River Ridge, Louisiana

History

The land that is now River Ridge was developed by French colonists and their descendants in the late 18th and early 19th centuries for large sugar plantations; these lined the Mississippi River in traditional French long-lot fashion. The plantations had relatively narrow waterfronts to provide water access and extended deeply back from the river. These plantations were developed by French colonists and their descendants; they depended on the labor of African slaves. Major landowners included members of the Trudeau and Sauvé families. (Pierre Sauvé (1805–1867) had a major plantation here known as Providence.)

The alignments of the major streets in the area are vestiges of this era. Sauve Road continues to be a main thoroughfare in River Ridge (the street name and sign omitting the accent mark).

In 1849, a major flooding event known as Sauvé's Crevasse occurred. The crude river levee at the Sauvé Providence plantation failed under pressure of high water on the Mississippi. The massive flood inundated much of the land to the east, including parts of New Orleans. This crevasse occurred where a former meander of the Mississippi River once branched to form the Metairie and Gentilly Ridges.

In the early 20th century, an interurban transit line was constructed through this area. It served to connect the cities of New Orleans and Kenner. It was aligned along the present course of Jefferson Highway, which was improved from earlier roads.

For many years, the area remained rural farmland until the post-World War II suburbanization era. Aided by funding under the G.I. Bill, which enabled veterans to buy houses, large-scale suburban development began in the early 1950s. By 1965, virtually all of the area along the Mississippi River between Harahan and Kenner was developed. This area at the time was known as "Little Farms", a name which well described its pre-urban history; this was also the place name officially recognized by the Post Office. (To this day, Little Farms Avenue remains a major River Ridge thoroughfare.) Other subdivision names, such as "East Bank" and "Rural Acres," were used as place names for the area at the time.

To eliminate confusion and create some sense of community identity, the area between Kenner, Harahan, Metairie, and the Mississippi River was officially renamed "River Ridge" in 1974.

In 2019, a baseball team from River Ridge won the Little League World Series, becoming the first team from Louisiana to do so. They also became the first team since 2001 to lose their opening game but win the championship.

Geography

River Ridge is located along a 3 mi stretch of Jefferson Highway (Louisiana Highway 48). Its boundaries include Harahan to the east, Kenner to the northwest, Metairie to the north, and the Mississippi River to the southwest. Across the Mississippi is the unincorporated community of Waggaman.

River Ridge is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.19 sqkm, of which 7.24 sqkm are land and 1.95 sqkm, or 21.18%, are water.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

River Ridge first appeared as a census-designated place in the 1980 U.S. Census.

At the census of 2000, there were 14,588 people, 6,030 households, and 4,082 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 5,181.6 PD/sqmi. There were 6,325 housing units at an average density of 2,246.6 /mi2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.76% White, 10.99% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.92% of the population. At the 2020 United States census, there were 13,591 people, 5,546 households, and 3,579 families residing in the CDP, reflecting a slight population decline from the 2000 U.S. census. Its racial and ethnic makeup by 2020 was 73.32% non-Hispanic white, 11.8% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.43% two or more races, and 10.09% Hispanic or Latino American, reflecting the diversification of the United States at the 2020 census.

Culture

Public parks include Little Farms Park and Jesse Owens Park & Playground.

• Paradise Manor Community Club is the swimming and tennis club for River Ridge.
• According to the Census 2000, River Ridge had 30 houses valued at $1,000,000 or more.

Education

Jefferson Parish Public Schools operates public schools. Students are zoned to Hazel Park/Hilda Knoff School (formerly an elementary school) for grades PreK-8. Students are zoned to Riverdale High School in Jefferson.

Formerly, Hazel Park took elementary grades, while Riverdale Middle School in Jefferson (now a part of Jefferson PK-8) took middle school grades.

In regards to the advanced studies academies, students are zoned to Airline Park Academy.

St. Matthew Catholic School (of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans) is in River Ridge. Many of the Catholic high schools are close by, such as Archbishop Rummel High School and Archbishop Chapelle. Non-Catholic schools located nearby include St. Martin's Episcopal School, Kehoe-France, John Curtis, and Ridgewood Preparatory School.

Jefferson Parish Library operates the River Ridge Branch Library in River Ridge. The library held its grand opening ceremony on Friday, May 4, 2018.

Athletics

In August 2019, the Little League baseball team from River Ridge made history by being the first team from Louisiana to win the US Championship and World Series Final.

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. Randhawa, Manny. (August 25, 2019). "Louisiana beats Curacao for Little League crown". MLB.com.
3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): River Ridge CDP, Louisiana". U.S. Census Bureau.
4. "Decennial Census by Decade".
5. (1950). "1950 Census of Population - Louisiana - Table 7 - Population of all incorporated places and of unincorporated places of 1,000 or more: 1950 and 1940".
6. (1960). "1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Louisiana - Table 8 - Population of All Incorporated Places and Unincorporated Places of 1,000 or More: 1940 to 1960".
7. (1970). "1970 Census of Population - Louisiana - Characteristics of the Population - Table 6. Population of Places: 1970 and 1960".
8. (1980). "1980 Census of Population - Louisiana - Table 14 - Summary of General Characteristics".
9. (1990). "1990 Census of Population - Louisiana - Table 1. Summary of General Characteristics of Persons: 1990".
10. (2000). "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
11. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Louisiana".
12. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
13. "2020 Race and Population Totals".
14. "Latinos account for over half of the country's population growth".
15. (2021-08-12). "America is becoming more urban, more diverse and less white, 2020 Census reveals".
16. "[http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st22_la/place/p2265150_river_ridge/DC10BLK_P2265150_001.pdf 2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: River Ridge CDP, LA]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140518102118/http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/GUBlock/st22_la/place/p2265150_river_ridge/DC10BLK_P2265150_001.pdf Archive]). [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.
17. "Elementary School Districts 2023-24 East Bank of Jefferson Parish Louisiana". [[Jefferson Parish Public Schools]].
18. (January 2026). "Middle School Districts 2023-24 East Bank of Jefferson Parish Louisiana". [[Jefferson Parish Public Schools]].
19. "[http://jpschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/12-13-eb-high-dist.pdf High School Districts 2012-2013 East Bank of Jefferson Parish Louisiana] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-09-05 ." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130905125113/http://jpschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/12-13-eb-high-dist.pdf Archive]) [[Jefferson Parish Public School System]]. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.)
20. "[http://jpschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/12-13-eb-elem-dist.pdf Elementary School Districts 2012-2013 East Bank of Jefferson Parish Louisiana] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-09-05 " ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130905120648/http://jpschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/12-13-eb-elem-dist.pdf Archive]). [[Jefferson Parish Public School System]]. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.)
21. "[http://jpschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/12-13-eb-middle-dist.pdf Middle School Districts 2012-2013 East Bank of Jefferson Parish Louisiana] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-09-05 " ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130905095215/http://jpschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/12-13-eb-middle-dist.pdf Archive]) [[Jefferson Parish Public School System]]. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.)
22. "[http://jpschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/advanced-study-academies_eastbank_academies-attendance_zones_map1.pdf East Bank Advanced Studies Attendance Zones] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-09-05 " ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130905130103/http://jpschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/advanced-study-academies_eastbank_academies-attendance_zones_map1.pdf Archive]). [[Jefferson Parish Public School System]]. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.)
23. "[http://www.jplibrary.net/branches/jplpage.riverridge1.html]." Jefferson Parish Library. Retrieved on September 29, 2010.
24. (25 August 2019). "Louisiana’s Eastbank Little League Shuts Out Curacao to Win 2019 Little League Baseball® World Series".