Editing Youngsville, Louisiana (section)

==History==
Youngsville was settled in the early 19th century by French [[Acadian]] farmers. Prior to 1839, George Roy and his son, Desire, laid out the area and named the community "Royville". The settlement had grown large enough by 1859 to establish one of the oldest Catholic churches in Lafayette Parish: St. Anne Church, on the community's oldest street, Church Street. In 1908, the [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Postal Service]] asked village leaders to change the name because the town was being confused with the north Louisiana town of [[Rayville, Louisiana|Rayville]]. So in 1908, the village of Youngsville was incorporated, with the name meaning "young village". It chose a government of a mayor and three aldermen.
 
On January 20, 1983, Louisiana Governor [[David C. Treen]] declared Youngsville a town. The town increased its governing body to a mayor and five aldermen to accommodate its population.

Youngsville was the fastest growing town in Louisiana from 1990 to 2005. Its population has increased by over 300 percent. According to the 2010 U.S. census, Youngsville grew at a rate of 103% between year 2000 and 2010. Youngsville was declared a city by Governor [[Kathleen Blanco]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.census.gov/popest/geographic/boundary_changes/index.html | title = Boundary Changes | work = Geographic Change Notes: Louisiana | publisher = Population Division, United States Census Bureau | date = 2006-05-19 | access-date = 2008-10-24}}</ref> In 2007, Mayor Wilson Viator and the Youngsville City Council named Joey Langlinais as the Chairman of the Centennial Committee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.myspace.com/youngsvillehistory|title = Youngsville Centennial Committee (Youngsvillehistory) on Myspace}}</ref>

Although the city has extended its boundaries and expanded its services, Youngsville has remained a rural city surrounded by [[sugarcane]] farms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.youngsville.us/history.html |title=The Town of Youngsville, Louisiana |website=www.youngsville.us |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041215061828/http://www.youngsville.us/history.html |archive-date=2004-12-15}}</ref>

Youngsville is home of the Youngsville Sports Complex, Youngsville Recreation Center, Sugar Beach, Pixus Splash Park and the Youngsville Amphitheater. These facilities host over 1.2 million sports players and visitors every year.