Arabi, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Arabi is a census-designated place
(CDP) in St. Bernard Parish
, Louisiana
on the East Bank of the Mississippi River
, between the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana
and Chalmette within the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area
. The population was 8,093 at the 2000 census.
.
Arabi began as the community known as Stockyard Landing, because of the many stockyards
and slaughterhouses located there. In the rear yards of some of houses in Old Arabi, there are remnants of blood traps from the area. When excavation for swimming pools was done, residents found dishes from New Orleans hotels and restaurants whose table scraps were once used to feed animals.
Business interests of the stockyards wanted to be free from control of New Orleans and persuaded the state of Louisiana to transfer dominion of the area to downriver St. Bernard parish.
The area was apparently named after the residents of the area who burned the courthouse down in the 1890s, according to an account published by the FWP
in 1941, "reputedly because the incendiary activities of an Arabian sheik were at that time much in the news." The New York times makes mention of the media frenzy in 1882 with a note that "The New Orleans Picayune has discovered that Arabi Pasha once sold confectionery in that city. But the Picayune has a habit of occasionally discovering things that are not so."
It is speculated by the publication, the town is named after Arabi Pasha (a mis-transliteration of his actual name Ahmed 'Urabi) who torched Alexandria, Egypt in 1882 while fighting for independence from the British
. The community felt that the revolt he was leading was a kindred spirit to their own revolt from New Orleans.
The clubs were frequently raided by the authorities. One such raid was noted by the Associated Press in 1928 when the governor was Huey P. Long. Upon learning of the re-opening of two clubs in Arabi, he delivered the request to have the clubs raided by the National Guard in person:
These establishments continued to operate until 1952, when they were shut down after a statewide crackdown on illegal gambling after the appointment of United States Army
Colonel
Francis Grevemberg
(1914–2008) as superintendent of the Louisiana State Police
. (The film
, Damn Citizen, co-starring Keith Andes
and Gene Evans
, was made about Grevemberg in 1958.)
,
The St. Bernard Voice
, a local paper, began publishing in the late 19th century, and still is produced from a small building on Mehle Street, near the Mississippi river in what was the original settlement.
Most of the area was declared a Historical District in the 1970s, including the remains of the Le Beau Plantation, as well as the original St. Bernard Jail.
swept over the New Orleans area on the evening of September 9, 1965. Betsy caused a strong storm surge in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a deep-water shipping channel to the east and south of New Orleans. Arabi and Chalmette are in St. Bernard Parish east and below New Orleans on the east bank of the Mississippi River. All of St. Bernard parish is sandwiched between the MRGO and the Mississippi River.
The storm surge over topped levees along the channel and on both sides of its terminus at the Industrial Canal in the Ninth Ward. There may have also been a breach of the Back Protection levee along Florida Avenue. The flooding covered areas of Gentilly and both the upper and lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The flooding spread to the east and inundated most of Arabi (except for areas of high ground near the river.) In Arabi, Betsy began to die down around 3am. Many residents, thinking the worst had passed, went to sleep around this time. The flooding reached Arabi Park around 4am waking the exhausted survivors to another phase of the disaster. Between 4am and 6am, the water rose between six and eight feet. By dawn, the water was making its way across the railroad grade between Arabi Park and Carolyn Park and flowing into Chalmette.
For days the survivors huddled in a few two-story buildings surrounded by water, with little or no supplies, power, running water or communications. There was no search and rescue or military presence. Eventually, they evacuated themselves by using their own fishing boats. They headed for higher ground which meant St. Claude Avenue (closer to the Mississippi River) in Arabi and the Kaiser Aluminum plant in Chalmette.
caused an even more massive storm surge which inundated all of Arabi, with water reaching higher than 20 feet (6.1 m) in some areas.
Much as occurred in Hurricane Betsy, locals who had elected to remain had noticed the winds had begun dying, this time shortly after dawn. Several stories have been noted of locals talking on cell phones with evacuated relatives as late as 8:30-9:00 AM, stating they felt the worst was over. The first wave of water struck shortly after 9:00 and quickly surged all the way to the levee of the Mississippi River
. Areas that had suffered less than 3–4 feet of water after Betsy were submerged as much as 10 feet (3 m).
In the Arabi Park area, the surge crossed over elevated railroad tracks and the resultant wave washed many homes off of their foundations, and completely destroyed others. Again, as in Hurricane Betsy the locals immediately began evacuating themselves and their neighbors using private boats. They brought them to the Mississippi river levee, which for several days was the only dry ground on the east side of the river for many miles. Local officials including U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries agents stationed in the parish moved quickly to seal off the area and supply food and water to the survivors. A makeshift evacuation was begun by confiscating small ferry boats, and moving the people to the west bank of the river at Algiers Point
, where buses were used to move them out of the area. Most of this activity was not covered by the media due to the greater coverage of nearby New Orleans.
Even in the higher areas close to the river, many of the homes were not savable and will have to be destroyed and re-built. There is speculation that entire neighborhoods are to be completely removed and replaced with wetlands. However, many houses in that area are already being refurbished as of February 2006, and some people have already moved back into their homes.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (16.98%) is water.
of 2000, there were 8,093 people, 3,474 households, and 2,247 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 4,597.3 people per square mile (1,775.4/km²). There were 3,688 housing units at an average density of 2,095.0 per square mile (809.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.89% White, 0.89% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.90% from other races
, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.10% of the population.
There were 3,474 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples
living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 27.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $33,937, and the median income for a family was $42,526. Males had a median income of $32,146 versus $24,489 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $19,038. About 7.5% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
.
As of 2007 Chalmette High School
serves the population.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
St. Bernard Parish is a parish located southeast of New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette, the largest city in the parish. As of 2000, its population was 67,229. It has been ranked the fastest-growing county in the United States from 2007 to 2008 by the U.S....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
on the East Bank of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, between the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and Chalmette within the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
. The population was 8,093 at the 2000 census.
History
Arabi was established in the 19th century as a suburb of New Orleans, along the east bank of the Mississippi River. Arabi was part of Orleans Parish, however, a law passed in the 1880s stated that slaughterhouses could not be located within the City of New Orleans. A 1951 map calls the area Jacksonburgh, a name believe to be derived from Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
.
Arabi began as the community known as Stockyard Landing, because of the many stockyards
Feedlot
A feedlot or feedyard is a type of animal feeding operation which is used in factory farming for finishing livestock, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations . They...
and slaughterhouses located there. In the rear yards of some of houses in Old Arabi, there are remnants of blood traps from the area. When excavation for swimming pools was done, residents found dishes from New Orleans hotels and restaurants whose table scraps were once used to feed animals.
Business interests of the stockyards wanted to be free from control of New Orleans and persuaded the state of Louisiana to transfer dominion of the area to downriver St. Bernard parish.
The area was apparently named after the residents of the area who burned the courthouse down in the 1890s, according to an account published by the FWP
Federal Writers' Project
The Federal Writers' Project was a United States federal government project to fund written work and support writers during the Great Depression. It was part of the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program...
in 1941, "reputedly because the incendiary activities of an Arabian sheik were at that time much in the news." The New York times makes mention of the media frenzy in 1882 with a note that "The New Orleans Picayune has discovered that Arabi Pasha once sold confectionery in that city. But the Picayune has a habit of occasionally discovering things that are not so."
It is speculated by the publication, the town is named after Arabi Pasha (a mis-transliteration of his actual name Ahmed 'Urabi) who torched Alexandria, Egypt in 1882 while fighting for independence from the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The community felt that the revolt he was leading was a kindred spirit to their own revolt from New Orleans.
Gambling era (1907-1952)
In 1907 Friscoville Avenue was developed in Arabi. Because of a ban on gambling in the city limits of Orleans Parish, the area gambling center with around 5 gambling halls along the 100 block of Friscoville Avenue. Being just outside of the Orleans Parish line, Friscoville was at the time easily accessible by the Canal Street Car Line.The clubs were frequently raided by the authorities. One such raid was noted by the Associated Press in 1928 when the governor was Huey P. Long. Upon learning of the re-opening of two clubs in Arabi, he delivered the request to have the clubs raided by the National Guard in person:
Names of 225 persons found in the two places, the Jai-Alai Fronton and the Arabi Club, located just outside of the New Orleans city limits, were taken for future reference. The patrons, many of whom were women, were released after being questioned.
Neil Simmes, staff photographer for the Time Picayune, was attacked and beaten by about fifty men as he attempted to take a picture. Guardsmen rescued him. He was unconscious when found. Three officers and five men went to the Jai-AlaiJai alaiJai alai is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space. It is a variety of Basque Pelota. The term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton where the sport is played...
Club and two officers and five men to the Arabi Club. The establishments face each other on the same street.
Heavily armed, the soldiers entered the clubs, women screamed and several fainted. A shot rang out, believed to have been fired by a sentry on guard to warn the gamblers of what was taking place. There was a quick grab for money on the gaming tables. Order was restored in a few moments.
In a bonfire this afternoon the gambling paraphernalia that was flammable was burned. The remainder was hacked to bits with axes....
These establishments continued to operate until 1952, when they were shut down after a statewide crackdown on illegal gambling after the appointment of United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Francis Grevemberg
Francis Grevemberg
Francis Carroll Grevemberg , was the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police from 1952 to 1955, best remembered for his fight against organized crime....
(1914–2008) as superintendent of the Louisiana State Police
Louisiana State Police
The Louisiana State Police is the state police department of Louisiana, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state, headquartered in Baton Rouge. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Louisiana. It falls under the authority of the Louisiana...
. (The film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Damn Citizen, co-starring Keith Andes
Keith Andes
Keith Andes was an American film, radio, musical theatre, stage and television actor.-Early life:John Charles Andes was born in Ocean City, New Jersey on July 12, 1920. By the age of 12, he was featured on the radio....
and Gene Evans
Gene Evans
Gene Evans was an American actor.He was born in Holbrook, Arizona, but reared in Colton, California. His acting career began while he was serving in World War II. He performed with a theatrical troupe of GIs in Europe. Evans made his film debut in 1947 and appeared in dozens of movies and...
, was made about Grevemberg in 1958.)
,
Historic areas
St. Bernard Voice
The St. Bernard Voice is a weekly newspaper in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.Founded by William F. Roy on January 11, 1890, the St. Bernard Voice has been published weekly since. Roy was the owner, publisher and editor. He also was a reporter and even published the paper as a pressman...
, a local paper, began publishing in the late 19th century, and still is produced from a small building on Mehle Street, near the Mississippi river in what was the original settlement.
Most of the area was declared a Historical District in the 1970s, including the remains of the Le Beau Plantation, as well as the original St. Bernard Jail.
Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane BetsyHurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season which caused enormous damage in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. Betsy made its most intense landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River, causing significant flooding of the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into...
swept over the New Orleans area on the evening of September 9, 1965. Betsy caused a strong storm surge in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a deep-water shipping channel to the east and south of New Orleans. Arabi and Chalmette are in St. Bernard Parish east and below New Orleans on the east bank of the Mississippi River. All of St. Bernard parish is sandwiched between the MRGO and the Mississippi River.
The storm surge over topped levees along the channel and on both sides of its terminus at the Industrial Canal in the Ninth Ward. There may have also been a breach of the Back Protection levee along Florida Avenue. The flooding covered areas of Gentilly and both the upper and lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The flooding spread to the east and inundated most of Arabi (except for areas of high ground near the river.) In Arabi, Betsy began to die down around 3am. Many residents, thinking the worst had passed, went to sleep around this time. The flooding reached Arabi Park around 4am waking the exhausted survivors to another phase of the disaster. Between 4am and 6am, the water rose between six and eight feet. By dawn, the water was making its way across the railroad grade between Arabi Park and Carolyn Park and flowing into Chalmette.
For days the survivors huddled in a few two-story buildings surrounded by water, with little or no supplies, power, running water or communications. There was no search and rescue or military presence. Eventually, they evacuated themselves by using their own fishing boats. They headed for higher ground which meant St. Claude Avenue (closer to the Mississippi River) in Arabi and the Kaiser Aluminum plant in Chalmette.
Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
caused an even more massive storm surge which inundated all of Arabi, with water reaching higher than 20 feet (6.1 m) in some areas.
Much as occurred in Hurricane Betsy, locals who had elected to remain had noticed the winds had begun dying, this time shortly after dawn. Several stories have been noted of locals talking on cell phones with evacuated relatives as late as 8:30-9:00 AM, stating they felt the worst was over. The first wave of water struck shortly after 9:00 and quickly surged all the way to the levee of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Areas that had suffered less than 3–4 feet of water after Betsy were submerged as much as 10 feet (3 m).
In the Arabi Park area, the surge crossed over elevated railroad tracks and the resultant wave washed many homes off of their foundations, and completely destroyed others. Again, as in Hurricane Betsy the locals immediately began evacuating themselves and their neighbors using private boats. They brought them to the Mississippi river levee, which for several days was the only dry ground on the east side of the river for many miles. Local officials including U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries agents stationed in the parish moved quickly to seal off the area and supply food and water to the survivors. A makeshift evacuation was begun by confiscating small ferry boats, and moving the people to the west bank of the river at Algiers Point
Algiers Point
Algiers Point is a location on the Lower Mississippi River in New Orleans, Louisiana. In river pilotage, Algiers Point is simply one of the many points of land around which the river flows—albeit a significant one...
, where buses were used to move them out of the area. Most of this activity was not covered by the media due to the greater coverage of nearby New Orleans.
Even in the higher areas close to the river, many of the homes were not savable and will have to be destroyed and re-built. There is speculation that entire neighborhoods are to be completely removed and replaced with wetlands. However, many houses in that area are already being refurbished as of February 2006, and some people have already moved back into their homes.
Geography
Arabi is located at 29°57′27"N 89°59′56"W (29.957554, -89.998994).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (16.98%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 8,093 people, 3,474 households, and 2,247 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4,597.3 people per square mile (1,775.4/km²). There were 3,688 housing units at an average density of 2,095.0 per square mile (809.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.89% White, 0.89% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.90% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.10% of the population.
There were 3,474 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 27.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $33,937, and the median income for a family was $42,526. Males had a median income of $32,146 versus $24,489 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $19,038. About 7.5% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Residents are zoned to schools in the St. Bernard Parish Public SchoolsSt. Bernard Parish Public Schools
St. Bernard Parish Public Schools is a school district headquartered in unincorporated St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The district operates public schools in the parish.-Schools:...
.
As of 2007 Chalmette High School
Chalmette High School
Chalmette High School is a high school in the Chalmette area unincorporated St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a part of St. Bernard Parish Public Schools.Chalmette High School opened in 1954 at the current site of Chalmette Elementary School, previously known as Chalmette Middle...
serves the population.
Notable natives and residents
- Christina CuencaChristina CuencaChristina Cuenca is a beauty queen who has held the title Miss Louisiana USA and competed at Miss USA.Cuenca, who comes from Arabi, Louisiana is an experienced pageant veteran who competed for five consecutive years before winning the crown, including placing second runner-up three times. Cuenca...
, Miss Louisiana USAMiss Louisiana USAThe Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
2006 - Al CopelandAl CopelandAlvin Charles "Al" Copeland was an American entrepreneur who created the Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits fast food chain. He was also a successful restaurateur who created many successful upscale restaurants.-Personal life:...
, Founder of Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits