Lake Charles LA Moving Companies

Lake Charles, Louisiana

With beautiful natural habitats, fresh water marshes, scenic rivers, inviting sunsets on the lakefront, warm sandy beaches, coupled with smiling faces and warm hearts, Lake Charles, Louisiana is an inviting place to call home. Those moving to Lake Charles will discover many appealing characteristics and qualities of a great urban center with a small town.

History:
On March 16, 1867, Charleston, Louisiana, was incorporated into the town of Lake Charles. From the city's very beginning, no one ethnic group, race, religion or politics dominated the culture. The beginning of the 1860's would bring the war years, but Southwest Louisiana had its own unique attitude toward the war. Both English and northeastern Americans had come to settle Lake Charles. In the years following the Civil War, Lake Charles regained its status as a lumbering center. Using the pinewood from the city's mills, construction of large Victorian mansions transformed Lake Charles during the 1890s. In 1910, the Great Fire of 1910 devastated much of the city; the 1890 courthouse, along with most of downtown Lake Charles, was destroyed. After World War II, Lake Charles experienced industrial growth with the onset of the petrochemical refining industries. The Lake Charles Civic Center, built on reclaimed land on the lakefront in the 1970s, hosted many national shows, acts, and pop singers such as Elvis. The city grew to a high of some 80,000 people in the early 1980s, but with local economic recession, the population declined. With the arrival of the gaming industry, the city has begun again to see growth. Lake Charles suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Rita, which struck the city in 2005. There was extensive damage to the city's electrical grid, and many areas did not have power restored for up to three weeks. Today, the city has all but recovered, and is looking forward to a prosperous and productive future.

Economy:
Thousands in the Lake Area residents are employed by the petro-chemical refineries located across the river near Sulphur and Westlake. Some of the corporations with facilities in or around the city include PPG Industries, ConocoPhillips and Citgo Petroleum Corporation. The Trunkline LNG terminal, immediately southwest of Lake Charles, is one of the country’s’ few liquefied natural gas terminals. It has facilities for LNG receipt, storage, and re-gasification. Manufacturing has been achieving economic success in the area in order to diversify the economic base of the city. Lake Charles also serves as the shopping and retail hub of the five-parish area. It supports many small businesses, especially along Ryan Street and throughout downtown. The Cottage Shop District, located three miles south of downtown, supports approximately a dozen small businesses. Lake Charles is home to a growing medical community. It is served by five hospitals: Christus St. Patrick Hospital, Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, W. O. Moss Regional Hospital, Women and Children's Hospital, and Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women, which is located in a growing area of the city. Many specialized doctors' offices and medical clinics have located along the recently-renamed Dr. Michael E. DeBakey Drive, named after the world-renowned surgeon who was born and raised in Lake Charles.

Tourism:
One of the area’s premier golf courses, Contraband Bayou Golf Club at L'Auberge Du Lac, was designed by world-renowned golf architect Tom Fazio, and is noted for its emphasis on the marsh and lowland features of Louisiana’s natural environment. The unique 7,000-yard, par-71 championship 18-hole golf course is the only public Fazio course in the state, and features a combination of aquatic and natural vegetation among eight spectacular lakes. Next, Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu provides a history of the famous Lousiana event through interactive exhibits and displays. Then, bring the entire family to Imperial Calcasieu Museum. This local museum offers you and yours a glimpse into the area’s storied past. Children big and small will learn through well-planned exhibits and an assortment of photos, artwork and more. Keep the learning alive by heading over to the Children's Museum. Here you will experience exhibits and displays geared toward stimulating the growing, curious minds of our youth. Feeling lucky? Head to one of the city’s several casinos for a few rolls of the dice. Bustling with slot machines, blackjack tables and more, L'Auberge du Lac Casino and Isle of Capri Casino are the perfect places for a bit of nighttime entertainment.

Colleges and Universities:

• McNeese State University
• Sowela Technical Community College

Interesting Facts:

• Forbes magazine ranked Lake Charles Louisiana as one of the top 10 up-and-coming cities in the U.S.
• The Port of Lake Charles is one of the largest inland ports in the nation and the largest rice exporting port in the U.S.