Grand Isle is a
townA town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in
Jefferson ParishJefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
,
LouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, located on a
barrier islandA shoal, sandbar , or gravelbar is a somewhat linear landform within or extending into a body of water, typically composed of sand, silt or small pebbles. A spit or sandspit is a type of shoal...
of the same name in the
Gulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. The island is at the mouth of
Barataria BayBarataria Bay, also Barrataria Bay, is a bay of the Gulf of Mexico that is located in southeastern Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish, United States....
where it meets the gulf. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,541; during summers, the population sometimes increases to over 20,000. Grand Isle is part of the
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
–
MetairieMetairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
–
KennerKenner is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 66,702 at the 2010 census....
Metropolitan Statistical AreaNew Orleans–Metairie–Kenner, or the Greater New Orleans Region is a metropolitan area designated by the United States Census encompassing seven parishes in the state of Louisiana, centering on the city of New Orleans...
.
Grand Isle's main street is the sea-side start of
Louisiana Highway 1Louisiana Highway 1 is a state highway in Louisiana. At 436.20 miles , it is the longest numbered highway of any class in Louisiana. It runs diagonally across the state, connecting the oil and gas fields near the island of Grand Isle with the northwest corner of the state, north of Shreveport.The...
, aka Route 1, that stretches 436.20 miles away to the north-west corner of the state ending near
Shreveport, LouisianaShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. Crossing Route 1's
automobileAn automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
causewayIn modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
at the west end of the island is the only land access to or from Grand Isle. Direct access to Grand Isle's seat of parish government is 95 miles (152.9 km) away in urban
Jefferson ParishJefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
which leaves the town somewhat politically isolated.
History
Grand Isle has been repeatedly pummeled by hurricanes through its history. On average, Grand Isle has been affected by tropical storms or hurricanes every 2.68 years (since 1877), with direct hits on average every 7.88 years. Some of the more severe are listed here.
In 1860 a 6 feet (2 m) storm surge and great winds resulted in the total devastation of the island. In the
1893 Atlantic hurricane seasonThe 1893 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the summer and the first half of fall in 1893. The 1893 season was fairly active, with 12 tropical storms forming, 10 of which became hurricanes. Of those, 5 became major hurricanes...
Grand Isle was devastated by a 16 feet (5 m) storm surge. In the
1909 Atlantic hurricane seasonThe 1909 Atlantic hurricane season was an average Atlantic hurricane season, officially starting on June 1, 1909, and ending on November 30, 1909, dates which conventionally delimit the period of each year when tropical cyclones tend to form in the Atlantic basin...
the island was hit with a second 16 feet (5 m) storm surge. A Category 4 hurricane devastated Grand Isle on 29 September during the
1915 Atlantic hurricane seasonThe 1915 Atlantic hurricane season ran through the summer and the first half of fall in 1915.-Storms:The 1915 season was not very active in terms of the number of storms but it was fairly eventful, with two powerful hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast of the United States.-Hurricane One:The first...
. Grand Isle was hit by a 3.6 feet (1.1 m) storm surge on 22 August during the
1947 Atlantic hurricane seasonThe 1947 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 16, 1947, and lasted until November 1, 1947. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin....
. In 1956 Hurricane Flossy damaged the island.
Hurricane BetsyHurricane Betsy was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season which caused enormous damage in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. Betsy made its most intense landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River, causing significant flooding of the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into...
in September 1965 then
Tropical Storm FrancesOriginating over the southwest Caribbean sea on September 4, Tropical Storm Frances became the sixth tropical storm of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. The cyclone moved northward through the western Gulf of Mexico, making landfall across the central Texas coastline before recurving across the...
put the entire island under water in 1998. On 26 September 2002, Grand Isle was hit by Tropical Storm Isidore soon followed by Hurricane Lili passing to the west of the isle, causing significant damage.
Hurricane CindyHurricane Cindy was a tropical cyclone that briefly reached minimal hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico during July in the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and made landfall in Louisiana. It was the third named storm and first hurricane of the season...
scored a direct hit on Grand Isle on July 5, 2005. Even though damage was essentially limited to power outages and beach erosion, the storm's strength still caught residents by surprise.
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
pounded Grand Isle for two days, August 28–29, 2005, destroying or damaging homes and camps along the entire island. Katrina's surge reached 5 ft (1.5 m) at Grand Isle. Large waves severely damaged the only bridge linking Grand Isle to the mainland. A news report published less than two days after the hurricane hit falsely noted, however, that the area had been completely destroyed, reporting a scenario similar to that which befell
Last IslandLast Island was a barrier island and a pleasure resort southwest of New Orleans on the south shore of Louisiana, USA. It was destroyed by the Last Island Hurricane of August 10, 1856...
in 1856. Less than a month later, Grand Isle was further affected by
Hurricane RitaHurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
. By mid October, a number of businesses were again open on the island.
Hurricane GustavThe name Gustav has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:* 1984's Tropical Storm Gustav - Spent most of its existence as a tropical depression hovering over Bermuda, no major damage was reported....
reached shore west of the island on September 1, 2008, at 9 am CDT, and hit it with a measured wind speed of 105 mi/h. It might be the only place in Louisiana hit when the storm was still classified as major hurricane. While both storms' eyes passed the island at similar distances, Katrina's eastern passing caused greatest damage on the bay side of island. The Gustav surge that swashed over the island damaged less than Katrina's, in part due to the most vulnerable structures having already been destroyed by Katrina. Current construction codes prevented the rebuilding of such vulnerable structures. Barataria pass water levels peaked at 5' above recent high tide. Homes along Route 1 had 2 foot (0.6096 m) of water below them. Large sections of levee/dunes were washed onto Highway 1.
Hurricane Ike passed far south of the island on September 11, 2008 while crews worked to restore power and repair the levee/dune damage caused by Gustav. Some sections of Route 1 west of the island were covered by 1 foot (0.3048 m) of water. Wind gusts reached 50 mi/h and Barataria pass water levels reached 3 ft (1 m) above recent high tide while Ike was 200 miles (321.9 km) away.
Geography
Grand Isle is located at 29°13′40"N 90°0′44"W (29.227769, -90.012115) which corresponds to 54 miles due south of New Orleans, Louisiana. According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town covered a total area of 7.8 square miles (20.1 km²), where 6.1 square miles (15.9 km²) of it is land, and 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²) (20.88%) of it is water.
Demographics
At the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, 1,541 people, 622 households, and 436 families lived in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 251.1 people per square mile (96.9/km²). There were 1,875 housing units at an average density of 305.6 per square mile (117.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.04% White, 2.27% Native American, 0.19% African American, 0.19% Asian, 0.39% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population.
There were 622 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,548, and the median income for a family was $35,517. Males had a median income of $34,000 versus $19,333 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $18,330. About 9.1% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Grand Isle, like all locations in Jefferson Parish, is served by the
Jefferson Parish Public SchoolsJefferson Parish Public Schools is a school district based in Harvey in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. The district operates all public schools in Jefferson Parish...
.
The Grand Isle School, a K-12 school, is located on Grand Isle.
Jefferson Parish LibraryJefferson Parish Library is the library system of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. It has its headquarters in the East Bank Regional Library in Metairie, an unincorporated area in the parish.-Branches:East Bank:...
operates the Cybermobile at Grand Isle Library.
Arts and culture
Fishing is an important part of Grand Isle's culture. The island is a premier destination for avid fishermen as anglers adore the more than 280 species of fish in the surrounding waters. In 1928, the annual Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo,
fishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
tournament, was established on the island and is now one of the premier salt water fishing rodeos in the United States. The Cajun rodeo draws over 15,000 people annually offering tourists the opportunity to witness the big catch, enjoy local seafood, and mingle with locals.
The island also has well maintained beaches. Grand Isle State Park, on the east end of the island, is the only state-owned and operated
beachA beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
on the Louisiana
Gulf CoastThe Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
. The beach is a popular destination for people living in South Louisiana. In 2010, Yahoo Travel named Grand Isle one of America's Top 10 winter beach retreats.
The island is home to the Coast Guard Station Grand Isle 29°15′55"N 89°57′23"Wlocated on the eastern end of the island.
Media
- Grand Isle is the setting for The Awakening
The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin, first published in 1899 . Set in New Orleans and the Southern Louisiana coast at the end of the nineteenth century, the plot centers around Edna Pontellier and her struggle to reconcile her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the...
by Kate ChopinKate Chopin, born Katherine O'Flaherty , was an American author of short stories and novels. She is now considered by some to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century....
. Chopin spent her summers in Grand Isle for over a decade.
- The second episode of Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
was filmed here. The plot involved the local shrimp fishing community imperiled by an approaching hurricane.
External links