Jean Lafitte, Louisiana

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Jean Lafitte (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner metropolitan statistical area.

History

Jean Lafitte was originally settled by Native Americans, then explored and settled by the French who established the area as a harbor for large vessels coming in and out of New Orleans.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Today, the communities along Bayou Barataria are made up of Jean Lafitte, Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria.<ref name=":1" />

The town of Jean Lafitte was officially incorporated in 1974, an effort led by Leo E. Kerner Jr., who became the town's first mayor. His son, Tim Kerner Sr., later served 7 terms as mayor from 1992 to 2020. In 2020, his son Tim Kerner, Jr. was elected as mayor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Under the leadership of Timothy Kerner Sr., the town built a number of civic and infrastructure improvements, including: a visitor center, museum, 1,300-seat auditorium, library, civic center, baseball park, senior center, medical clinic, art gallery, and nature trail.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref> One of the mayor's major accomplishments was the creation of the Lafitte Area Independent Levee District that eventually secured over $300 million in funds to build tidal protection levees and flood walls.<ref name=":2" />

In 2012, a historical marker for the community of Manila Village was placed in Jean Lafitte.<ref>Template:Cite news
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Template:Cite web</ref> Since mid-2013, Manila Plaza, 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.<ref name="LLA2013NOLA">Template:Cite news</ref> The Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society participated in the dedication ceremony.<ref name="LLA2013NOLA" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Failed verification

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.<ref name="LLA2013NOLA" />

In 2014, the town of Jean Lafitte unveiled a historical marker sponsored by the Jefferson Parish Historical Commission at the town's visitor center. The historical marker reads: “Named for legendary privateer Jean Lafitte, who helped the United States win the Battle of New Orleans and used area bayous for his smuggling operations. Home to a thriving seafood industry. Incorporated in 1974 as a village. Became a town in 1977. First mayor of village and town was Leo E. Kerner, Jr., 1974-1991.”<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (4.47%) is water.

Demographics

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Jean Lafitte racial composition as of 2020<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 2020,<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.

Government

The United States Postal Service operates a post office in Jean Lafitte.<ref>Template:Cite web - It is in the Jean Lafitte limits.</ref>

Education

Lafitte residents are zoned to Jefferson Parish Public Schools.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list.</ref>

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 Template:Convert 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.<ref>"Lafitte Library Template:Webarchive." Jefferson Parish Library. Retrieved on September 28, 2010.</ref>