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Jean Lafitte, Louisiana
Town
Town of Jean Lafitte
A portion of Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Bayou Barataria
A portion of Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Bayou Barataria
Official logo of Jean Lafitte, Louisiana
Logo
Location of Jean Lafitte in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Jean Lafitte in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish Jefferson
Area
 • Total 6.21 sq mi (16.09 km2)
 • Land 5.85 sq mi (15.15 km2)
 • Water 0.36 sq mi (0.93 km2)
Elevation
3 ft (0.9 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,809
 • Estimate 
(2020)
1,996
 • Rank JE: 5th
 • Density 341.88/sq mi (132.00/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s) 504
FIPS code 22-38092
  • Town is on former site of Manila Village which was destroyed by hurricane in 1965

Jean Lafitte is a town on Bayou Barataria in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located in Jefferson Parish, it is named after the privateer Jean Lafitte. The population was 1,809 at the 2020 census. It is part of the New OrleansMetairieKenner metropolitan statistical area.

Geography

Jean Lafitte is located at 29°44′10″N 90°07′36″W / 29.73611°N 90.12667°W / 29.73611; -90.12667 (29.735587, -90.122053).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16 km2), of which, 6.0 square miles (16 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it (4.47%) is water.

History

In 2012, a historical marker for the community of Manila Village was placed in Jean Lafitte. Since mid-2013, Manila Plaza, designed attractively and located in front of Jean Lafitte Town Hall, has held several historical markers and commemorative plaques acknowledging important individuals in the area's Filipino American history.

While there were several settlements of Filipinos (sometimes called Manilamen or Tagalas) along the Louisiana coast in the late 19th century, Manila Village was the largest. The residents there implemented a system of platforms on which they dried shrimp, as forerunners of Louisiana's 21st-century dried shrimp industry. This community-on-stilts thrived for nearly a century, until it was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1980 936
1990 1,469 56.9%
2000 2,137 45.5%
2010 1,903 −10.9%
2020 (est.) 1,996 4.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
Jean Lafitte racial composition as of 2020
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 1,491 82.42%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 20 1.11%
Native American 42 2.32%
Asian 22 1.22%
Other/Mixed 142 7.85%
Hispanic or Latino 92 5.09%

According to the 2020 United States census, there were 1,809 people, 604 households, and 446 families residing in the town. At the 2019 American Community Survey, the racial and ethnic makeup of Jean Lafitte was 95.4% non-Hispanic white, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.5% some other race, and 3.4% two or more races. By 2020, its composition was 82.42% non-Hispanic white, 1.11% Black or African American, 2.32% Native American, 1.22% Asian, 7.85% other races and ethnicities, and 5.09% Hispanic and Latino American, representing the demographic increase of Asians and Latinos nationwide. The median age of the town in 2019 was 39.7 and the median household income was $55,671 with a poverty rate of 17.1%. Of the 656 housing units in the township, males had a median income of $54,400 versus $39,830 for females.

Education

Lafitte residents are zoned to Jefferson Parish Public Schools.

Residents from K-6 are zoned to Leo E. Kerner Elementary School (formerly Lafitte Elementary School). 7-12 are zoned to Fisher Middle-High School.

The Leo. E. Kerner Jr. City Park Multi-Purpose Complex is located in Jean Lafitte. Jefferson Parish Library operates the Lafitte Library inside the complex. The over 4,500 square feet (420 m2) facility, which is almost three times larger than the previous library facility, opened on March 4, 2010. The previous library facility sustained damage during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, and the library contents were destroyed. The American Library Association donated $200,000 to the State of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Library Association's Disaster Relief Program awarded $20,000 of that to Jefferson Parish Library; the funds were used to rebuild the Lafitte Library. The previous library building became the Sheriff Harry Lee Police Station.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jean Lafitte (Luisiana) para niños

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