Plaquemines Parish (
Cajun FrenchCajun French is a variety or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana, specifically in the southern parishes of Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Jefferson, West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupée, Avoyelles, St...
:
Paroisse des Plaquemines) is the
parishA parish is an administrative division used by several countries and one U.S. State: Louisiana.In England and in Louisiana, it is sometimes called a "civil parish" to distinguish it from the religious parish.-Countries with parishes as subnational entity:...
with the most combined land and water area in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
LouisianaThe State of 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 divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The parish seat is
Pointe à la HachePointe à la Hache is an unincorporated village and place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States.Located on the east bank of the Mississippi River, the village has been the seat for Plaquemines Parish since the formation of the parish.-History:...
. As of 2000, the parish's population was 26,757.
The name is .
Plaquemines Parish is part of the
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
–
MetairieMetairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 146,136 at the 2000 census, making it the largest census-designated place that is not a consolidated city-county government. Adjacent to New Orleans, Metairie is the largest community in...
–
KennerKenner is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 70,517 at the 2000 census.- History :...
Metropolitan Statistical AreaNew 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 well as the New Orleans–Metairie–
BogalusaBogalusa is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,365 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Washington Parish and is also part of the larger New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa...
Combined Statistical AreaThe New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa Combined Statistical Area is made up of eight parishes in southeastern Louisiana. The statistical area consists of the New Orleans Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Billy NungesserWilliam Harold "Billy" Nungesser is the President of Plaquemines Parish in suburban New Orleans, Louisiana. He was elected in the general election of 2006, and his four-year term began on January 1, 2007....
is the Parish President.
History
The name "Plaquemines" comes from a
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
word,
piakimin, meaning
persimmonA persimmon, known to the ancient Greeks as "the fruit of the gods" is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees of the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family...
. It was first used to name an old military post on the banks of the
MississippiThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
which was surrounded by a large number of persimmon trees. Eventually the name was applied to the entire parish.
The oldest European settlement in the parish was
La BalizeLa Balize, Louisiana, was the first French settlement near the mouth of the Mississippi River in what became Plaquemines Parish. The village's name meant "seamark". Inhabited by 1699, La Balize was one of the oldest French settlements within the current boundaries of Louisiana...
, where the French built and inhabited a crude fort by 1699 near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The name in French meant "seamark", a tall structure of wood built as a guide for ships. The French built one high by 1721. A surviving map from about 1720 shows the island and fort, and the mouth of the river.
As traffic and trade on the river increased, so did the importance of river pilots who were knowledgeable about the complicated, ever-changing currents and sandbars in the river. They lived at La Balize with their families. The village was destroyed and rebuilt numerous times, but it was abandoned for good after the destruction of a September 1860 hurricane. The pilots moved upriver and built the settlement they named Pilottown, which reached its peak of population in the 19th century. The river pilots' expertise continues to be critical, but now they generally live with their families in more populated areas, and stay at Pilottown temporarily for work.
One of the remaining historical treasures of Plaquemines Parish is
Fort JacksonFort Jackson can refer to several places or things:*Fort Jackson , also called Fort Toulouse, a War of 1812 fort*Fort Jackson , a frontier trading post located near present-day Ione, Colorado...
, built in 1822 under the recommendation of General
Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . He was military governor of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy...
, hero of the
Battle of New OrleansThe Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815, and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory America had acquired with the Louisiana Purchase...
. In 1861, Fort Jackson served as an important defense for the city of New Orleans during the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
because it was at the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was also used as a training base during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
- 1917-1918.
Because Plaquemines Parish encompasses the first of the Mississippi River, it plays host to several oil refineries which make use of the shipping lanes. The
Mississippi River DeltaThe Mississippi River Delta is the modern area of land built up by alluvium deposited by the Mississippi River as it slows down and enters the Gulf of Mexico...
of Plaquemines also provides assistance to offshore oil rigs. Plaquemines Parish was also the first place where a container was first used to ship cargo in foreign trade.
The August 1901 Hurricane caused damage including 4 feet of water in Buras.
http://www.thecajuns.com/lahurricanes.htm
In the early 1900s Plaquemines was an exporter of citrus, and used the train and the river to move its large annual harvest. The parish has also been a big commercial fisheries haven, especially for oysters.
The Great Hurricane of 1915 devastated much of the Parish, with multiple levee breeches on both sides of the Mississippi, a 12 foot storm surge, and hundreds of deaths. Homelessness was widespread, and many were reduced to desperate starvation until charitable aid arrived.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/plaquemines/history/hurc1915.txt The old Parish Courthouse in Pointe à la Hache was among the many buildings destroyed in the storm, but a new one was completed within the year.
From 1919 to 1969, Plaquemines Parish (together with neighbouring
St. Bernard ParishSt. Bernard Parish is a parish located southeast of New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette, the largest city in the parish. As of 2000, its population was 67,229. It has been ranked the fastest-growing county in the United States from 2007 to 2008 by the U.S....
), was effectively the domain of political boss
Leander PerezLeander Henry Perez, Sr., was the Democratic "political boss" of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes, Louisiana, in the first half of the twentieth century...
, who established a virtual dictatorship in the area. He was notorious for fixing elections and mandating strict
racial segregationRacial segregation is the separation of different racial groups in daily life, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a washroom, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home. Segregation may be mandated by law or exist through social...
.
During the
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States.-Events:The flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926. By September, the Mississippi's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to...
, city and state leaders used
dynamiteDynamite is an explosive material based on the explosive potential of nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth or another absorbent substance such as sawdust as an absorbent...
to breach a
leveeA levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall to regulate water levels...
at
CaernarvonCaernarvon is an unincorporated community in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The name of the community is from a plantation originally located here. The plantation's name is widely believed to be from a similarly-named town in Wales.-History:...
, thirteen miles (19 km) below Canal Street, in order to save the city of
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
from flooding. However, this action resulted in the flooding of much of St. Bernard and the east bank of Plaquemines parish, causing widespread destruction.
In 1965
Hurricane BetsyHurricane Betsy was a powerful 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...
damaged the area, flooding many areas including the Parish Courthouse, and causing 9 deaths in the Parish. Leander Perez responded by sealing the Parish off to the outside world. [Book "Leander Perez: Boss of the Delta" by Glen Jeansonne, p. 354]
Historic sites
The parish includes three U.S. National Historic Landmarks:
- Fort De La Boulaye Site
Fort De La Boulaye Site, also known as Mississippi For is the site of a fort built by the French in 1700, to take possession of the Mississippi. Native Americans forced the French to vacate the fort by 1707....
,
- Fort Jackson, and
- Fort St. Philip
Fort St. Philip is a decommissioned masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about up river from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana...
.
It includes 5 other sites listed on the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, including
Woodland PlantationWoodland Plantation may refer to:in the United States* Woodland Plantation , listed on the NRHP in Louisiana* Woodland Plantation , listed on the NRHP in Mississippi...
, the plantation depicted on the label of
Southern ComfortSouthern Comfort is a "fruit, spice and whiskey flavored" neutral grain spirit-based liqueur produced since 1874, though not always by the modern formula. The Brown-Forman Corporation owns the Southern Comfort brand...
since the 1930s. Woodland Plantation, an antebellum mansion in West Pointe à la Hache, a small town on the West Bank of Plaquemines, is now operated as a
bed and breakfastA bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals...
.
Hurricane Katrina
One of the worst natural disasters in United States history struck Louisiana on August 29, 2005.
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States...
did severe damage to all of Southeast Louisiana.
Martial lawMartial law is the system of rules that takes effect when the military takes control of the normal administration of justice.Martial law is sometimes imposed during wars or occupations in the absence of any other civil government. Examples of this form of military rule include Germany and Japan...
was not declared in Plaquemines, contrary to many media reports, as no such term exists in Louisiana state law
http://www.slate.com/id/2125584/nav/tap1/. No place escaped without some damage, while most of the rest of Plaquemines, Orleans and neighbouring St. Bernard Parish were severely hit;
Pointe à la HachePointe à la Hache is an unincorporated village and place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States.Located on the east bank of the Mississippi River, the village has been the seat for Plaquemines Parish since the formation of the parish.-History:...
,
Port SulphurPort Sulphur is a census-designated place on the West Bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,115 at the 2000 census....
,
Buras-TriumphBuras-Triumph is a census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,358 at the 2000 census. On the peninsula, Buras has been located higher, with Triumph located southeast of Buras.-History:...
,
EmpireEmpire is a census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,211 at the 2000 census.-Hurricane Katrina:...
,
Boothville-VeniceBoothville-Venice is a census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States, which includes the unincorporated communities of Boothville, Venice, and Orchid. The population was 2,220 at the 2000 census....
, Phoenix, and
VeniceVenice is an unincorporated community in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is 75 miles south of New Orleans on the west bank of the Mississippi River at . It is the last community down the Mississippi accessible by automobile, and is the southern terminus of the Great River Road....
,
LouisianaThe State of 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 divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
suffered tremendous damage. Amidst heavy rains accompanied by hurricane force winds in excess of 120 mph (190 km/h) at initial landfall (with a Category 3 storm surge), the levees failed and broke, and the storm surge that flowed in was more than 20 feet (6.1 m) high. Although a good majority of the populace did heed mandatory evacuation orders, some did not. At least three residents died.
Geography
The parish has a total area of 2,429 square miles (6,290 km²), of which, 845 square miles (2,187 km²) of it is land and 1,584 square miles (4,102 km²) of it (65.22%) is water.
Major highways
Louisiana Highway 23Louisiana Highway 23 is a north-south state highway in Louisiana that serves Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes. It spans 74.02 miles in roughly a southeast/northwest direction. It is known locally as Belle Chasse Highway, Lafayette Street, the West Bank Expressway, and Franklin Avenue.-Route...
- West Bank
Louisiana Highway 39Louisiana Highway 39 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines Parishes. In New Orleans, LA 39 is referred to as North Claiborne Avenue, while in St. Bernard Parish, it is known as Judge Perez Drive...
- East Bank
Adjacent parishes and features
- Orleans Parish (north)
- St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard Parish is a parish located southeast of New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette, the largest city in the parish. As of 2000, its population was 67,229. It has been ranked the fastest-growing county in the United States from 2007 to 2008 by the U.S....
(northeast)
- Jefferson Parish
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....
(west)
Plaquemines Parish is bordered to the south and southeast by the
Gulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an 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...
.
National protected areas
- Breton National Wildlife Refuge
Breton National Wildlife Refuge is located in southeastern Louisiana in the offshore Breton Islands and Chandeleur Islands. It was established in 1904 through executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt and is the second-oldest refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System...
(part)
- Delta National Wildlife Refuge
The Delta National Wildlife Refuge is located south of Venice, Louisiana along the Mississippi River. The area formed when a breach in the natural levee of the Mississippi River occurred in 1862 approximately below New Orleans, Louisiana. The refuge was purchased in 1935 with the primary purpose...
Economy
Plaquemines has a significant seafood industry. The parish exports millions of pounds of shrimp, crab, oysters, and fish annually. Plaquemines also has a vibrant citrus industry.
The seafood and citrus industries have suffered somewhat in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. About half the shrimping and shellfish fleet were lost. In January 2007, thousands of citrus trees went unpicked.
Demographics
As of 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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 26,757 people, 9,021 households, and 7,000 families residing in the parish. 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. It is a key term used in geography....
was 32 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 10,481 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 69.77%
WhiteRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 23.39%
BlackRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 2.07%
Native AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 2.62%
AsianRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 0.01%
Pacific IslanderRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 0.73% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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 1.42% from two or more races. 1.62% of the population were
HispanicRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
or
LatinoRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
of any race.
There were 9,021 households out of which 39.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.40% were non-families. 18.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the parish the population was spread out with 29.20% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $38,173, and the median income for a family was $42,610. Males had a median income of $37,245 versus $21,691 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the parish was $15,937. About 15.40% of families and 18.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.70% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
There are no incorporated areas within Plaquemines Parish.
- Belle Chasse
Belle Chasse is a census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. Belle Chasse is part of the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area. The population was 9,848 at the 2000 census....
- Bohemia
- Boothville-Venice
Boothville-Venice is a census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States, which includes the unincorporated communities of Boothville, Venice, and Orchid. The population was 2,220 at the 2000 census....
- Braithwaite
- Buras-Triumph
Buras-Triumph is a census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,358 at the 2000 census. On the peninsula, Buras has been located higher, with Triumph located southeast of Buras.-History:...
- Burrwood (no longer inhabited)
- Davant
- Empire
Empire is a census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,211 at the 2000 census.-Hurricane Katrina:...
- Homeplace
- Ironton
- Jesuit Bend
Jesuit Bend is an unincorporated community in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States.-History:It was the site of an incident in 1955 when Rev. Gerald Lewis, an ordained minister, was stopped from preaching here because of his color....
- Oakville
- Olga
- Pilottown
Pilottown is a small community in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States.It serves as a base for river pilots to guide ships across the bar and up and down the Mississippi River....
- Pointe à la Hache
Pointe à la Hache is an unincorporated village and place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States.Located on the east bank of the Mississippi River, the village has been the seat for Plaquemines Parish since the formation of the parish.-History:...
- Port Eads
Port Eads, Louisiana, is located at the southern tip of the Mississippi River, also known as South Pass in Plaquemines Parish. It is the southern most point in Louisiana.-James Buchanan Eads:...
- Port Sulphur
Port Sulphur is a census-designated place on the West Bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,115 at the 2000 census....
- Venice
Venice is an unincorporated community in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is 75 miles south of New Orleans on the west bank of the Mississippi River at . It is the last community down the Mississippi accessible by automobile, and is the southern terminus of the Great River Road....
External links