Thibodaux — Bayou Lafourche Gateway

Bayou Lafourche leaves the Mississippi watershed here and runs 106 miles south to the Gulf. Incorporated in 1838 and named for Governor Henry Schuyler Thibodaux, the city became the seat of Lafourche Parish. Downtown faces the bayou where the water spreads wide enough to feel like a river. Nicholls State University anchors the economy and cultural life. The Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center interprets the culture of bayou Cajuns who settled Lafourche — distinct from the prairie Cajuns. Highway 1 runs through town, 60 miles southwest of New Orleans, following the bayou's course toward the Gulf.