Big Cypress Bayou in Jefferson, Texas off U.S. Route 59.

A bayou at the Sabine River at the Louisiana rest stop.

A bayou (pronounced [ˈbaɪ oʊ] or [ˈbaɪ uː]) is a small, slow-moving stream or creek, or a lake or pool (bayou lake) that lies in an abandoned channel of a stream. Bayous are usually located in relatively flat, low-lying areas, for example, in the Mississippi River delta region of the southern United States. A bayou is frequently a slackwater anabranch or minor braid of a braided channel, that is moving with less velocity than the mainstem. Many bayous are the home of crawfish, certain species of shrimp, other shellfish, and catfish. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2304x1728, 843 KB) I took this pic. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2304x1728, 843 KB) I took this pic. ... U.S. Route 59 is a north-south United States highway (though it is signed east-west in parts of Texas). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 1158 KB) My picture from Louisana reststop, 25 June 2006. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1536x2048, 1158 KB) My picture from Louisana reststop, 25 June 2006. ... Sabine River can refer to: The Sabine River in the United States The Sabine River in New Zealand. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Butchers Creek, Omeo, Victoria A stream, brook, beck, burn or creek, is a body of water with a detectable current, confined within a bed and banks. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. ... An anabranch is a section of a river or stream that diverts from the main course and rejoins later. ... Braided drainage pattern near the junction of the Yukon River and the Koyukuk River in Alaska, August 24, 1941. ... A mainstem is defined as the principal river within a given drainage basin, in the case where a number of tributaries discharge into a larger watercourse. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... Cooked mussels Shellfish is a term used to describe shelled molluscs and crustaceans used as food. ... This article is about the siluriform catfishes; for the Atlantic catfish, see Seawolf (fish); for other uses, see Catfish (disambiguation). ...

The word was first used by the English in Louisiana and is thought to originate from the Choctaw word bayuk, which means "small stream." The first settlements of Acadians in southern Louisiana were near Bayou Lafourche and Bayou des Ecores, which led to a close association of the bayou with Cajun culture. This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... For other uses, see Choctaw (disambiguation). ... The Acadians (French: Acadiens) are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia (located on the northern portion of North Americas east coast). ... Bayou Lafourche is a bayou in southeastern Louisiana, United States, that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. ... Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles and peoples of other ethnicities with whom the Acadians eventually intermarried on the semitropical frontier. ...

Bayou Country is most closely associated with Cajun and Creole cultural groups native to the Gulf Coast region generally stretching from Houston, Texas, to Mobile, Alabama, with its center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles and peoples of other ethnicities with whom the Acadians eventually intermarried on the semitropical frontier. ... This article is about an ethnic culture in Louisiana, USA. For uses of the term Creole in other countries and cultures, see Creole (disambiguation). ... The Gulf of Mexico is a major body of water bordered and nearly landlocked by North America. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country State County Mobile Founded 1702 Incorporated 1814 Government  - Mayor Sam Jones Area  - City 412. ... NOLA redirects here. ...

An alternate spelling "buyou" has also been used, as in the "Pine Buyou" used in a description by Congress in 1833 of Arkansas Territory.

Houston is known as the "Bayou City," primarily because of the expansive, muddy, miles-long Buffalo Bayou that twists and turns its way through the fourth-largest city in the United States. Other major bayous in Houston include Brays Bayou, Sims Bayou, White Oak Bayou, and Greens Bayou. Houston redirects here. ... Bayou City is a popular nickname for Houston, Texas, founded at the confluence of White Oak and Buffalo Bayous by the Allen Brothers in the early nineteenth century. ... Map of the Buffalo Bayou and associated watershed Buffalo Bayou at this location, just south of San Felipe Dr. Buffalo Bayou is a main waterway flowing through Houston, Texas, USA. It begins on the west side of the city and flows east to the Houston Ship Channel. ... White Oak Bayou and Buffalo Bayou at Allens Landing. ...

Bayous are many times the settings of horror movies since they are commonly seen as quite spooky and mysterious. With the trees and unknown creatures that lurk in the murky waters, it creates a sense of suspense. Some famous horror movies that are associated or take place in bayous include The Skeleton Key, Hatchet, and The Reaping. The Skeleton Key is a 2005 horror-suspense film released in the UK on 22 July and in the USA on August 12. ... Hatchet is a 2007 slasher film from Ariescope Pictures [1]. Set in the Louisiana bayou, it is the story of the legend of Victor Crowley. ... The Reaping is an American religion-themed horror film based on the Ten Plagues of Egypt, released on April 5, 2007, and starring Hilary Swank, David Morrissey, Idris Elba, AnnaSophia Robb and Stephen Rea. ...

[edit] See also

The term “bayou” is also a derogatory term used to describe someone who is from the bayou. Similar to how white trash is used to describe someone from a trailer park.

Buffalo Bayou in Houston, USA

• Wetland
• Slough
• Swamp
• Hurricane on the Bayou

ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2016x1512, 778 KB) Buffalo Bayou in Houston, TX, USA. Photo taken June 2, 2005 at this location. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2016x1512, 778 KB) Buffalo Bayou in Houston, TX, USA. Photo taken June 2, 2005 at this location. ... Map of the Buffalo Bayou and associated watershed Buffalo Bayou at this location, just south of San Felipe Dr. Buffalo Bayou is a main waterway flowing through Houston, Texas, USA. It begins on the west side of the city and flows east to the Houston Ship Channel. ... Houston redirects here. ... A subtropical wetland in Florida, USA, with an endangered American Crocodile. ... The term slough (in the UK, pronounced to rhyme with cow; In the US, pronounced slew) has several meanings related to wetland or aquatic features that seem to derive from local experience. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The film Hurricane on the Bayou is about the wetlands of Louisiana before and after Hurricane Katrina. ...

[edit] Famous bayous

• Bayou Bartholomew
• Bayou Lafourche
• Buffalo Bayou
• Cypress Bayou
• Devil's Bayou (fictional)
• Big Bayou Canot