"Southwest Louisiana" is often used to represent a broader region that includes parishes farther east. The most prominent example is the college now known as the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Until 1998, UL was known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana, the Southwestern Louisiana Institute, and the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute — despite being located in
Lafayette, a city roughly 40 miles east of the five-parish area defined here. Its athletic teams were often referred to simply as "Southwestern." The Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival, the Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association, and the Greater Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce are all based in Lafayette or the surrounding area, not near Lake Charles. ==See also==