Pontchartrain Park, New Orleans
Encyclopedia
Pontchartrain Park is a neighborhood
of the city of New Orleans
. A subdistrict of the Gentilly District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Leon C. Simon Drive to the north, the Industrial Canal
to the east, Dreux Avenue to the south and Peoples Avenue to the west.
, the district has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²). 0.93 square miles (2.4 km²) of which is land and 0.07 square mile (0.1812991677 km²) (7.0%) of which is water.
of 2000, there were 2,630 people, 1,009 households, and 736 families residing in the neighborhood. The population density
was 2,828 /mi² (1,096 /km²).
. It was one of the first suburban-style
subdivision
s developed by and for middle class
African American
s during the Jim Crow
era of racial segregation
in Louisiana
. Pontchartrain Park includes a golf course
; it has been home to such prominent New Orleanians as mayors Dutch Morial and Marc Morial
and district attorney Eddie Jordan
; as well as nationally known figures such as Lisa P. Jackson
, EPA Administrator under President Barack Obama, actor Wendell Pierce
, and jazz musician Terrence Blanchard. Adjacent to the Pontchartrain Park golf course is the campus of Southern University at New Orleans
.
Pontchartrain Park flooded badly in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
in 2005, taking on water first from the overtopping of a section of floodwall of the Industrial Canal caused by storm surge channeled into the city from the MRGO Canal
, then from major breaches sustained by floodwalls along the London Avenue Canal
.
New Orleans neighborhoods
In 1980 the New Orleans City Planning Commission divided the city into 13 planning districts and 72 distinct neighborhoods.While most of these assigned boundaries match with traditional local designations, some others differ from common traditional use...
of the city of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. A subdistrict of the Gentilly District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Leon C. Simon Drive to the north, the Industrial Canal
Industrial Canal
The Industrial Canal is a 5.5 mile waterway in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The waterway's proper name, as used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and on NOAA nautical charts, is Inner Harbor Navigation Canal...
to the east, Dreux Avenue to the south and Peoples Avenue to the west.
Geography
Pontchartrain Park is located at 30°01′19"N 90°02′25"W and has an elevation of 0 foot (0 m). According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the district has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²). 0.93 square miles (2.4 km²) of which is land and 0.07 square mile (0.1812991677 km²) (7.0%) of which is water.
Adjacent Neighborhoods
- Lake Terrace/Lake OaksLake Terrace/Lake Oaks, New OrleansLake Terrace/Lake Oaks is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the city's Gentilly District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Lake Pontchartrain to the north, the Industrial Canal to the east, Leon C. Simon Drive, Elysian Fields Avenue, New...
(north) - Pines VillagePines Village, New OrleansPines Village is a neighborhood in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. A subdistrict of the New Orleans East area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Downman Road and Interstate 10 to the east, Chef Menteur Highway to the south, Lake Pontchartrain and...
(east) - Gentilly WoodsGentilly Woods, New OrleansGentilly Woods is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Gentilly District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Dreux Avenue to the north, Industrial Canal to the east, Gentilly Boulevard to the south and People's Avenue to the...
(south) - Milneburg (west)
Boundaries
The City Planning Commission defines the boundaries of Pontchartrain Park as these streets: Leon C. Simon Drive, the Industrial Canal, Dreux Avenue and Peoples Avenue.Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,630 people, 1,009 households, and 736 families residing in the neighborhood. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,828 /mi² (1,096 /km²).
History
Pontchartrain Park was developed after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was one of the first suburban-style
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
subdivision
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
s developed by and for middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s during the Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
era of racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Pontchartrain Park includes a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
; it has been home to such prominent New Orleanians as mayors Dutch Morial and Marc Morial
Marc Morial
Marc Haydel Morial is an American political and civic leader and the current president of the National Urban League. Morial served as mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 to 2002. He is married to Michelle Miller, who has won awards as a CBS News Correspondent.- Early life and educations...
and district attorney Eddie Jordan
Eddie Jordan (attorney)
Eddie Jack Jordan, Jr. , was the district attorney for Orleans Parish, Louisiana from 2003 until 2007, when he resigned. A member of the Democratic Party, Jordan was the first African American to have held the elected position. He announced his resignation on October 30, 2007, when a court rendered...
; as well as nationally known figures such as Lisa P. Jackson
Lisa P. Jackson
Lisa Perez Jackson is an American chemical engineer currently serving as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency . Previously, she worked at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for 6 years, first as an assistant commissioner and later as commissioner...
, EPA Administrator under President Barack Obama, actor Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce is an American actor, best known for his work in HBO dramas, including his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme.-Life and career:...
, and jazz musician Terrence Blanchard. Adjacent to the Pontchartrain Park golf course is the campus of Southern University at New Orleans
Southern University at New Orleans
Southern University at New Orleans is a historically black university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
.
Pontchartrain Park flooded badly in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005, taking on water first from the overtopping of a section of floodwall of the Industrial Canal caused by storm surge channeled into the city from the MRGO Canal
Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal
The Mississippi River – Gulf Outlet Canal is a channel constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in the mid-20th century that provided a shorter route between the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans' inner harbor Industrial Canal via the Intracoastal Waterway...
, then from major breaches sustained by floodwalls along the London Avenue Canal
London Avenue Canal
The London Avenue Canal is a drainage canal in New Orleans, Louisiana, used for pumping rain water into Lake Pontchartrain. The Canal runs through the 7th Ward of New Orleans from the Gentilly area to the Lakefront....
.