Harahan, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Harahan is a city in Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....

, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana 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...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, and a suburb of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New 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...

. The population was 9,885 at the 2000 census.

Harahan was named in honor of James Theodore Harahan, president of the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...

 from 1906-1911. The Illinois Central track runs parallel to Airline Highway.

History

One of Harahan's more notable structures is Harahan Elementary, located along Jefferson Highway. Its current structure was opened to students in January, 1926. In 1983, it was added to the Department of the Interior's National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Harahan is located along a heavily-wooded area along a curve in the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, between River Ridge
River Ridge, Louisiana
River Ridge is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 14,588 at the 2000 census.- History :...

 to the west and Elmwood
Elmwood, Louisiana
Elmwood is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, within the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,270 at the 2000 census. Elmwood was part of neighboring Jefferson's census area from 1960 to 1990...

 to the east. Harahan's main road is Jefferson Highway which changes from Claiborne Avenue as it enters Jefferson Parish and dead ends in Kenner at the intersection of Williams Blvd.

Harahan is located at 29°56′28"N 90°12′7"W (29.941085, -90.202020) and has an elevation of 7 feet (2.1 m). According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The 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 city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2 square miles (5.2 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (19.59%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A 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, there were 9,885 people, 3,994 households, and 2,799 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 5,023.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,937.4/km²). There were 4,129 housing units at an average density of 2,098.3 per square mile (809.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.06% White, 0.62% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. 2.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,994 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage 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, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,702, and the median income for a family was $55,319. Males had a median income of $37,995 versus $27,921 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per 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 city was $23,448. 4.7% of the population and 3.1% of families were below the poverty line. 3.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Government

2007-2010 Council Members and Elected Officials:
Mayor Paul Johnsoton; Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Murray; Tim Baudier, Lawrence Landry, Provino "Vinny" Mosca, Tiffany Scot-Wilken:
Chief of Police Peter Dale

Culture

Harahan is home to Colonial Golf and Country Club, one of only three golf courses located in East Jefferson (the East Bank of Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....

).

Education

Harahan's public schools are operated by the Jefferson Parish Public School System. The city is zoned to Harahan Elementary School (Harahan), Riverdale Middle School (Jefferson
Jefferson, Louisiana
Jefferson is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on the East Bank of the Mississippi River. Jefferson is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,843 at the 2000 census...

), and Riverdale High School (Jefferson
Jefferson, Louisiana
Jefferson is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on the East Bank of the Mississippi River. Jefferson is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,843 at the 2000 census...

).

Private Schools in Harahan include St. Rita, a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 Elementary and Middle School, and Faith Lutheran, a K-12 Private Lutheran School.

Jefferson Parish Library
Jefferson Parish Library
Jefferson 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 Harahan Library.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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