 This sparsely populated area in the southwestern part of the state contains a string of small settlements and communities located along natural ridges in the vast marshland, known locally as cheniers.LA 82 connects several of these cheniers, allowing them access to the cities of Port Arthur on the west and Abbeville on the northeast.The only other land-based routes to the area are via LA 27, which loops around Calcasieu Lake providing an important connection to Lake Charles, the largest city in southwestern Louisiana.