Louisiana Cajun French Heartland
Jan 28th, 2009 | By admin | Category: Destinations
Contrary to popular belief, Louisiana, as a whole, is not Cajun. I know it’s hard to believe, but many people in the northern part of the state don’t eat Gumbo, boiled crawfish, and many of them use Lowry’s or McCormick’s season-salt as opposed to Tony Chachere’s and “Slap Ya Mama.” And hey, we’re not knocking that. We embrace it.
Like the United States, Louisiana is a micro-melting pot of many different cultures. Of the 64 parishes that make up the state, only 22 are considered “cajun.” We refer to this region as Acadiana because that’s where the Acadians of Nova Scotia settled after Le Grand Dérangement in the mid to late 1700’s. This can even be further divided into 9 parishes that are known as the heartland of Acadiana, with the city of Lafayette being the major hub. So, where do you go to experience the Cajun Heartland? Here’s a list of the major Cajun parishes (highlighted in dark red on the map to the right) in Louisiana.
The Cajun Heartland Parishes and cities of Interest
Lafayette Parish
Evangeline Parish
Acadia Parish Cities
Vermillion Parish
Iberia Parish
St. Martin
St. Mary
Avoyelles
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