Metairie, Louisiana
Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement
Metairie (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish, the fifth-largest CDP in the United States, and the largest outside Clark County, Nevada.<ref name="Census of Population and Housing">Template:Cite web</ref> It is an unincorporated area that (as of 2020) would have been Louisiana's fourth-largest city behind Shreveport if incorporated.<ref name="cdata">"Metairie, Louisiana (LA) Detailed Profile" (notes), City Data, 2019, webpage: C-Metr.</ref><ref name="c2K">"Census 2020 Data for the State of Louisiana" (town list), US Census Bureau, May 2003, webpage: C2020-LA.</ref>
History
Métairie (Template:IPA) is the French term for a small tenant farm which paid the landlord with a share of the produce, a practice also known as sharecropping (in French, métayage). In the 1760s, many of the original French farmers were tenants; after the Civil War, the majority of the community's inhabitants were sharecroppers until urbanization started in the 1910s.
In the 1720s, French settlers became the first Europeans to settle Metairie in the area known then as Tchoupitoulas and now as Metairie Ridge, a natural levee formed by an ancient branch of the Mississippi River, Bayou Metairie, which flowed through modern-day River Ridge, Metairie, Gentilly, and New Orleans East. It emptied into Mississippi Sound. The Acolapissa Native Americans used this ridge as a road; it is the oldest road in the New Orleans area. An electric streetcar was installed running along the road in the late 1910s, opening the area to greater development.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Upscale housing tracts were constructed off the road in the 1920s; this area is now known as "Old Metairie".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane, with winds of Template:Convert, directly hit Metairie. Much of the community was under Template:Convert of water.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Hurricane Betsy, a Category 3 storm, hit the area in 1965, causing extensive wind damage and moderate flooding.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Thirty years later, the May 8, 1995 Louisiana flood, which dumped upwards of Template:Convert of rain on Metairie in a twelve-hour period, also flooded some parts of the region, especially areas south and west of Metairie, including Kenner, Harahan, and River Ridge.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1989, a Metairie district elected white supremacist David Duke to the Louisiana state legislature for a single term.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused a new migration from Orleans Parish, because housing was needed to replace what had been destroyed in the flooding of the city.Template:Citation needed
Veterans Boulevard was laid out alongside a drainage canal, and became a commercial center of the region. The central business district of Metairie is located on Causeway Boulevard near Lake Pontchartrain. In the 1970s and early 1980s, an area of bars and nightclubs opened in a section of Metairie known as "Fat City". Several New Orleans radio and television stations have also established transmitter facilities in Metairie and Jefferson Parish; two of them, WGNO-TV and WNOL, now have studios and main offices in Metairie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
Metairie is located in eastern Jefferson Parish and is bordered by New Orleans to the east, Kenner to the west, Lake Pontchartrain to the north, and the Illinois Central Railroad tracks to the south. South of the railroad are River Ridge, Harahan, Elmwood, and Jefferson. The 17th Street Canal forms the border between Metairie and New Orleans to the east. It is a principal community in Greater New Orleans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Metairie CDP has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert, or 0.18%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref>
Climate
The climate of Metairie has been classified as humid subtropical. Like the city of New Orleans, it has short, generally mild winters and hot, humid summers. The average precipitation is Template:Convert annually; the summer months are the wettest, while October is the driest month.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Precipitation in winter usually accompanies the passing of a cold front. On average, there are 77 days of Template:Convert or greater highs, 8.1 days per winter where the high does not exceed Template:Convert, and 8.0 nights with freezing lows annually. It is rare for the temperature to reach Template:Convert, with the last occurrence of each being February 5, 1996, and June 26, 2016, respectively.<ref name=":0" /> Template:Weather box
Demographics
Matairie first appeared as an unincorporated community in the 1970 U.S. census;<ref name=1970CensusLA/><ref name=1960CensusLA/> and as a census designated place in the 1980 United States census.<ref name=1980CensusLA/>
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 119,535 | 100,280 | 89,070 | 81.80% | 72.41% | 62.07% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 9,860 | 14,020 | 15,827 | 6.75% | 10.12% | 11.03% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 336 | 294 | 247 | 0.23% | 0.21% | 0.17% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 4,002 | 4,458 | 5,474 | 2.74% | 3.22% | 3.81% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 31 | 39 | 24 | 0.02% | 0.03% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 129 | 372 | 817 | 0.09% | 0.27% | 0.57% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 1,648 | 1,571 | 4,604 | 1.13% | 1.13% | 3.21% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 10,595 | 17,447 | 27,444 | 7.25% | 12.60% | 19.12% |
| Total | 146,136 | 138,481 | 143,507 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
According to the 2019 American Community Survey, there were 130,427 people living in the census-designated place.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2010 United States census,<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 138,481 people living in Metairie.<ref name="Census of Population and Housing"/> The 2020 census reported 143,507 people living in the CDP. As of 2019, population density was 5,607.7 people per square mile, with a median age of 40.6.
At the 2019 American Community Survey, the racial and ethnic makeup was 69% non-Hispanic white, 10% Black and African American, 4% Asian, 1% multiracial, and 16% Hispanic and Latino American. According to 2017 census estimates, the racial makeup of Metairie was 67.5% White, 16.2% Hispanic or Latino American of any race, 9.9% Black and African American, 3.9% Asian, 0.7% from other races, 0.9% from two or more races, and 0.1% Native American.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By the time of the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 62.89% non-Hispanic white, 10.98% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 3.73% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 18.20% two or more races, and 18.42% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>
Among the population of Metairie, 52% were female in 2019. There were 56,421 households with an average of 2.63 persons per household. An estimated 52% of households were married couples living together, 23% non-family, 18% female householder with no male present, and 7% male householder with no female present. Approximately 61,354 housing units were in the community, and 92% were occupied; 59% of housing units were owner-occupied, and 64% of housing units were single unit structures. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $246,600, and the median household income was $60,404. Residents had a per capita income of $35,007 at the 2019 American Community Survey.<ref name=":2" />
Religion
In Metairie, an estimated 54.1% of adult residents identified with some religion as of 2019. Due to Spanish and French colonial influence, Metairie and the surrounding area have an overwhelmingly Catholic populace. Approximately 34.6% identified with the Catholic Church, served by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans; 5.9% were Baptist, 3.1% Pentecostal, 1.4% Methodist, 0.6% Lutheran, 0.6% Latter-Day Saints, 0.5% Anglican, and 0.5% from another Christian group including the Metropolitan Community Church among others.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
At this survey, approximately 0.7% were Muslims and 0.4% identified with an Eastern religion such as Hinduism, Buddhism, or Sikhism;<ref name=":1" /> 0.6% of the community claimed affiliation with Judaism.<ref name=":1" /> Metairie is home to Congregation Gates of Prayer, a Reform synagogue, and beside it is Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest Orthodox congregation in the New Orleans metro area. Beth Israel constructed its new building in Metairie in 2012, several years after its building in Lakeview, New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Economy
Metarie has the headquarters of Rawbar Inc., which operates Acme Oyster House, a restaurant chain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Arts and culture
Public libraries
Jefferson Parish Library operates public libraries.<ref name="Metmap"/> The East Bank Regional Library, which houses the library system's headquarters, is in Metairie.<ref>"East Bank Regional and library headquarters." Jefferson Parish Library. Retrieved on September 28, 2010.</ref> Other public libraries in Metairie include the Lakeshore Library,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Old Metairie Library,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Wagner Library.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tallest buildings
Three Lakeway Center is Template:Convert, and is the tallest building in Louisiana outside of New Orleans and Baton Rouge.<ref name="3lakeway-skyscraper">Template:Skyscraperpage</ref><ref name="3lakeway-emporis">Template:Cite web</ref> The Galleria is Template:Convert. <ref name="galleria-skyscraper">Template:Skyscraperpage</ref><ref name="galleria-emporis">Template:Cite web</ref>
Sports
Metairie was home to the New Orleans Baby Cakes Triple-A Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League from 1993 to 2019. The minor league club played its home games at Privateer Park, home to the University of New Orleans's NCAA baseball team, from 1992 through 1996, and at Shrine on Airline from 1997 to 2019.
The training facilities of NFL franchise New Orleans Saints and the NBA franchise New Orleans Pelicans are located in Metairie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As such, many players reside in the area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Boxing cards have been held in the Copeland Tower Suites (formerly Landmark Hotel).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Beginning in 2020, the New Orleans Gold of Major League Rugby play their homes games in Metairie at the Gold Mine on Airline.
Parks and recreation
Notable parks include Lafreniere Park and Pontiff Playground.
Education
Metairie's public schools are operated by the Jefferson Parish Public School System.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>
There is one zoned public high school in Metairie: East Jefferson High School. Additionally, many residents are zoned to Alfred Bonnabel High School in Kenner and Riverdale High School in Jefferson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Metmap">Template:Cite web
"2010 CENSUS – CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Metairie CDP, LA" (Archive). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.</ref>
Previously, some residents were zoned to Grace King High School in Metairie.<ref>"High School Districts 2012–2013 East Bank of Jefferson Parish Louisiana." (Archive) Jefferson Parish Public School System. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.</ref> Grace King High School closed in 2023.<ref name=FazioMarieLastDays>Template:Cite web</ref>
Magnet public schools
Private schools
- Archbishop Chapelle High School
- Archbishop Rummel High School
- Crescent City Christian School
- Metairie Park Country Day School
- Ridgewood Preparatory School-closed 2023
- St. Martin's Episcopal School
Infrastructure
Transportation
Mass transit is provided by Jefferson Transit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Major roads include Interstate 10, Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Earhart Expressway.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway's southern terminus lies in Metairie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
- Metairie Cemetery - Located in New Orleans, east of Metairie
References
Further reading
- Template:Cite web
- Template:Cite web - links to individual pages
- Template:Cite web - link to individual pages
- 1990 U.S. census maps: Index of Jefferson County with Metairie on pages 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and A01
External links
Template:Commons category Template:Wikivoyage
Template:Metairie, Louisiana Template:Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Template:Louisiana Template:Authority control