Encyclopedia:
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana,
Talk:Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana,
Category:Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Plaquemines Parish is the
parish with the most combined land and water area in the
U.S. state of
Louisiana. The
parish seat is
Pointe a la Hache.
As of 2000, the parish's population was 26,757.
The name is pronounced
'plɑ.kə.mɪnz (transcription in
IPA).
Geography
The parish has a total area of 6,290
km² (2,429
mi²). 2,187 km² (845 mi²) of it is land and 4,102 km² (1,584 mi²) of it (65.22%) is water.
Major highways
*
20px Louisiana Highway 23 - West Bank
*
20px Louisiana Highway 39 - East Bank
Adjacent parishes and features
*
Orleans Parish (north)
*
St. Bernard Parish (northeast)
*
Jefferson Parish (west)
Plaquemines Parish is bordered to the south and southeast by the
Gulf of Mexico.
History
The name "Plaquemines" comes from a
Native American word,
piakimin, meaning
persimmon. It was first used to name an old military post on the banks of the
Mississippi which was surrounded by large number of persimmon trees. Eventually the name was applied to the entire parish.
One of the remaining historical treasures of Plaquemines Parish is
Fort Jackson, built in 1822 under the recommendation of General
Andrew Jackson, hero of the
Battle of New Orleans. In 1861, Fort Jackson served as an important defense for the city of New Orleans during the
Civil War because it was at the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was also used as a training base during
World War I - 1917-1918.
Because Plaquemines Parish encompasses the first 70 miles of the Mississippi River, it plays host to several oil refineries which make use of the shipping lanes. The
Mississippi River Delta of Plaquemines also provides assistance to off-shore oil rigs. Plaquemines Parish was also the first place from where a container was first used to ship cargo in foreign trade.
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.
From 1919 to 1969, Plaquemines Parish (together with neighbouring
St. Bernard Parish), was effectively the domain of political boss
Leander Perez, who established a virtual dictatorship in the area. He was notorious for fixing elections and mandating strict
racial segregation.
During the
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, city and state leaders used
dynamite to breech a
levee at
Caernarvon, thirteen miles below Canal Street, in order to save the city of
New Orleans from flooding. However, this action resulted in the flooding of both St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, causing widespread destruction.
Hurricane Katrina
One of the worst natural disasters in United States history struck Louisiana on
August 29,
2005. Hurricane Katrina struck and did severe damage to all of
Southeast Louisiana. Martial law was declared in Plaquemines until
September 12,
2005. No place escaped without some damage, while most of the rest of Plaquemines, Orleans and neighbouring St. Bernard Parish were severely hit;
Pointe a la Hache,
Port Sulphur,
Buras-Triumph,
Empire,
Boothville-Venice, and
Venice, Louisiana suffered tremendous damage. Amidst heavy rains accompanied by hurricane force winds in excess of 150 mph at initial landfall (with a Category 5 storm surge), the federal levees failed and broke, and the storm surge that flowed in was more than 20 feet (6.1m) high. Although a good majority of the populace did heed mandatory evacuation orders, many did not. At least three residents died.
Demographics
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 26,757 people, 9,021 households, and 7,000 families residing in the parish. The
population density was 12/km² (32/mi²). There were 10,481 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (12/mi²). The racial makeup of the parish was 69.77%
White, 23.39%
Black or
African American, 2.07%
Native American, 2.62%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 0.73% from
other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 1.62% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino 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 couples 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 income 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.
Cities, towns, and communities
*
Belle Chasse*
Bohemia*
Boothville-Venice*
Buras-Triumph*
Empire*
Jesuit Bend*
Pilottown*
Pointe a la Hache*
Port Eads*
Port Sulphur*
VeniceEconomy
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.
External links
*
http://www.plaqueminesparish.com Official website*
http://www.plaqueminesparish.com/EmergencyPreparedness/FromtheOfficeoftheParishPresident.php Images of destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in the parish (Photos taken
August 31 2005)
Category:Louisiana parishesCategory:Greater New Orleans de:Plaquemines Parishno:Plaquemines Parishpt:Paróquia de Plaquemines
