Metairie

This suburb stretches west of New Orleans along Lake Pontchartrain, composed of residential neighborhoods, commercial strips, and low-rise buildings spread across a flat plain. Streets run mostly parallel or at right angles, accompanied by canals and drainage ditches that carry away excess rainwater.

French tenant farmers cleared land along a natural ridge during the 1720s to grow vegetables and grain for New Orleans. After World War II the former farmland transformed into a rapidly growing suburban community with shopping centers and housing developments.

Many residential streets display ranch-style homes or raised foundations from the 1950s and 1960s, built to cope with the regional climate. Street names recall French settlers, though modern life centers on shopping plazas and office buildings along wide thoroughfares.

The area is easiest to navigate by car, with wide main roads and parking available at most shops. Visitors on foot should note that distances between neighborhoods can be long and shaded sidewalks are not always present.

Many homes were raised onto even higher foundations after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, placing living spaces several feet above street level. This construction adjustment changed the appearance of entire blocks and made front staircases a common sight.

Location: Jefferson Parish

Elevation above the sea: 1 m

Address: Metairie, LA, USA

Website: http://metairie.com

GPS coordinates: 29.99778,-90.17750

Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:00