St. Bernard Parish | |
|---|---|
 St. Bernard Parish Courthouse | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofLouisiana | |
 Louisiana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:29°53′N89°21′W / 29.89°N 89.35°W /29.89; -89.35 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Founded | March 31, 1807 |
| Named after | Bernardo de Galvez |
| Seat | Chalmette |
| Largest community | Chalmette |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,158 sq mi (5,590 km2) |
| • Land | 378 sq mi (980 km2) |
| • Water | 1,781 sq mi (4,610 km2) 83% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 43,764 |
| • Density | 115.78/sq mi (44.70/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 1st,2nd |
| Website | sbpg.net |
St. Bernard Parish (French:Paroisse de Saint-Bernard;Spanish:Parroquia de San Bernardo) is aparish in theU.S. state ofLouisiana. Theparish seat and largest community isChalmette.[2] The parish was formed in 1807.[3] St. Bernard Parish is part of theNew Orleans–Metairiemetropolitan statistical area; the parish is located southeast of the city of New Orleans and comprises theChandeleur Islands andChandeleur Sound in the east.
St. Bernard was the fastest growing parish in Louisiana from 2010 to 2020,[4] increasing from a population of 35,897 in the2010 census to 43,764 in2020.[5][6] It remains at less than two-thirds of its2000 population of 67,229, prior toHurricane Katrina.
St. Bernard Parish contains a large community ofSpanish descent. Sometimes referred to informally as "Spanish Cajuns", theIsleños are descended fromCanary Islanders. This linguistically isolated group eventually developed its own dialect. TheIsleños settled alongBayou Terre aux Boeufs, arelict distributary bayou of theMississippi River. According toDumont de Montigny, who was in Louisiana from 1719 to 1738,Terre aux Bœufs (bœuf is 'steer' or 'ox' inFrench, thusTerre aux Bœufs means 'land of oxen') was named in that period, presumably due to the presence of domestic or feral cattle there, and not because of bison (bison in French). This settlement was calledLa Concepción andNueva Gálvez by Spanish officials, but was also calledTierra de Bueyes (Spanish for 'land of oxen').Saint Bernard, the patron saint of colonial governorBernardo de Gálvez, was used in documents to identify the area.[7]
St. Bernard Parish is also home to the earliestFilipino community in the United States,Saint Malo, Louisiana.
The chief historical attraction in St. Bernard Parish is theChalmette Battlefield (part ofJean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve), at which theBattle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815, during theWar of 1812. Many street names near the battlefield bear the names of the chief participants, or take a pirate theme, since the pirateJean Lafitte was considered to be a hero in the battle. A high school, later elementary and now a middle school, was named in honor ofAndrew Jackson, who was the commanding officer in charge of defendingNew Orleans against theBritish invasion.
In 1863,Abraham Lincoln mentioned St. Bernard Parish in theEmancipation Proclamation as an area not in rebellion against the Union during theCivil War.[8]
From 1919 to 1969, the parish was effectively ruled as part of the fiefdom ofLeander Perez, a local Democratic official in neighboringPlaquemines Parish.
In 1868, St. Bernard Parish was home to one of the deadliest massacres in Louisiana history. The St. Bernard Parish massacre occurred during theReconstruction era, days before thePresidential election of 1868. As black men gained the right to vote, white Democrats of the parish feared losing their majority. Armed groups mobilized to violently silence these recently emancipated voters to win the election in favor of DemocratHoratio Seymour over RepublicanUlysses S. Grant. A Seymour victory meant the end of Reconstruction over the South and the return of Louisiana to home rule. Many freedmen were dragged from their homes and murdered. Others fled to the cane fields to hide from the perpetrators.
The use of violence to suppress Republican votes was successful. Grant only received one vote from St. Bernard Parish, despite having a Republican majority. The reported number of freedmen killed varies from 35 to 135; the number of whites killed was two (one was killed in an attempt to help the victims).[9]
During theGreat Mississippi Flood of 1927, New Orleans city and state leaders useddynamite to breach alevee atCaernarvon, 13 miles (21 km) below Canal Street, to save the city ofNew Orleans from flooding. At the time, it was thought by New Orleans residents that the dynamiting saved the city, but historians now believe that the dynamiting was unnecessary due to major upstream levee breaks that relieved pressure on the New Orleans levees. The levee breach caused flooding and widespread destruction in most of Eastern St. Bernard Parish and parts of Plaquemines Parish. Residents were never adequately compensated for their losses.[10]
On August 29, 2005, St. Bernard was devastated byHurricane Katrina. The storm damaged virtually every structure in the parish. The eye of Katrina passed over the eastern portion of the parish, pushing a 25-foot (7.6 m)storm surge into theMississippi River Gulf Outlet ("MRGO"). This surge destroyed the parish levees. Almost the entire parish was flooded, with most areas left with between 5 and 15 feet (1.5–4.6 m) of standing water. The water rose suddenly and violently, during a period which witnesses reported as no more than fifteen minutes. In many areas, houses were smashed or washed off their foundations by a storm surge higher than the roofs.
For more than two months after the storm, much of the parish remained without proper services, including electricity, water, and sewage. Parish PresidentHenry "Junior" Rodriguez declared all of the parish's homes unlivable.Emergency Communities offered one reason for hope in the first year after Hurricane Katrina. In the parking lot of a destroyed off-track betting parlor, EC built the Made with Love Cafe and Grill, a free kitchen and community center serving 1500 meals per day. Made with Love, housed in ageodesic dome, also offered food and clothing distribution, and emotionally supportive volunteers. Upon leaving, EC has offered logistical support for the founding of a new long-termCommunity Center of St Bernard.[11]
As of late November 2005, it was estimated that the Parish had some 7,000 full-time residents, with some 20,000 commuting to spend the day working, cleaning up, or salvaging in the parish and spending their nights elsewhere. By mid-December some businesses had returned to the Parish, most notably theExxonMobil plant inChalmette and theDomino Sugar plant inArabi, together with a handful of small local stores and businesses.
At the start of January 2006, it was estimated that some 8,000 people were living in the Parish. The H.O.P.E. Project, a collective of volunteer relief workers, founded itself in January 2006 in the empty shell of the Corinne Missionary Baptist Church in Violet, LA, providing the tools for rebuilding and community empowerment. Since June 2006,Camp Hope, located in Arabi, has been housing volunteers' assisting residents of St. Bernard Parish in their recovery from Hurricane Katrina. A grassroots organization, theSt. Bernard Project, opened in March 2006. A fully volunteer-run organization funded by the United Way, they help residents get back into their homes by working on the houses, providing tools, support and where possible, funding.[12]
As of October 2006, the population was estimated to be 25,489.[13] After population losses due to Hurricane Katrina, the school was reopened for elementary grades for the 2006–2007 school year.
With thelandfall ofHurricane Ida on August 29, 2021, St. Bernard Parish experienced heavy flooding.[14] Two days before, local officials and weather experts advised citizens to prepare for the storm, warning that storm surge could reach as much as 11 feet. St. Bernard Parish President, Guy McInnis, stated he did not plan to issue a formal evacuation order.[15]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 2,158 square miles (5,590 km2), of which 378 square miles (980 km2) is land and 1,781 square miles (4,610 km2) (83%) is water.[16] It is the second largest parish in Louisiana by total area and has the largest percentage of area in water of any parish.
The parish of St. Bernard embraces numerous small islands. The parish is classed among the alluvial lands of the state. The ridges comprise the arable lands of the parish and have an area of 37,000 acres (150 km2). The principal streams are the Bayous Terre aux Boeufs and La Loutre. There are numerous smaller streams which are efficient drainage canals. The dominant tree species isbald cypress, of which the most valuable trees have been cut and processed.
There are no incorporated areas in St. Bernard Parish.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 1,020 | — | |
| 1820 | 2,635 | 158.3% | |
| 1830 | 3,356 | 27.4% | |
| 1840 | 3,237 | −3.5% | |
| 1850 | 3,802 | 17.5% | |
| 1860 | 4,076 | 7.2% | |
| 1870 | 3,553 | −12.8% | |
| 1880 | 4,405 | 24.0% | |
| 1890 | 4,326 | −1.8% | |
| 1900 | 5,031 | 16.3% | |
| 1910 | 5,277 | 4.9% | |
| 1920 | 4,968 | −5.9% | |
| 1930 | 6,512 | 31.1% | |
| 1940 | 7,280 | 11.8% | |
| 1950 | 11,087 | 52.3% | |
| 1960 | 32,186 | 190.3% | |
| 1970 | 51,185 | 59.0% | |
| 1980 | 64,097 | 25.2% | |
| 1990 | 66,631 | 4.0% | |
| 2000 | 67,229 | 0.9% | |
| 2010 | 35,897 | −46.6% | |
| 2020 | 43,764 | 21.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] 1790-1960[19] 1900-1990[20] 1990-2000[21] 2010-2013[5] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[22] | Pop 1990[23] | Pop 2000[24] | Pop 2010[25] | Pop 2020[26] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 55,976 | 58,424 | 56,723 | 24,607 | 23,165 | 87.33% | 87.68% | 84.37% | 68.55% | 52.93% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 2,380 | 3,091 | 5,095 | 6,272 | 11,370 | 3.71% | 4.64% | 7.58% | 17.47% | 25.98% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 290 | 325 | 309 | 201 | 215 | 0.45% | 0.49% | 0.46% | 0.56% | 0.49% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 289 | 579 | 872 | 678 | 972 | 0.45% | 0.87% | 1.30% | 1.89% | 2.22% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[27] | x[28] | 6 | 10 | 6 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 29 | 37 | 125 | 285 | 0.00% | 0.04% | 0.06% | 0.35% | 0.65% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[29] | x[30] | 762 | 695 | 1,741 | x | x | 1.13% | 1.94% | 3.98% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,162 | 4,183 | 3,425 | 3,309 | 6,010 | 8.05% | 6.28% | 5.09% | 9.22% | 13.73% |
| Total | 64,097 | 66,631 | 67,229 | 35,897 | 43,764 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Racial / Ethnic Profile of places in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (2020 Census) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Following is a table of towns and census designated places in Plaquemines Parish. Data for the United States (with and without Puerto Rico), the state of Louisiana, and St. Bernard Parish itself have been included for comparison purposes. The majority racial/ethnic group is coded per the key below.
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The 2019American Community Survey determined 46,266 people and 15,005 households lived in the parish.[39] At the2020 census, there were 43,764 people,[6] down from the prior census estimates yet up from 2010's 35,897 people. The racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was 69.4%non-Hispanic white, 23.3%Black and African American, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian and otherPacific Islander, 2.0% some other race, and 2.4%from two or more races in 2019; an estimated 10.1% of the population wereHispanic and Latino American of any race in 2019. In 2020, the racial and ethnic composition was 52.93% non-Hispanic white, 25.98% Black or African American, 0.49% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.63% two or more races, and 13.73% Hispanic and Latino American of any race,[40] reflecting the trend of diversification in the U.S.[41]
Of the population, 90.7% spokeEnglish at home, 5.5%Spanish, 1.6% otherIndo-European languages, 1.6%Asian and Pacific Islander languages, and 0.7% other languages in 2019.[39]
Among the 15,005 households, the median age was 34.2. Approximately 73.2% of the population were aged 18 and older, 7.4% under 5 years of age, and 11.1% aged 65 and older. The parish population was spread out in 17,035 housing units and there was a home-ownership rate of 67.7% compared to 64.0% nationwide from 2015 to 2019.[39] The median housing value was $151,300, and median gross rent was $951. There was a median household income of $44,661; males had a median income of $48,252 versus $33,302 for females. An estimated 26.2% of the parish lived at or below the poverty line.
Christianity was the parish's largest religion according to theAssociation of Religion Data Archives in 2020.[42] Most of the religiously affiliated population are members of theRoman Catholic Church via theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, with 14,439 adherents as of 2020.[42] Historically common throughout the state,Baptists were the second-largest Christian group in the parish;Southern Baptists made up 1,012 members andNational Missionary Baptists numbered 1,230. Non/inter-denominationalProtestants spread amongindependent congregationalist,Bible, andUnited or Uniting churches numbered 900 in 2020 per the Association of Religion Data Archives.
Public schools in the parish are operated by theSt. Bernard Parish Public Schoolsschool district.[43]
Due to Hurricane Katrina (2005), the parish's 20 plus public schools were consolidated as one school, theSt. Bernard Unified School, or SBUS. St. Bernard Unified School broke up into several different schools in the 2006–2007 school year.
The parish is served byNunez Community College.[44]
AdditionallyDelgado Community College states that its Sidney Collier Campus inEast New Orleans is in proximity to St. Bernard Parish.[45]
St. Bernard Parish also has only one Catholic school, Our Lady of Prompt Succor of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. There is also one private Montessori school, Classique Academy.
While St. Bernard is served mainly byNew Orleans media sources, such as a local section ofThe Times-Picayune, the Parish does have multiple newspapers.The St. Bernard Voice, established in 1890, serves as the official journal of the parish.[48] TheSt. Bernard News was established in 1967 and publishes weekly.
Formerly published newspapers that served the parish include theSt. Bernard Eagle and theSt. Bernard Weekly Eagle which published in the 1870s through 1884 in Arabi,Progress which published from Stock Landing (Arabi) in 1888–1889,St. Bernard Protector 1925–1926, and theSt. Bernard Guide which published from 1982 to 1986.[49]
Up to 1944, like all of Louisiana,[50] St. Bernard Parish was almost unanimously Democratic. However, like neighbouringPlaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish was ruled by the notoriouspolitical bossLeander Perez,[51] who directed voters away from the national party toStrom Thurmond in 1948 and toDwight D. Eisenhower in the ensuing decade. Apart from giving almost seventy percent of its ballots to segregationistGeorge Wallace in 1968, St. Bernard Parish has remained strongly Republican ever since then. AlthoughJimmy Carter in 1976 andBill Clinton in 1996 did carry it by plurality,Franklin D. Roosevelt remains the last Democratic presidential nominee to gain an absolute majority.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 17 | 6.80% | 221 | 88.40% | 12 | 4.80% |
| 1916 | 23 | 5.88% | 363 | 92.84% | 5 | 1.28% |
| 1920 | 56 | 13.53% | 358 | 86.47% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 13 | 2.41% | 526 | 97.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 77 | 3.16% | 2,359 | 96.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 106 | 6.50% | 1,525 | 93.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 25 | 1.09% | 2,269 | 98.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 110 | 6.03% | 1,715 | 93.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 80 | 3.77% | 2,044 | 96.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 107 | 4.38% | 91 | 3.72% | 2,247 | 91.90% |
| 1952 | 2,267 | 51.71% | 2,117 | 48.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 3,648 | 50.55% | 3,283 | 45.49% | 286 | 3.96% |
| 1960 | 1,431 | 13.07% | 4,660 | 42.56% | 4,858 | 44.37% |
| 1964 | 8,055 | 56.61% | 6,175 | 43.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 3,486 | 18.32% | 2,485 | 13.06% | 13,056 | 68.62% |
| 1972 | 15,198 | 77.69% | 3,189 | 16.30% | 1,176 | 6.01% |
| 1976 | 12,707 | 47.94% | 12,969 | 48.92% | 832 | 3.14% |
| 1980 | 19,410 | 60.53% | 11,367 | 35.45% | 1,288 | 4.02% |
| 1984 | 24,428 | 74.80% | 8,076 | 24.73% | 153 | 0.47% |
| 1988 | 19,609 | 61.79% | 11,406 | 35.94% | 721 | 2.27% |
| 1992 | 16,131 | 48.97% | 12,305 | 37.36% | 4,502 | 13.67% |
| 1996 | 13,549 | 43.86% | 14,312 | 46.33% | 3,031 | 9.81% |
| 2000 | 16,255 | 56.79% | 11,682 | 40.82% | 684 | 2.39% |
| 2004 | 19,597 | 65.68% | 9,956 | 33.37% | 285 | 0.96% |
| 2008 | 9,643 | 71.21% | 3,491 | 25.78% | 407 | 3.01% |
| 2012 | 8,501 | 60.92% | 5,059 | 36.25% | 395 | 2.83% |
| 2016 | 10,237 | 64.73% | 4,960 | 31.36% | 618 | 3.91% |
| 2020 | 11,179 | 63.34% | 6,151 | 34.85% | 320 | 1.81% |
| 2024 | 11,033 | 63.80% | 5,967 | 34.51% | 292 | 1.69% |
The Sidney Collier Site [...] as well as St. Tammany and St. Bernard parishes.
Places adjacent to St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofSt. Bernard Parish, Louisiana,United States | ||
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