'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, 2006 estimate, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a population of 1 million but in March 2007 the population was 1.2 million.
[1]
The metropolitan area was hit by
Hurricane Katrina—a Category 4 storm—in August 2005, causing a loss of population from 1.4 million before the hurricane however the seven parish metro area has rebounded its population to 1.2 million in March 2007.
Parishes
The Greater New Orleans region indicated here in the far south-eastern corner of Louisiana.
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 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
[1] This region includes four parishes:
Jefferson,
Orleans,
Plaquemines and
St. Bernard.
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. 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 any area that lies along the western side of the river. These terms are most commonly 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. Confusion about these terms 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.
In the New Orleans metropolitan area, the term "East Bank" is often used as a blanket term to refer to all of portions of
suburban New Orleans that are situated on the eastern bank of the river, while the term "West Bank" is used a blanket term to refer to all of 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 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, arguably,
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).
"North Shore"
The term "North Shore" refers to areas that lie on the northern shore of
Lake Pontchartrain, which is covered by
St. Tammany Parish. The North Shore includes the communities of
Mandeville,
Covington,
Madisonville,
Abita Springs,
Lacombe,
Eden Isle and
Slidell.
"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 cities (Places with over 50,000 inhabitants)
★
New Orleans
★
Kenner
★
Metairie, ''unincorporated community''
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'':
★
Bonnet Carré Spillway
★
Mississippi Valley Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
See also
★
Intrastate regions
★
Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and
Reconstruction of New Orleans
★
French Louisiana
References
1. http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.csv
External links
★
New Orleans Regional Planning Commission
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