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New Orleans metropolitan area
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New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner is a metropolitan area designated by the US Census encompassing seven parishes in the state of Louisiana, centering on the city of New Orleans. As of the July 1, 2007 estimate, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a population of 1.03 million; the combined statistical area (CSA), which adds Washington Parish, had a population of 1.08 million.
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New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner is a metropolitan area designated by the US Census encompassing seven parishes in the state of Louisiana, centering on the city of New Orleans. As of the July 1, 2007 estimate, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a population of 1.03 million; the combined statistical area (CSA), which adds Washington Parish, had a population of 1.08 million. In January 2009, the Census Bureau revised upward the July 1, 2007 estimates for Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes by a combined 79,421, which would bring the MSA estimate up to 1.10 million and the CSA up to 1.16 million.
The metropolitan area was hit by Hurricane Katrina—a Category 5 storm—in August 2005, causing a loss of population from 1.3 million before the hurricane. Much of this population loss appears to be from the City of New Orleans proper; the Census Bureau estimates that its population dropped from 453,728 prior to the storm (July 1, 2005), to 288,113 at the most recent estimate (July 1, 2007).It should be stated that the estimate for 2007 is conducted between the summer of 2006 to April 2007.
Parishes
For U.S. Census purposes, this MSA includes seven parishes: Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, St. Charles, and St. John the Baptist. The Census Bureau's CSA (combined statistical area) adds Washington.
The New Orleans region's chamber of commerce, GNO, Inc. (formerly Metrovision) includes the eight parishes of the Census Bureau's CSA plus St. James and Tangipahoa. This wider 10-parish region had a population of 1.21 million as of July 1, 2007.
The Louisiana state legislature created a commission, the Regional Planning Commission, to be responsible for the planning and development of the New Orleans metropolitan area. The parishes covered by the commission are: Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany. Additionally, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist are associate members of the Regional Planning Commission.
The Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has designated the New Orleans metropolitan area as the Greater New Orleans region This region includes four parishes: Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard.
History
The New Orleans metropolitan area was first defined in 1950. Then known as the New Orleans Standard Metropolitan Area (New Orleans SMA), it consisted of three parishes - Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard - and had a population of 685,405. Following a term change by the Bureau of the Budget (present-day Office of Management and Budget), the New Orleans SMA became the New Orleans Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (New Orleans SMSA). By the census of 1960, the population had grown to 868,480, a 27% increase over the previous census.
St. Tammany Parish was added the New Orleans SMSA in 1963. The four-parish area had a combined population of 899,123 in 1960 and 1,045,809 in 1970. By the 1980 census, the population had increased by 14% to 1,187,073. In 1983, the official name was shortened to the New Orleans Metropolitan Statistical Area (New Orleans MSA). Two more parishes, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist, were added to the MSA that same year. The newly defined area had a total of 1,256,256 residents in 1980, but that number had declined to 1,238,816 in 1990.
The New Orleans MSA expanded to eight parishes in 1993 with the inclusion of Plaquemines and St. James. The eight-parish area had a combined population of 1,285,270 at the 1990 census and 1,337,726 in 2000.
The MSA was renamed the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2003. St. James Parish was removed from the defined metropolitan area. A total of 1,316,510 people lived in the seven-parishes of Greater New Orleans in 2000.
Geographic Terms
In the New Orleans metropolitan area, the following geographic terms are used: East Bank, West Bank, North Shore and River Parishes.
"East Bank" and "West Bank"
The Mississippi River divides the United States into east and west, running from north south. In southeast Louisiana, though, confusion about the terms "East Bank" and "West Bank" often arises since, due to the curves of the Mississippi River, what is called the "East Bank" is sometimes located to the geographic west of what is called the "West Bank" and vice versa. The banks also run north and south at some points. In southeast Louisiana, the term "East Bank" is often used refer to any area that lies along the eastern side of the Mississippi River, while the term "West Bank" is often used to refer to areas along the opposite side of the river. These terms are used in those parishes that are dissected into two sides by the Mississippi River, which include St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans and Plaquemines.
In the New Orleans metropolitan area, the term "East Bank" is a blanket term to refer to all portions of suburban New Orleans that are situated on the eastern bank of the river, while the term "West Bank" is used to refer to all portions of suburban New Orleans that are situated on the western bank of the river. The majority of the population of suburban New Orleans resides on the East Bank.
The East Bank of suburban New Orleans includes the East Bank of Jefferson Parish (including the suburbs of Metairie, Kenner, River Ridge, Harahan, Elmwood, and Jefferson) and the East Bank of Orleans Parish (including the majority of the greater city of New Orleans). Further down the Mississippi River are those suburbs of New Orleans that are located in St. Bernard Parish, which include Arabi, Chalmette, and Meraux (and, also, Violet and Poydras). All of St. Bernard Parish is located east of the river, extending from the eastern bank of the river back into the marshlands.
The West Bank of suburban New Orleans includes the West Bank of Jefferson Parish (including the suburbs of Waggaman, Avondale, Bridge City, Westwego, Marrero, Harvey, Gretna, Terrytown, Estelle, Timberlane, and Woodmere) and the West Bank of Orleans Parish (including the New Orleans communities of Algiers and English Turn). Further down the Mississippi River is the suburb of Belle Chasse, which is located on the West Bank of Plaquemines Parish. Plaquemines Parish covers the final leg of the Mississippi River before it enters the Gulf of Mexico (downriver from Belle Chasse, Plaquemines has numerous rural communities scattered along both banks of the river, but none of these communities have a population higher that 5,000).
"Northshore"
The term "Northshore" or "North Shore" (or "Northlake") refers to areas that lie on the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain and includes Saint Tammany Parish. The Northshore includes the communities of Mandeville, Covington, Madisonville, Abita Springs, Lacombe, Eden Isle and Slidell. Hammond and Ponchatoula, in Tangipahoa Parish, and Bogalusa and Franklinton, in Washington Parish, are also considered to have economic ties to Greater New Orleans although those parishes are frequently not included in the statistics for the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. The Northshore region is also part of the Florida Parishes, dating back to the time when the Spanish territory known as Florida extended westward all the way to the Mississippi River, including portions of what are now Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
"River Parishes"
The term "River Parishes" refers to those parishes along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The two River Parishes nearest to New Orleans are St. Charles (including the cities of Destrehan, Luling, St. Rose and Hahnville) and St. John the Baptist (including the cities of Laplace and Reserve).
Cities and census designated places
Principal city
Satellite Cities (Places with over 50,000 inhabitants)
Places between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants
Places with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,316,510 people, 498,537 households, and 335,531 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 57.42% White, 37.35% African American, 0.38% Native American, 2.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.24% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.44% of the population.
The median income for a household in the MSA was $38,880, and the median income for a family was $44,771. Males had a median income of $36,759 versus $23,927 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $18,126.
Combined Statistical Area
The New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa Combined Statistical Area (CSA) is made up of eight parishes. The statistical area includes one metropolitan area and one micropolitan area. As of the 2000 Census, the CSA had a population of 1,360,436 (though a July 1, 2007 estimate placed the population at 1,075,283).
Components
- Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)
- New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner (Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. Tammany parishes)
- Micropolitan Statistical Areas (µSAs)
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,360,436 people, 515,054 households, and 347,173 families residing within the CSA. The racial makeup of the CSA was 57.74% White, 37.17% African American, 0.37% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.32% of the population.
The median income for a household in the CSA was $37,053, and the median income for a family was $42,860. Males had a median income of $35,659 versus $23,150 for females. The per capita income for the CSA was $17,474.
Transportation
The Louis Armstrong International Airport is located in western part of Jefferson Parish in the city of Kenner. Major highways in the area include Interstate 10, Interstate 12, Interstate 610, Interstate 310, Interstate 510, Interstate 55, Interstate 59 as well as U.S. Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 61. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the world's longest over water bridge, connects New Orleans to its suburbs on the North Shore. Train service is provide by Amtrak on the Crescent, City of New Orleans and Sunset Limited routes.
Since Louisiana is under constant threat from hurricanes, the Louisiana State Police are prepared to enact a contraflow lane reversal program in order to evacuate the metropolitan area as quickly as possible.
Flood Control
The state, by approval of Louisiana voters, created a new Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority (SLFPA) to oversee flood protection in the region beginning in 2007.
see also:
See also
External links
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