Florida Avenue Projects or Florida Projects was a public housing project in the city of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. The Florida housing development was built in 1946 on an 18.5-acre tract of land bounded by Florida Avenue and North Dorgenois, Mazant and Gallier streets in the Upper 9th Ward. It resembled most public housing complexes with 47 two and three-story brick buildings, for a total of 734 units housing 1,297 residents, that were arranged around courtyards and largely isolated from the rest of the community. It was Originally built for whites in but was desegregated and by 1970s becoming prominently black project. In the mid-1990s, Florida and nearby

Desire Projects Desire Projects was a housing project located in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana. These projects were the largest in the nation and consisted of about 262 two-story brick buildings, containing about 1,860 units across 98.5 acres of land ...

was dubbed as the most violent housing projects in the nation. In 1994, the Florida recorded the highest homicide rate out of all HANO developments with 26 slayings, surpassing the 13 killings in the Desire which previous held the highest record a year before. Majority of the Florida killings in 1994 were fuled by drug wars, specifically between the notorious Hardy Boys and the Poonie Crew. The homicide spike in the Florida and Desire contributed to the city becoming the "Murder Capitol of the America." That year the city's homicide rate reached 424, 47 of those killings occurring in HANO developments. In 2005, the project was heavily flooded in

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

and was partly demolished by the end of that year. One half of the complex was remodeled.

Geography

Florida Projects is located at and has an elevation of . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the district has a total area of . of which is land and (0.0%) of which is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,604 people, 399 households, and 346 families residing in the neighborhood. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 17,822 /mi² (8,020 /km²). As of the

of 2010, there were 6 people, 2 households, and 2 families residing in the neighborhood.

Notable residents

Mannie Fresh Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American music producer and rapper. He's best known for his productions on Cash Money Records releases, as well being half of the hip hop duo (alongside ...

Wendy Reed Randall
author, “Once There Was A Girl: A Memoir” about growing up in the Florida Housing Projects. Published December, 2020 by Kharis Publishing.^6 https://www.wendyreedrandall.com/

References

6. https://www.amazon.com/Once-There-Was-Girl-Memoir/dp/1946277851

External links

Florida Development on NeighborhoodLink.com
Neighborhoods in New Orleans Public housing in New Orleans {{NewOrleans-stub

Geography

Demographics

Notable residents

See also

References

External links