Amount Lafayette Consolidated Government paid in October 2005 to tech vendor Mark St. Pierre for four wireless routers that had been donated to the city of New Orleans by a California firm in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
1 Youngsville’s ranking among the 2011 “Best Places to Live in Louisiana” Population: 6,364 Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $74,809 Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 36.8% Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.67
9 Lafayette’s ranking on the “Best Places” list (behind Blanchard, Mandeville, Zachary, Abita Springs, Brusly, Harahan and Covington) Population: 114,918 Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $52,057 Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 33.8% Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 16.15 Source: J.C. Grant of Yahoo! Contributor Network ranks the best places to live in Louisiana based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). The Louisiana ranking was 25th in a 50-state series.
$66 million Amount a group of Stanford investors, including many from the Lafayette area, claim to have lost in the alleged $8 billion Ponzi scheme. In late March the Lafayette investors filed suit against the SEC and one its former officials, Spencer Barasch, for negligence and misconduct, claiming they turned a blind eye to the massive fraud. As many as 50 plaintiffs are expected to join the suit, Robert J. Dartez LLC, et al v. the United States of America, filed in federal court in Dallas. The largest plaintiff so far in the suit is Robert Hollier of Opelousas, who says he lost $4.8 million.
500 Number of nonfarm jobs Lafayette gained in March, compared to March 2010. Baton Rouge lost 2,500, the largest decline of any metro in the state, and Monroe lost 600. New Orleans was up 3,100, Houma-Thibodaux 2,800, Shreveport-Bossier 2,600 and Alexandria 1,000. Louisiana overall added 10,300 jobs, the sixth consecutive month it has gained. Source: Louisiana Workforce Commission
2 trillion - Amount of cubic feet of natural gas produced in Louisiana in 2010. Thanks to the Haynesville Shale in north Louisiana, natural gas production in the state reached its highest levels since 1984. Production in 2010 was 36 percent higher than in 2009 and 48 percent more than what the state generated in 2008.
31,282 - Population increase in Lafayette Parish, 2000 to 2010 – third best in the state behind St. Tammany (+42,472) and Livingston (+36,212)
159 - Percentage growth of Lafayette Parish’s Hispanic population. 2000 to 2010 Source: U.S. Census Bureau
449,140 - Number of passengers who flew to and from Lafayette Regional Airport in 2010, surpassing the record of 440,462 set in 2007. The three airlines serving the airport reported a combined increase of 2 percent in passenger activity in 2010, and the trend appears to be continuing. Several months in 2010 were the best on record, including December, when 18,413 passengers boarded planes at the airport, and another 17,848 passengers arrived — the second highest December in the airport’s history.
$300 million Approximate amount of state funding in 2010 for Louisiana’s 10 state-owned, taxpayer funded public hospitals in 64 parishes, in addition to $300 million in federal dollars (which does not include Medicaid and Medicare payments).
An Atlanta-based company is entering the Lafayette market with an $8 million student-cottage complex on Coolidge Street at General Mouton and the 1800 block of West Pinhook Road, once the site of Evangeline Motors.
