteer and work freely for the Spanish Empire. Long before incorporation and even before the Louisiana Purchase , other names for Lake Charles were Porte du Lafitte (Port of Jean Lafitte ) or Rivière Lafitte (River Lafitte/Lafitte's River), among many other names now lost. Eliche had also founded other outposts and towns in Louisiana prior, most notably Marksville , which
14762-602: Was once the main economic engine of the area. The Calcasieu Ship Channel , which allows large ocean-going vessels to sail up from the Gulf, also borders the city. The 2010 census recorded Lake Charles total land size was 48.6 sq miles was to 2023 census records Lake Charles being 61.35 sq miles in total size. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 44.8 square miles (116.0 km ), of which 42.0 square miles (108.9 km )
14884-686: Was repaired and opened to traffic on August 11, 2006. The Florida State Road No. 1 (also known as the Old Brick Road , Red Brick Road , U.S. Highway 90, or Old Spanish Trail ) is a historic road near Milton, Florida . It is located, roughly, in three sections east of Milton, parallel to US 90, between Marquis Bayou and Harold . On June 23, 1994, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places . United States highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways )
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