Orleans Parish, Louisiana

History

Main article: History of New Orleans

On April 10, 1805, the Territory of Orleans was divided into 12 counties, including Orleans County. On April 14, 1807, the territory was also divided into 19 civil parishes while keeping the previous system of counties intact. Based on the boundaries and names of earlier ecclesiastical parishes, Orleans County was divided into Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines parishes, with New Orleans inside the Orleans Parish limits. The county remained responsible for elections and taxation, while the parishes took over responsibility for civil, criminal, probate, and other judicial matters. The system of counties was never explicitly abolished, but the Louisiana Constitution of 1845 dropped any reference to counties and gave their powers to the parishes.

At its establishment, the Orleans Parish government was led by a police jury, which had only limited authority within the city of New Orleans. In 1822, when the police jury began to be elected popularly, the New Orleans City Council was granted a veto over fiscal matters. In 1840, the parish was divided in two along the Mississippi River. A second police jury was established and given authority over Algiers. It was formally named the Police Jury of the Parish of Orleans on the right bank of the River Mississippi. By 1846, the original police jury had become inactive and was abolished, resulting in the consolidation of the left bank with New Orleans. In 1870, the remainder of Orleans Parish was consolidated when the city became coextensive with the parish.

The completion of Chef Menteur Highway in the 1850s connected far-flung communities such as Irish Bayou.

Geography

Orleans Parish is coextensive with New Orleans. Both are bounded by St. Tammany Parish and Lake Pontchartrain to the north, St. Bernard Parish and Lake Borgne to the east, Plaquemines Parish to the south, and Jefferson Parish to the south and west. The parish is part of the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area.

Orleans Parish originally extended as far west as present-day Kenner and as far south as Grand Isle. In 1824, uncertainty over the relative locations of Grand Isle and Cheniere Caminada resulted in a territorial dispute between Orleans Parish and Lafourche Interior Parish (now Lafourche). The dispute was resolved in 1825 with the creation of Jefferson Parish, which included these areas.

In 1852, New Orleans annexed the city of LaFayette (now Faubourg Lafayette) while keeping the parish boundaries unchanged, causing the city to extend into Jefferson Parish. However, subsequent annexations of Jefferson in 1870 and Carrollton in 1874 included the redrawing of both city and parish boundaries. Since 1870, Orleans Parish has been coextensive with New Orleans. In 1979, parish boundaries through Lake Pontchartrain were defined, resulting in a gain of territory for the parish.

Demographics

|1810|24552 |1820|41351 |1830|49826 |1840|102193 |1850|119460 |1860|174491 |1870|191418

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 383,997, a median age of 36.2 years, 20.3% of residents under the age of 18, and 14.7% of residents 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 89.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the parish was 32.9% White, 54.2% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8% Asian,

99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 165,125 households in the parish, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 26.4% were married-couple households, 24.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 193,840 housing units, of which 14.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 45.5% were owner-occupied and 54.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.5%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Population estimates

, Orleans Parish is the third most populous parish in Louisiana, behind East Baton Rouge Parish and neighboring Jefferson Parish.

Government

Since consolidation, Orleans Parish has retained a nominal, sui generis status under Louisiana state law that guarantees the city's home rule. It has been effectively abolished as a distinct governmental unit, and the United States Census Bureau considers New Orleans and Orleans Parish to be a single consolidated city. However, various parish offices remain with a degree of independence from the city government, while in other matters, the city represents the parish. Examples of parish entities include the Orleans Parish School Board, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, and formerly the Orleans Levee Board.

Communities

Main article: Neighborhoods in New Orleans

Prior to the consolidation of Orleans Parish and New Orleans, the parish had several distinct communities and municipalities, including:

• Algiers
• Carrollton
• Irish Bayou
• McDonoghville
• Michoud
• New Orleans

Some additional communities were at one point part of Orleans Parish but were later included in other parishes, such as:

• Grand Isle (to Lafourche Interior Parish in 1824, but disputed; to Jefferson Parish in 1825)
• Cheniere Caminada (to Lafourche Interior Parish in 1824, but disputed; to Jefferson Parish in 1825)

References

Sources

References

1. (2009). "Louisiana: Individual County Chronologies". Newberry Library.
2. (February 17, 2023). "Records of the Orleans Parish Police Juries". [[New Orleans Public Library]].
3. "Pines Village Neighborhood Snapshot". Greater New Orleans Nonprofit Knowledge Works.
4. (March 16, 1870). "An act to extend the limits of the Parish of Orleans, and to change the boundaries of the Parishes of Orleans and Jefferson, and to consolidate the cities of New Orleans and Jefferson, and to provide for the government of the city of New Orleans and the administration of the affairs thereof…".
5. "Population of the States and Counties of the United States: 1790–1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
7. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
8. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
9. "1980 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Louisiana - Table 14 - Persons by Race and Table 15 - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race (p. 20/12-20/20)".
10. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Louisiana - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin".
11. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Orleans Parish, Louisiana".
12. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Orleans Parish, Louisiana".
13. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Orleans Parish, Louisiana".
14. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
15. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
16. not an option in the 1980 Census
17. not an option in the 1990 Census
18. "Quick Facts – Louisiana Population Estimates". US Department of Commerce.
19. Calhoun, Kelly. (September 30, 2019). "McDonoghville Historic Structures Survey Report". Calhoun + Rolf Preservation Works.