New Roads, Louisiana

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Coordinates: 30°41′47″N, 91°26′20″W
New Roads, Louisiana
New Roads' location in the state of Louisiana
Counties	Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
Mayor	Thomas "Tommy" Nelson
Area
- City	4.6 mi² / 11.8 km²
- Land	4.6 mi² / 11.8 km²
- Water	0.0 mi² / 0.0 km²
Elevation	11 m
Population
- City (2000)	4,996
- Density	1,091.8 mi² / 421.4/km²
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Website: [1]

The city of New Roads is the parish seat of Pointe Coupee Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. The center of population of Louisiana is located in New Roads [2]. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,996 (pre-Katrina). Post-Katrina the city had an estimate population of 5,589, perhaps because its above average real estate market attracted many evacuees.

1 Establishment
2 Modern Attractions
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Establishment

Pointe Coupee Parish, of which New Roads is the governmental seat, was settled by the French in the 1720s and is one of the oldest communities in the Mississippi Valley. Around 1776 a "Chemin Neuf," French for "New Road", was built connecting the Mississippi River with False River, a 22-mile long oxbow lake and formerly the main channel of the Mississippi. In 1822, streets were opened and lots created at the False River terminus of the New Road, for which the town was named. New Roads became the parish seat in 1847, after the original courthouse on the Mississippi River was destroyed by fire. The town was settled by Creole French and African-Americans and, later, by Anglo-Saxons, Italians and other groups.

Since its founding, New Roads has been the hub of an agricultural community focused on the production of sugar cane, cotton, pecans and other crops. Today, the economy is enhanced by industries, retail establishments, restaurants and lodging enterprises, five banks and modern health care and nursing facilities.

Pointe Coupee was home to Julian Poydras, a merchant, planter, poet, statesman, banker and philanthropist who helped establish the state's first public schools in Pointe Coupee in the early 1800s. He likewise endowed a trust fund to provide impoverished brides with dowries in Pointe Coupee and West Baton Rouge Parishes. Visitors will find his grave on the grounds of the old Poydras School on Main Street in New Roads, now a museum and cultural center established by the Pointe Coupee Historical Society.

The poem "Maryland, My Maryland" was written in April 1861, at nearby Poydras College on False River by James Randall, an English professor. The poem was later put to music. The site is still known as Randall Oak, though the school was destroyed by fire in 1881. The poem is now Maryland's official state song.

Other famous residents of the New Roads area have included Maj. Gen. John Archer LeJeune of U.S. Marines fame; author Ernest Gaines; U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Corinne Claiborne "Lindy" Boggs; and New Orleans Mayor deLesseps "Chep" Morrison.

[edit] Modern Attractions

New Roads hosts the oldest Mardi Gras celebration outside New Orleans each Shrove Tuesday. As many as 75,000 people converge on the hospitable Creole town for family-friendly parades. The Community Center Carnival Club parade, founded in 1922 and the state's oldest outside New Orleans, rolls at 11 a.m. The New Roads Lions Carnival parade, founded in 1941 and which is staged as a charitable fundraiser, rolls at 1:30 p.m. Each consists of 25-30 floats built and manned by local schools, churches, clubs, businesses and families, as well as eight-ten marching bands and drill units.

New Roads' narrow, tree-lined streets include outstanding examples of 19th century Creole and Victorian architecture. Tourist attractions include Satterfield's Riverwalk and Restaurant, the Pointe Coupee Parish Courthouse and Gen. John Archer LeJeune Monument, St. Mary's Catholic Church and Cemetery, the Julien Poydras Monument and Museum, numerous fine dining and shopping opportunities as well as beautiful views and boating on False River.

Many historical Creole plantation homes dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries line False River, including Parlange, River Lake, North Bend, Mon Couer, Austerlitz, among others.

Over the last decade, new upscale subdivisions and retail establishments have been built along False River Drive between the area known as "Millionaire Row" near Oscar, Louisiana and New Roads.

[edit] Geography

New Roads is located at 30°41′47″N, 91°26′20″W (30.696305, -91.438980)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.8 km² (4.6 mi²), all land.

At 35 feet above sea level, the city lies on a Mississippi Riverflood-plain but has never during its existence been submerged; something unique among towns on the banks of the Mississippi River. This is partially thanks to the Railroad tracks at the north and east ends of the city, which lie upon an embankment known as the Patin Dyke.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 10,107 people, 6,818 households, and 3,743 families residing in the city and surrounding area. The population density was 421.4/km² (1,091.8/mi²). There were 6,949 housing units at an average density of 173.4/km² (449.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 38.99% White, 59.32% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.62% of the population.

There were 1,818 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 23.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 82.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,583, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $32,679 versus $20,547 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,840. About 23.6% of families and 30.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.3% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over.