New Orleans metropolitan area
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[1]
The metropolitan area was hit by Hurricane Katrina—a Category 4 storm—in August 2005, causing a loss of population from 1.3 million before the hurricane.
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[edit] 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 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.
[edit] Geographic Terms
In the New Orleans metropolitan area, the following geographic terms are used: East Bank, West Bank, North Shore and River Parishes.
[edit] "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).
[edit] "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.
[edit] "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).
[edit] Cities and census designated places
[edit] Principal cities (Places with over 50,000 inhabitants)
- New Orleans
- Kenner
- Metairie, unincorporated community
[edit] Places between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants |
[edit] Places with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants |
[edit] 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 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.
[edit] 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
[edit] See also
- Intrastate regions
- Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and Reconstruction of New Orleans
- French Louisiana
[edit] External links
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