Chalmette, Louisiana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The unincorporated community of Chalmette is the parish seat of St. Bernard Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 32,069. Chalmette is on the east bank of the Mississippi River, just down river from Arabi, Louisiana, some 2 miles down from the border of New Orleans, Louisiana.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Etymology
5 External links

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Geography

Chalmette is located at 29°56'44" North, 89°57'42" West (29.945504, -89.961602)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 20.6 km² (7.9 mi²). 19.0 km² (7.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.56% water.

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Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 32,069 people, 12,321 households, and 8,821 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 1,686.9/km² (4,369.6/mi²). There are 12,896 housing units at an average density of 678.4/km² (1,757.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 92.69% White, 2.39% African American, 0.44% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 4.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 12,321 households out of which 31.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% are married couples living together, 14.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% are non-families. 23.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.04.

In the CDP the population is spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $36,699, and the median income for a family is $43,804. Males have a median income of $33,916 versus $24,896 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $17,480. 12.0% of the population and 9.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.5% of those under the age of 18 and 8.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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History

Chalmette was the location of what is often called The Battle of New Orleans where United States forces under General Andrew Jackson defeated the British in 1815. The battlefield is preserved as a national monument, and a military cemetery is adjacent.

On 2005-08-29 the enormous storm surge pushed by Hurricane Katrina up the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a little-used commercial channel dug by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s, inundated the entire town up to 30 feet in some places. As a result, in a little over 15 minutes Chalmette was almost entirely destroyed with a large loss of life. As of 2005-10-25, most of the bulidings have been found to be unsavable, and the area remains virtually uninhabitable. Despite findings published by the EPA, the toxic chemicals in the water from local oil refineries have been postulated to be an ongoing health hazard by several civilian ecological groups.

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Etymology

The community was named after plantation owner I. Martin de Lino de Chalmette. The surname is derived from the french word les chalmettes which is a geographic term for a "small rocky hill" which itself was derived from the pre-celtic word chalm.

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