Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish , Louisiana , United States . It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 . The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census . Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's population above 25,000. Opelousas is the principal city for the Opelousas- Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area , which had an estimated population of 92,178 in 2008. Opelousas is also the 3rd largest city in the Lafayette - Acadiana Combined Statistical Area , which has a population of 537,947. At only 7.5 square miles, Opelousas is the most densely populated incorporated city in Louisiana. Founded in 1720, Opelousas is Louisiana's 3rd oldest city. The city served as a major trading post between New Orleans and Natchitoches in the 18th and 19th centuries. Traditionally an area of settlement by French Creoles and Acadians, Opelousas is the center of zydeco music. It celebrates its heritage at the Creole Heritage Folklife Center, one of the destinations on the new Louisiana African American Heritage Trail . It is also the location of the Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino . The city is known as the spice capital of the world , with production and sale of seasonings such as Tony Chachere's products , Targil Seasonings , Savoie's cajun meats and products , and LouAna Cooking Oil. Opelousas was also home to one of the nation's two Yoohoo Factories until their closing. During the tenure of Sheriff Cat Doucet from 1936–1940 and 1952-1968 that part of Opelousas along Highway 190 was a haven of gambling and prostitution . Doucet told the historian Michael Kurtz that the return of Earl Kemp Long to the governorship in 1956 allowed Doucet to permit the return of brothels and casinos and to guarantee the sheriff a take of the proceeds.
History Early years Opelousas takes its name from the Native American tribe Appalousa who had occupied the area before European contact. The first recorded European arrived in the Appalousa Territory in 1690. He was a French coureur de bois . French traders arrived later to trade with the Appalousa Indians. In 1719, the French sent the first military to the Territory, when Ensign Nicolas Chauvin de la Frénière and two others were sent to patrol the area and in 1720, the French established Opelousas Post as a major trading organization for the developing area. The French encouraged immigration to Opelousas Post before they ceded Louisiana to Spain in 1762. By 1769 about 100 families, mostly French, were living in the Post. In 1774 the Saint Landry Catholic Church was built. Don Alejandro O'Reilly , Spanish governor of Louisiana, issued a land ordinance to allow settlers in the frontier of the Opelousas Territory to acquire land grants. The first official land grant was made in 1782.
