Metairie (/ˈmɛtəri/MET-ər-ee) is anunincorporated community andcensus-designated place (CDP) inJefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of theNew Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020,^[2] Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and was (as of 2010) the fifth-largest CDP in the United States.^[3] It is anunincorporated area that (as of 2020) would have beenLouisiana's fourth-largest city behindShreveport if incorporated.^[4][5]

Metairie Métairie (French)
Census-designated place
Metairie Central Business District along Causeway Blvd.
Flag
Metairie Location of Metairie in Louisiana Show map of Louisiana Metairie Metairie (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates:29°59′52″N90°10′39″W / 29.99778°N 90.17750°W /29.99778; -90.17750
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Jefferson
Area [1]
• Total	23.30 sq mi (60.35 km2)
• Land	23.26 sq mi (60.24 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)
Elevation	3 ft (0.9 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	143,507
• Density	6,169.96/sq mi (2,382.27/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	70001–70006, 70009–70011, 70033, 70055, 70060
Area code	504
GNIS feature ID	555301

Métairie (French:[metɛʁi]) is theFrench term for a small tenant farm which paid the landlord with a share of the produce, a practice also known assharecropping (in French,métayage). In the 1760s, many of the original French farmers were tenants; after theCivil War, the majority of the community's inhabitants were sharecroppers until urbanization started in the 1910s.

In the 1720s, French settlers became the first Europeans to settle Metairie in the area known then as Tchoupitoulas and now as Metairie Ridge, a natural levee formed by an ancient branch of the Mississippi River,Bayou Metairie, which flowed through modern-dayRiver Ridge, Metairie,Gentilly, andNew Orleans East. It emptied intoMississippi Sound. TheAcolapissa Native Americans used this ridge as a road; it is the oldest road in the New Orleans area. Paved in the 1920s, it is called Metairie Road.^{[citation needed]} An electricstreetcar was installed running along Metairie Road in the late 1910s, opening the area to greater development.^[6][7] Upscale housing tracts were constructed off the road in the 1920s; this area is now known as "Old Metairie".^[8] The areas to the north and northwest of Metairie Road were not developed until afterWorld War II.^{[citation needed]} The land between Metairie Ridge andLake Pontchartrain, which wascypress swamps and marshlands, was drained with theWood Pump. With development of this new land for residences, Metairie's population grew in the 1940s as a result of cheaper land, lower taxes, and larger lots as compared to Orleans Parish.^{[citation needed]}

The1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane, with winds of 125 mph (201 km/h), directly hit Metairie. Much of the community was under 6 feet (1.8 m) of water.^[9]

Hurricane Betsy, a Category 3 storm, hit the area in 1965, causing extensive wind damage and moderate flooding.^[10] Thirty years later, theMay 8, 1995 Louisiana flood, which dumped upwards of 20 inches (510 mm) of rain on Metairie in a twelve-hour period, also flooded some parts of the region, especially areas south and west of Metairie, including Kenner,Harahan, and River Ridge.^[11]

In 1989, a Metairie district electedwhite supremacistDavid Duke to the Louisiana state legislature for a single term.^[12]

On August 29, 2005,Hurricane Katrina caused a new migration from Orleans Parish, because housing was needed to replace what had been destroyed in the flooding of the city.^{[citation needed]} It has been a racially neutral migration, with equal numbers of black and white residents moving to Jefferson Parish.^{[citation needed]} The 2010 census showed that Metairie has increasingly become more diverse.^{[citation needed]}

Veterans Boulevard was laid out alongside a drainagecanal, and became a commercial center of the region. Thecentral business district of Metairie is located on Causeway Boulevard near Lake Pontchartrain. Metairie also has one of the handful of major malls located in the New Orleans metro area.Lakeside Shopping Center is the highest-grossing mall in the New Orleans metropolitan area.^{[citation needed]} In the 1970s and early 1980s, an area ofbars andnightclubs opened in a section of Metairie known as "Fat City", which is now the most racially diverse area in the New Orleans metropolitan area and is home to a vibrant restaurant scene.^{[citation needed]} Several New Orleans radio and television stations have transmitter facilities in Metairie and Jefferson Parish; two of them,WGNO-TV andWNOL, now have studios and main offices in Metairie.^{[citation needed]} Metairie has a largeMardi Gras season that touts itself as more family-friendly than theNew Orleans Mardi Gras.^{[citation needed]}

Metairie is located in easternJefferson Parish and is bordered byNew Orleans to the east,Kenner to the west,Lake Pontchartrain to the north, and theIllinois Central Railroad tracks to the south. South of the railroad areRiver Ridge, Harahan,Elmwood, andJefferson. The17th Street Canal forms the border between Metairie and New Orleans to the east. It is a principal community inGreater New Orleans. According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the Metairie CDP has a total area of 23.2 square miles (60.2 km²), of which 23.2 square miles (60.1 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), or 0.18%, is water.^[13]

The climate of Metairie has been classified ashumid subtropical. Like the city of New Orleans, it has short, generally mild winters and hot, humid summers. The average precipitation is 62.5 in (1,590 mm) annually; the summer months are the wettest, while October is the driest month.^[14] Precipitation in winter usually accompanies the passing of a cold front. On average, there are 77 days of 90 °F (32 °C) or greater highs, 8.1 days per winter where the high does not exceed 50 °F (10 °C), and 8.0 nights with freezing lows annually. It is rare for the temperature to reach 20 or 100 °F (−6.7 or 37.8 °C), with the last occurrence of each being February 5, 1996, and June 26, 2016, respectively.^[14]

Three Lakeway Center stands at 403 ft (123 m).

According to the 2019American Community Survey, there were 130,427 people living in the census-designated place.^[32] At the2010 United States census,^[33] there were 138,481 people living in Metairie.^[3] The2020 census reported 143,507 people living in the CDP. As of 2019, population density was 5,607.7 people per square mile, with a median age of 40.6.

At the 2019 American Community Survey, the racial and ethnic makeup was 69%non-Hispanic white, 10%Black and African American, 4%Asian, 1% multiracial, and 16%Hispanic and Latino American. According to 2017 census estimates, the racial makeup of Metairie was 67.5% White, 16.2% Hispanic or Latino American of any race, 9.9% Black and African American, 3.9% Asian, 0.7% fromother races, 0.9% from two or more races, and 0.1%Native American.^[34] By the time of the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 62.89% non-Hispanic white, 10.98% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 3.73% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 18.20% two or more races, and 18.42% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.^[35]

Among the population of Metairie, 52% were female in 2019. There were 56,421 households with an average of 2.63 persons per household. An estimated 52% of households were married couples living together, 23% non-family, 18% female householder with no male present, and 7% male householder with no female present. Approximately 61,354 housing units were in the community, and 92% were occupied; 59% of housing units were owner-occupied, and 64% of housing units were single unit structures. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $246,600, and the median household income was $60,404. Residents had a per capita income of $35,007 at the 2019 American Community Survey.^[32]

In Metairie, 54.1% of residents identified with some religion as of 2019. Due to Spanish and French colonial influence, Metairie and the surrounding area have an overwhelmingly Catholic populace. Approximately 34.6% identify with theCatholic Church, served by theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans; 5.9% wereBaptist, 3.1%Pentecostal, 1.4%Methodist, 0.6%Lutheran, 0.6%Latter-Day Saints, 0.5%Anglican, and 0.5% from anotherChristian group including theMetropolitan Community Church among others.^[36]

Approximately 0.7% wereMuslims and 0.4% identified with anEastern religion such asHinduism,Buddhism, orSikhism;^[36] 0.6% of the community claimed affiliation withJudaism.^[36] Metairie is home to Congregation Gates of Prayer, aReform synagogue, and beside it isCongregation Beth Israel, the oldestOrthodox congregation in the New Orleans metro area. Beth Israel constructed its new building in Metairie in 2012, several years after its building inLakeview, New Orleans was destroyed byHurricane Katrina.^[37]

Metarie has the headquarters of Rawbar Inc., which operatesAcme Oyster House, a restaurant chain.^[38]

Jefferson Parish Library operates public libraries.^[39] The East Bank Regional Library, which houses the library system's headquarters, is in Metairie.^[40] Other public libraries in Metairie include the Lakeshore Library,^[41] the Old Metairie Library,^[42] and the Wagner Library.^[43]

Metairie was home to theNew Orleans Baby CakesTriple-AMinor League Baseball team of thePacific Coast League from 1993 to 2019. Theminor league club played its home games atPrivateer Park, home to theUniversity of New Orleans'sNCAA baseball team, from 1992 through 1996, and atShrine on Airline from 1997 to 2019.

The training facilities ofNFL franchiseNew Orleans Saints and theNBA franchiseNew Orleans Pelicans are located in Metairie.^[44][45] As such, many players reside in the area.^[46]

Boxing cards have been held in theCopeland Tower Suites (formerly Landmark Hotel).^[47][48]

Beginning in 2020, theNew Orleans Gold ofMajor League Rugby play their homes games in Metairie at theGold Mine on Airline.

Jefferson Parish has created many parks in Metairie. Many of these playgrounds have organized sports leagues such as football, baseball, andbasketball. Some of them also have other programs, such as low-costpiano lessons. The parks in Metairie are:

• Cleary Playground
• Delta Playground
• Doe Playground
• Girard Playground
• Jim O'Ryan Playground
• Johnny Bright Playground
• Lafreniere Park
• Lakeshore Playground
• LaSalle Park
• Mike Miley Playground
• Pontiff Playground

Metairie's public schools are operated by theJefferson Parish Public School System.^[49]

There is one zoned public high school in Metairie:East Jefferson High School. Additionally, many residents are zoned toAlfred Bonnabel High School inKenner andRiverdale High School inJefferson.^[50][39]

Previously, some residents were zoned toGrace King High School in Metairie.^[51] King closed in 2023.^[52]

Magnet public school

• Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies

Private schools

• Archbishop Chapelle High School
• Archbishop Rummel High School
• Crescent City Christian School
• Ecole Classique
• Lutheran High School
• Metairie Park Country Day School
• St. Martin's Episcopal School

Closed private schools

• Ridgewood Preparatory School-closed 2023

The most common method of transportation within Metairie is the automobile. Mass transit is provided by "JeT" (Jefferson Transit), but it does not run on Sundays, holidays, or late at night, unlike many lines of New Orleans' RTA. JeT's coverage is also very limited in terms of usability.

Interstate 10 runs east–west through Metairie.

Major east–west roads (starting from north to south) include West Esplanade Avenue,Veterans Memorial Boulevard, West Napoleon Avenue, West Metairie Avenue, Metairie Road, Airline Drive (which is part ofU.S. Route 61) and Jefferson Highway (which is part ofU.S. Route 90). TheEarhart Expressway, running east–west immediately south of Airline Drive, is the only other freeway entering New Orleans from the west, but it ends as an expressway soon after crossing into Orleans Parish and well before the New Orleans CBD (in Central City.)

For many of the major east–west roadways, the eastbound and westbound lanes are separated by large, open-topped drainage canals. These canals are one of the most distinct characteristics of the Metairie landscape. Similar canals once bisected many streets in neighboring New Orleans, but most were covered over in the mid-20th century.

Multi-line, continuous north–south roads (starting from west to east) include Power Boulevard/David Drive/Hickory Avenue, Transcontinental Drive, Clearview Parkway, Causeway Boulevard, and Bonnabel Boulevard.

TheLake Pontchartrain Causeway's southern terminus lies in Metairie.

•  
  Eastbank Regional Library
•  
  Grace King Senior High School
•  
  East Jefferson High School
•  
  Lakeshore Library

• Metairie Cemetery - Located in New Orleans, east of Metairie

• "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Metairie CDP, LA"(PDF).U.S. Census Bureau.
• "2010 CENSUS – CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Metairie CDP, LA"(PDF).U.S. Census Bureau. -links to individual pages
• "CENSUS 2000 BLOCK MAP: METAIRIE CDP"(PDF).U.S. Census Bureau. -link to individual pages
• 1990 U.S. Census maps:Index of Jefferson County with Metairie on pages2,3,4,6,7,8 andA01

• Metairie community website