Belle Chasse, Louisiana

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Belle Chasse

| native_name =

| other_name =

| settlement_type = Census-designated place

| image_skyline = BelleChasseAuditorium.JPG

| image_caption = Belle Chasse Auditorium

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = United States

| subdivision_type1 = State

| subdivision_name1 = Louisiana

| subdivision_type2 = Parish

| subdivision_name2 = Plaquemines

| image_map =

| map_caption =

| pushpin_map = Louisiana

| pushpin_relief =

| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Belle Chasse in Louisiana

| coordinates = {{coord|29|51|08|N|89|59|54|W|display=inline,title}}

| area_footnotes = {{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_22.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 20, 2022}}

| dunam_link =

| area_total_km2 = 26.16

| area_total_sq_mi = 10.10

| area_land_sq_mi = 8.17

| area_water_sq_mi = 1.93

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_m =

| elevation_ft = 7

| population_as_of = 2020

| population_footnotes =

| population_total = 10579

| population_density_km2 = 500.04

| population_density_sq_mi = 1295.18

| population_demonym =

| timezone1 = CST

| utc_offset1 = -6

| timezone1_DST = CDT

| utc_offset1_DST = -5

| postal_code_type = ZIP code(s)

| postal_code = 70037, 70093

| area_code = 504

|blank_name = FIPS code

|blank_info = 22-06120

|pop_est_as_of =

|pop_est_footnotes =

|population_est =

|unit_pref = Imperial

|area_land_km2 = 21.16

|area_water_km2 = 5.00

}}

Belle Chasse ({{IPAc-en|b|ɛ|l|_|ˈ|tʃ|eɪ|s}} {{respell|bel}} {{respell|CHAYSS}}) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Belle Chasse is part of the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area. The population was 10,579 at the 2020 United States census.{{cite web|title=QuickFacts: Belle Chasse CDP, Louisiana|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/bellechassecdplouisiana/POP010220|access-date=August 12, 2021|website=U.S. Census Bureau}} Belle Chasse is the largest community in Plaquemines Parish. It is home to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, a Naval Air Station for the U.S. Navy Reserve."[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MapItDrawServlet?geo_id=16000US2206120&_bucket_id=50&tree_id=420&context=saff&_lang=en&_sse=on Belle Chasse CDP, Louisiana]{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 22, 2010.

History

File:BelleChassePublicLibrary.JPG

There is little consensus regarding the origin of the name Belle Chasse. In French, belle chasse literally means "beautiful hunting." It is widely believed that it was so named due to the richness of wildlife which the initial French colonists observed when they settled in the region. Others say that Belle Chasse was named for Spanish colonial administrator Joseph Deville Degoutin Bellechasse, who lived there from 1806 to 1814.{{cite web|url=http://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/LWP/id/7534/rec/8|title=Description, history and architecture of Belle Chasse Plantation in Belle Chasse, Louisiana circa 1930s|publisher=Louisiana Digital Library|access-date=March 17, 2014}}{{Cite book |last=Bradley |first=Jared William |url=http://archive.org/details/interimappointme0000clai |title=Interim appointment : W.C.C. Claiborne letter book, 1804–1805 |date=2002 |publisher=Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-8071-2684-4 |page=269}}

The Confederate statesman Judah P. Benjamin was the most famous owner of the Belle Chasse plantation. After falling into decay and abandonment by the 1930s, the landmark plantation house was demolished in 1960.{{cite book |last1=Lewis|first1=Richard Anthony|last2=Cangelosi Jr.|first2=Robert J.|title=Belle Chasse Plantation |date=February 7, 2015|page=79|publisher=Louisiana State University Press |isbn=9780807142196}} The bell was salvaged and today is in front of the Belle Chasse Public Library.

The Naval Air Station was founded in 1920 on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain, but in 1957 it relocated to its current location (Belle Chasse, Louisiana). It has been designated as a Joint Forces Reserve Air Station. It is home to various naval air units as well as an Air Force Reserve fighter squadron and a Marine Corps Reserve helicopter unit. In March 2009, U.S. Navy Reserve Airborne Early Warning Squadron 77 (VAW-77) relocated its six E-2C aircraft from NAS Atlanta, GA to Belle Chasse. The squadron routinely deploys to the Caribbean on counter-narcotic operations. The squadron aircrew are all U.S. Naval Reservists while the maintenance department for the aircraft is run by Northrop Grumman Field Services.

Geography

Belle Chasse is located at {{Coord|29|51|48|N|89|59|54|W|type:city}} (29.852243, -89.9983335), in the New Orleans metropolitan area.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}} According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of {{convert|28.4|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|24.9|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|3.5|sqmi|km2}} (12.21%) is water.

Demographics

{{US Census population

|2000= 9848

|2010= 12679

|2020= 10579

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}

}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Belle Chasse CDP, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
{{nobold|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.}}

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Belle Chasse CDP, Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US2206120&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}

!Pop 2010{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Belle Chasse CDP, Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2206120&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}

!{{partial|Pop 2020}}{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Belle Chasse CDP, Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2206120&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}

!% 2000

!% 2010

!{{partial|% 2020}}

White alone (NH)

|8,929

|10,200

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,024

|90.67%

|80.45%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |75.85%

Black or African American alone (NH)

|415

|969

|style='background: #ffffe6; |633

|4.21%

|7.64%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.98%

Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|60

|110

|style='background: #ffffe6; |71

|0.61%

|0.87%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.67%

Asian alone (NH)

|83

|292

|style='background: #ffffe6; |353

|0.84%

|2.30%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.34%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|17

|style='background: #ffffe6; |15

|0.02%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%

Other race alone (NH)

|15

|33

|style='background: #ffffe6; |64

|0.15%

|0.26%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.60%

Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|112

|258

|style='background: #ffffe6; |417

|1.14%

|2.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.94%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|232

|800

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,002

|2.36%

|6.31%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.47%

Total

|9,848

|12,679

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,579

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

At the 2019 American Community Survey, there were 14,024 people living in Belle Chasse, up from 12,679 in 2010.{{cite web|title=Geography Profile: Belle Chasse CDP, Louisiana|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2206120|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-02|website=data.census.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802150708/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2206120 |archive-date=2021-08-02 }} The 2020 United States census reported a population decline at 10,579.

The racial and ethnic makeup of the community was 79.4% non-Hispanic white, 11.6% African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% Asian, 2.0% some other race, and 3.9% two or more races. Hispanic and Latino Americans were 10.5% of the population in 2019. In 2020, its makeup was 75.85% non-Hispanic white, 5.98% Black or African American, 3.34% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 4.55% two or more races, and 9.47% Hispanic and Latino American, reflecting the demographic transition of the U.S.{{Cite news|last1=Tavernise|first1=Sabrina|last2=Gebeloff|first2=Robert|date=2021-08-12|title=Census Shows Sharply Growing Numbers of Hispanic, Asian and Multiracial Americans|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/us/us-census-population-growth-diversity.html|access-date=2022-01-05|issn=0362-4331}}

In 2019, the median age was 35.0, and 8.2% of the population were aged 5 and under; 70.7% of the population was aged 18 and older, and 10.7% were aged 65 and older. Among the population, 11.4% spoke a language other than English at home, and Spanish was the second most-spoken language. In the census-designated place, the median income for a household was $66,653, and $50,169 was the median income for males versus $41,623 for females. An estimated 11.3% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Culture and arts

Belle Chasse is home to the famous "Orange Fest," "Crawfish Fest," and "Gamers Fest." It is also home to the Plaquemines Parish Seafood Festival.{{cite news|last1=Mattison|first1=Patty|title=Seafood Festival will go on in Belle Chasse - But shrimp, oysters remain a question|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/12FF8AA6AE793398?p=AWNB|access-date=February 25, 2015|publisher=The Times-Picayune Publishing Corporation|date=May 27, 2010}}

Education

Plaquemines Parish School Board operates public schools in the entire parish.{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st22_la/schooldistrict_maps/c22075_plaquemines/DC20SD_C22075.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Plaquemines Parish, LA|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2024-01-14}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st22_la/schooldistrict_maps/c22075_plaquemines/DC20SD_C22075_SD2MS.txt Text list]

Belle Chasse Primary, Belle Chasse Middle, Belle Chasse High School, Belle Chasse Academy, Plaquemines Parrish Alternative School.{{cite web|title=Plaquemines Parish School District|url=http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/louisiana/district/plaquemines-parish-school-district/|website=education.com|access-date=2015-02-22}}

At first Belle Chasse High, which opened in 1928,"[http://bchs.ppsb.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=169475&type=d&pREC_ID=351358 School Profile]." Belle Chasse High School. Retrieved on December 3, 2016. was K-12, but in 1977 Belle Chasse Middle School opened to take the middle grades away."[https://web.archive.org/web/20040207051647/http://geocities.com/bcmsbulldogs/ Home]." Belle Chasse Middle School. February 7, 2004. Retrieved on December 3, 2016. Belle Chasse Primary opened in August 1994."[https://web.archive.org/web/20040505175250/http://www.ppsb.org/schools/bcps/index.htm Home]." Belle Chasse Primary School. May 5, 1994. Retrieved on December 3, 2016. Belle Chasse Middle received the 5th grade in 1999.

Belle Chasse also has a Catholic School, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans.{{cite web|url=https://school.olphbc.org/ |title=Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School - Belle Chasse, LA |publisher=School.olphbc.org |date= |accessdate=2022-08-21}}

The Plaquemines Parish Library maintains the Belle Chasse Branch, and the library headquarters in the F. Edward Hebert Building.{{cite web|url=https://www.plaqueminesparish.com/156/Library#tabf993b888-f689-496a-8a44-8f1318a88efe_1|title=Library|publisher=Plaquemines Parish|access-date=2024-01-14|quote=333 F. Edward Hebert Building 203 Suite B-110 Belle Chasse, LA 70037[...]8442 Hwy 23 Belle Chasse, LA 70037}} - Click "Belle Chasse Library" tab and the "Library Administration Office" tab.

Government

Belle Chasse is the current and was the temporary home of the Plaquemines Parish Courthouse.{{cite web|title=Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court|url=http://www.plaqueminesparishclerkofcourt.com/index.htm|website=plaqueminesparishclerkofcourt.com|publisher=Cott Systems|access-date=2015-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151012180058/http://www.plaqueminesparishclerkofcourt.com/index.htm|archive-date=2015-10-12|url-status=dead}}

The United States Postal Service operates a post office.{{cite web|url=https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm?location=1354502|title=BELLE CHASSE — Post Office™|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2024-01-14}}

= Parish president =

Amos Cormier, Jr. was once a resident of Port Sulphur and resided in Belle Chasse when he died.{{cite web |url=http://www.plaqueminesparish.com/Government.php |title=Plaquemines Parish Government | Contact Info |access-date=2015-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324015851/http://www.plaqueminesparish.com/Government.php |archive-date=2015-03-24 |url-status=dead }}

Kirk Lepine defeated incumbent Amos Cormier III in a runoff election on Dec. 8 2018 to become Plaquemines Parish President.

National Guard

Belle Chasse serves as a headquarters for the Louisiana Air Force National Guard and home of the 159th Fighter Wing.{{cite book|last1=Pao|first1=Lang|title=Pelican Dispatch|date=2012|publisher=AQP publishing|url=http://ebooks.aqppublishing.com/archive/national_guard/archived/LAPelican/201207_LAPelican_Summer.pdf|access-date=2015-02-22}} It served as the principal helicopter staging area for rescue operations during Hurricane Katrina.

Belle Chasse John Doe

On February 14, 1975, the body of an unidentified teenage boy was found hanging from a persimmon tree near Belle Chasse.{{cite web | title=Mom's Nightmare Ends | website=Lakeland Ledger | date=1975-04-03 | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PI4sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=C_sDAAAAIBAJ&dq=belle+chasse&pg=4934,492898&hl=en | access-date=2024-02-28}} The teenager had written a lengthy suicide note addressed "to Mom and Dad" in which he stated that he "cannot tolerate the false and empty existence I have created".{{cite web | title=Philosophical youth's suicide a puzzle | website=The Post-Crescent | date=1975-03-27 | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-post-crescent/104805610/ | access-date=2024-02-28}} Though the case received national coverage and over 300 parents of missing sons contacted the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's office, a four-month effort to identify the body failed.{{cite web | title=John Doe Buried After 4 Months | website=Lakeland Ledger | date=1975-06-22 | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19750622&id=Ta8wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1PoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3499,5595134&hl=en | access-date=2024-02-28}}{{cite web | title=The Valentine Suicide | website=The Evening Independent | date=1975-06-17 | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IPgLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RVgDAAAAIBAJ&dq=plaquemines+suicide+1975&pg=6722,250276&hl=en | access-date=2024-02-28}} He was buried in Gretna, Louisiana{{cite web | title=Officials End Bid to Identify Dead 'John Doe' | website=The Town Talk | date=1975-06-17 | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-town-talk-plaquemines-parish-john-do/28590750/ | access-date=2024-02-28}} and remains unidentified as of 2025.{{cite web | title=Case #22-05 | website=LA Repository for Unidentified & Missing People | date=1975-02-14 | url=http://identifyla.lsu.edu/profile.php?id=1110 | access-date=2024-02-28}}{{cite web | title=3832UMLA | website=The Doe Network | date=1975-02-14 | url=https://doenetwork.org/cases/3832umla.html | access-date=2024-02-28}}

Notable people

Billy Nungesser, former Parish President and current Lt. Governor of Louisiana.
Chris Henry, former wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals
Benny Rousselle, former member of the Louisiana House (1996–1999) and the former president of Plaquemines Parish government (1999–2007)
Ernest Wooton, District 105 state representative (1999–2012), Plaquemines Parish sheriff (1984–1992)
Bella Blue, Burlesque dancer

References

External links

[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/nas-jrb-no.htm Global-Security's review of NAS Belle Chasse]
[http://researchandideas.com/index.php?title=Phillips_66:_Alliance_Refinery Phillips 66 Refinery in Belle Chasse]

Category:Census-designated places in Louisiana

Category:Census-designated places in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana

Category:Louisiana populated places on the Mississippi River

Category:Census-designated places in the New Orleans metropolitan area