According to the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the hub city is now the third largest metro area in the state after New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

After adding Acadia, Iberia, and Vermilion Parish, Lafayette has now bumped the Shreveport-Bossier city area becoming Louisiana’s third-largest metro population. Although the parishes have been in Acadiana for years, they weren’t included by the Census Bureau until now. Along with the new title will also come new jobs.

More companies indeed, recently bell helicopter has announced that it will locate a $26,000,000 dollar plant in Lafayette. This will be the first aircraft manufacturer in Louisiana bringing over 200 jobs to the area. Charlie Duplechin works at the Lafayette Work Force Commission and he says they are more than prepared for the job influx.

Three software development companies are also moving to the hub city: CGI, Enquero, and Perficient. This move will create 2,000 jobs for the area. Patricia is newly unemployed and she says the new companies and opportunities are a sigh of relief.

She says. “You have a lot if experienced people that’s been working along time and it’s hard to find a good job anymore so hopefully that will help.””

Lafayette has over 30,000 more residents that the former third spot hole Shreveport-Bossier city.