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What Is Acadiana
In this section we will discover the Acadian history by asking what is Acadiana, what is Acadia, and who are the Acadians? While the terminology is not important, the cultural and historical significance behind the terms is.
Acadiana is the 22 parishes in South Louisiana that were settled by the Acadians. Acadiana makes up about 1/3 of Louisiana, and it is the region that is also called "Cajun Country". The origin of the term only dates back to the 1960's when a television station in Lafayette, Louisiana began using it to describe their broadcast area. The word stuck, and it has been called that every since. In 1974 the Louisiana state legislature even adopted an official flag of Acadiana. In the 2000 census, the total population of Acadiana was set at 1,352,646. Its largest city is Lafayette. On September 26, 2005 Hurricane Rita severely damaged the western region of Acadiana, but most of it has recovered remarkably well since then.
Acadia is the region in present day Canada and the extreme northeast section of the modern day U.S. that was settled by the French. Most of these settlers moved to Louisiana after the expulsion by the British, and are now known as Cajuns. Most of Acadia was located in what is known as Nova Scotia, and Cajun reunions regularly congregate to this area today to observe their ancestors' homeland.
Simply put, the Acadians are the people that settled Acadia. Most of them came from France. After the Great Expulsion by the British, most Acadians (those that survived and escaped) settled in French Louisiana.