<GNOCDC> Village de l'Est Neighborhood Snapshot

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Village de l'Est Neighborhood Snapshot

Census 2000 Data Tables: People & Household Characteristics, Housing & Housing Costs, Income & Poverty, Transportation, Employment, Educational Attainment, Immigration & Language, Disabilities, Neighborhood Characteristics

The vast area of Orleans Parish from Paris Road to U.S. Highway 11 and Chef Menteur Highway to Lake Pontchatrain is called Village de l'Est.

In 1763, it was given to Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent as a land grant from the King of France and has seen a number of owners since that time. One of the most colorful and versatile of them was Bartholomy Lafon, said to be "the master of an iron foundry, a notable architect and builder, planter, real estate appraiser, militia officer, town planner, cartographer, publisher, theatrical impresario, military engineer, the best surveyor, and according to the journals of Jean Lafitte, a privateer and smuggler." (New Orleans Public Service, 1978.) After Lafon's death, creditors obtained various parcels of the land at sheriff's sales.


	© GNO Community Data Center
	A view down the bayou

In 1827, Antoine Michoud purchased the property and worked hard to assemble the parcels of Chef Menteur land, which he did not accomplish until 1853. The land passed through a few more owners, including Edgar de Montluzin, developer of Gentilly Terrace, before it was purchased by Wynne-Murchison Interest of Dallas, Texas. Their corporation, New Orleans East, began large-scale development in 1961. The 32,000 acres, which they own, is the largest singly held parcel of land within the corporate limits of any major U.S. city. One of the two neighborhoods on this land is Village de l'Est.

Significant Vietnamese community


© GNO Community Data Center.
Buddist Center in Village de l'Est

Village de l'Est, a 600-acre tract, opened in 1964 with single and double houses that originally sold for $20-36,000. During the 1970s and 1980s, it drew thousands of Vietnamese immigrants to the area.

Although a predominately African American neighborhood, a significant Vietnamese community still exists in Village de l'Est. The Mary Queen of Vietnam Church is very much a part of this community as well as many restaurants and markets.

Growth in the neighborhood

There was an increase in housing units between 1980 and 1990, even though the city averaged a slight decline during that same time period.

Small commercial establishments flank the Chef Menteur Highway. Sarah T. Reed High School and Village de l'Est Elementary are two of the public schools in the area.

Sinking land

Because the neighborhood was built on drained marshland, it has been the scene of some serious subsidence problems. Bayou Michoud runs through the middle of the neighborhood and does its part to help keep drainage flowing out of the area.

Sources:

Skip Weber Market Reports, New Orleans Market, 2000
www.skipweber.com/reports.htm

1999 Land Use Plan New Orleans City Planning Commission
www.new-orleans.la.us/cnoweb/cpc/1999_dist_nine.htm

Neighborhood Profiles Project Document prepared by the City of New Orleans Office of Policy Planning and the City Planning Commission. Published December 1980. Study available at the Williams Research Center (non-circulating collection).

Treadway, Joan and Coleman Warner. "East Meets West," Times Picayune, A-7. 08-06-01.

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Last modified: October 4, 2002