LaPlace, Louisiana

LaPlace ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States, situated along the east bank of the Mississippi River, in the New Orleans metropolitan area. In 2020, it had a population of 28,841.

LaPlace is the southern terminus of Interstate 55, where it joins with Interstate 10, and of US 51, where it terminates at the junction with US 61. LaPlace is located west of New Orleans.

History

Pre-European

The Chitimacha lived in the region prior to the arrival of European colonists. The tribe's lands once encompassed the entire Atchafalaya Basin, westward to Lafayette, southward to the Gulf of Mexico and eastward to the New Orleans area. The Chitimacha tribe currently resides on a reservation in St. Mary Parish.

European colonization

thumb|left|380px|A 1775 map of the German Coast with [[Acolapissa|Colapissas, north of Carlstein, indicating the location of present-day LaPlace.]]

Present-day LaPlace was settled by German immigrants in the early 18th century during Louisiana's French colonial period, as part of a larger settlement on the bank of the Mississippi called Karlstein. Karlstein was one of the four settlements collectively known as the "German Coast" (), having been populated by German-speaking immigrants since 1721. French and Acadians intermarried with the Germans, and the area came to be known as Bonnet Carré (French for "square bonnet").

1811 Slave Revolt

Manual Andry built Woodland plantation in 1793 and forced enslaved people to cultivate sugarcane there. The amount of money he stole from their forced labor was sizable. Severe violence was inflicted on the enslaved people, as had been common in Haiti (and had led to a successful slave rebellion there).

thumb|The former Andry Plantation House, now the [[1811 Kid Ory Historic House, is where the revolt began.]]

In early January 1811, slaves at Woodland Plantation and several nearby plantations attempted the German Coast Uprising. A group of 200-500 slaves armed with guns, axes, and cane knives set out from LaPlace to conquer New Orleans and gain freedom for themselves and others. Local white "militia" men crushed the rebellion within three days, and nearly 100 slaves were either killed in battle, slaughtered by pursuing militia, or executed after summary trials by planter tribunals.

Post-Civil War developments

In 1879, pharmacist, planter, and patent medicine purveyor Basile Laplace arrived from New Orleans and established a large plantation in Bonnet Carré. In 1883, he allowed the New Orleans and Baton Rouge Railroad to cut through his land. In 1850, a flood created the Bonnet Carré Crevasse, a levee breach that was more than a mile wide.

In February 2016 and again in March 2016, several tornadoes touched down in LaPlace, damaging hundreds of buildings and disrupting power.

LaPlace was badly damaged by Hurricane Ida on August 29, 2021.

Spelling

Despite the spelling used for LaPlace's namesake, the St. John the Baptist Parish Police Jury decreed in 1971 that the official spelling of the town includes a capital letter "P".

Andouille

thumb|Andouille shop in LaPlace

Andouille, a smoked pork sausage that originated in France, is popular in LaPlace and elsewhere in Louisiana, but in the 1970s, then-Governor Edwin Edwards proclaimed LaPlace the "Official Andouille Capital of the World". Since 1972, LaPlace has held an Andouille Festival every October.

Industry

The Port of South Louisiana is headquartered in LaPlace. Other major employers in the region include Shell Chemical Company, DuPont, ADM Growmark, and ArcelorMittal (formerly Bayou Steel).

DuPont sold its Performance Elastomer plant to Denka in 2015. There have been elevated levels of the cancerogenic chemical chloroprene and EPA sued Denka to reduce its emissions. However, in March 2025, the EPA under the new second Trump administration dropped the lawsuit, leading former EPA enforcement director David Uhlmann to say the agency was "fighting for polluters at the expense of a community".

Business and civic institutions

The River Region Chamber of Commerce is a regional, membership-based business organization founded in 2004. Headquartered in LaPlace, Louisiana, the Chamber serves businesses and community organizations across St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James parishes. Its activities include business networking, workforce development initiatives, and regional economic and public policy advocacy within the River Parishes.

Geography

LaPlace has an elevation of above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (5.29%) is water.

Demographics

LaPlace was first listed as an unincorporated place in the 1950 U.S. census;

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|16,329

|13,094

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,178

|58.98%

|43.83%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |31.82%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|9,814

|14,176

|style='background: #ffffe6; |15,633

|35.45%

|47.46%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |54.20%

||Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|79

|91

|style='background: #ffffe6; |73

|0.29%

|0.30%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.25%

|Asian alone (NH)

|188

|274

|style='background: #ffffe6; |284

|0.68%

|0.92%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.98%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|17

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4

|0.02%

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|23

|38

|style='background: #ffffe6; |122

|0.08%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.42%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|224

|353

|style='background: #ffffe6; |828

|0.81%

|1.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.87%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|1,021

|1,829

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,719

|3.69%

|6.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.43%

|Total

|27,684

|29,872

|style='background: #ffffe6; |28,841

|100.00%

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

At the 2010 United States census, there were 29,872 people, 11,159 households, and 10,592 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 9,888 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 47.0% White, 47.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.11% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. The cultural groups for Hispanic or Latino, of any race, were 6.1% of the population. At the 2019 American Community Survey, there were 29,108 people living in the community, and 28,841 at the 2020 U.S. census. In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of LaPlace was 52.1% Black and African American, 41.4% non-Hispanic white, 1.6% Asian, 2.9% some other race, and 2.0% two or more races.

In 2010, there were 9,171 households, out of which 44.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 31.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. In 2019, the median age was 36.3.

The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board, the school district for the entire parish, operates public schools in LaPlace.

Schools in the LaPlace census-designated place:

Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School (K-8 school)
It was originally named the Glade School. The initial facility first began operations in 1989 and had a cost of $6 million. Of all of the school district's schools, it had the highest number of students at the time, which exceeded 1,300. In 2005 the school received its next name and had changes in its mascot and school colors. In 2012 Hurricane Isaac damaged the facility. The planned replacement facility is a smaller size than the previous one. In 2014 the estimated cost of the next facility was $22,500,000, and the projected opening year was 2017. Yeates & Yeates Architects was chosen as the architectural firm.
Laplace Elementary School
John L. Ory Communications Magnet Elementary School
Emily C. Watkins Elementary School
It opened in 2009. It was originally supposed to open in 2008, but its opening was delayed. By 2011, the school had perennial issues with its HVAC system. In that period, the school had to have colder than planned temperatures to avoid mold and mildew issues.
St. John Special Education

Schools in other unincorporated areas with LaPlace postal addresses:

East St. John Preparatory Academy (formerly East St. John Elementary School) (Reserve CDP, LaPlace postal address) - The Times-Picayune describes the school as being in LaPlace. It had a fire in 2015, and its replacement facility opened in 2018. It became a 5-8 school only in 2017. In 2025 East St. John Preparatory School is to be renamed Fifth Ward Preparatory School, as the former Fifth Ward Elementary School in Reserve will close that year.

Prior to 2017,

East St. John High School is in Reserve CDP.

Other schools:

St. John STEM Magnet Program (Reserve postal address)

Private and parochial schools

Source: