Holly Beach (french: Plage-d'Houx), also known as the "

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

Riviera ''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two areas ...

" (french: La Rivière Acadienne), is a coastal community in

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Cameron Parish Cameron Parish (french: Paroisse de Cameron) is a parish in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,617. The parish seat is Cameron. Although it is the largest parish by area in Louisia ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States. Known for crabbing and a drive on the beach, this small Southwest Louisiana community mainly consisted of beach-front cabins called "camps" which, due to the threat of hurricanes, were "built-to-be-rebuilt" by its residents. It is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan area.

History

In September 2005

Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico and the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which included three of the top ten L ...

completely leveled the small beach town. Almost nothing was left but ruins and the water tower. This was the second time Holly Beach was devastated by a hurricane; in 1957

Hurricane Audrey Hurricane Audrey was one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in U.S. history, killing at least 416 people in its devastation of the southwestern Louisiana coast in 1957. Along with Hurricane Alex in 2010, it was also the strongest June hur ...

smashed ashore with a 12 foot

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...

. As a result several houses were modified so they were taller. As of 2006 residents were required to sign a waiver which allows them to dwell there, despite the lack of a functioning sewer system which is a concern to the state’s department of health. It became common to see

portable toilet A portable or mobile toilet (colloquial terms: thunderbox, portaloo, porta-john or porta-potty) is any type of toilet that can be moved around, some by one person, some by mechanical equipment such as a truck and crane. Most types do not require ...

s on the community’s road sides. For new structures in Cameron Parish, the new building codes apply. In nearby Cameron, according to the parish officials, the coastal buildings built before the late 1980s that had less than fifty percent damage may retain the same pre-Rita

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

. It was feared that these strict building codes, along with the high insurance costs, would keep many of the original locals from returning and rebuilding, and that the southern part of the parish would end up with temporary trailer type housing indefinitely. Within Holly Beach, there are several permanent structures being built, with pier elevations complying with building codes. In September 2008,

Hurricane Gustav Hurricane Gustav () was the second most destructive hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The seventh tropical cyclone, third hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Gustav caused serious damage and casualties in Haiti, ...

and

Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...

reflooded the area.

Hurricane Laura Hurricane Laura was a deadly and destructive Category 4 hurricane that is tied with the 1856 Last Island hurricane and 2021's Hurricane Ida as the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana, as measur ...

passed through Holly Beach in 2020.

Geography

Holly Beach is located 10 miles west of Cameron and 12 miles east of Johnson Bayou.

Climate

Holly Beach has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

Culture

In 1991, the town was the subject of the

swamp pop Swamp pop is a music genre indigenous to the Acadiana region of south Louisiana and an adjoining section of southeast Texas. Created in the 1950s by young Cajuns and Creoles, it combines New Orleans–style rhythm and blues, country and western ...

song "(Holly Beach) Under the Boardwalk" by Kenny Tibbs (Kenny Thibodeaux) and The Jokers, released on Jin Records. In a parody of the 1960s hit " Under the Boardwalk" by

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...

, the lyrics explain that cajun vacationers ''"ain't got no boardwalk, just got seaweed, but we always pass a real good time at Holly Beach."'' The cultural importance of Holly Beach—at one time a social and musical hub for vacationing Cajuns—is documented in at least two classic Cajun French songs, "La Valse de Holly Beach" ("The Holly Beach Waltz") by

Nathan Abshire Nathan Abshire (June 27, 1913 – May 13, 1981) was an American Cajun accordion player. His time in the U.S. Army inspired Abshire to write the crooner song "Service Blues", which the newspaper Daily World reported as "one of his most memorable ...

, and "Laisse les Bons Temps Rouler" ("Let the Good Times Roll") by

Lawrence Walker Lawrence Walker (September 1, 1907 – August 15, 1968) was a Cajun accordionist. He is known for his original songs, including Reno Waltz, Evangeline Waltz, Bosco Stomp, and Mamou Two Step. Biography Lawrence Walker was born September 1, 1907 ...

. The latter song includes the lyric, "Je t'ai trouvé dans les grandes meches / Et j't'ai ramené à Holly Beach / Les maringouins sont après manger / Mais laisse les bons temps rouler" ("I found you in the big marshes / And I brought you to Holly Beach / The mosquitoes are biting / But let the good times roll").

References

External links

https://beachcatcher.com/beach/holly-beach-cajun-riviera {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Cameron Parish, Louisiana Unincorporated communities in Lake Charles metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Louisiana Populated coastal places in Louisiana