Central City, New Orleans
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Central City is a
neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...
of the city of
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. It is located in the 11th Ward of New Orleans in Uptown, just above the Garden District, on the "lakeside" of St. Charles Avenue. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: MLK Boulevard, South Claiborne Avenue and the
Pontchartrain Expressway The Pontchartrain Expressway is a parallel six-lane section of Interstate 10 in Louisiana, Interstate 10 (I-10) and U.S. Route 90 Business (New Orleans, Louisiana), U.S. Route 90 Business (US 90 Bus.) in New Orleans, Louisiana, ...
to the north,
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, Thalia, Prytania and Felicity Streets and St. Charles Avenue to the south and Toledano Street, Louisiana Avenue and Washington Avenue to the west. This old predominantly
African-American neighborhood African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American ...
has been important in the city's
brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...
and Mardi Gras Indian traditions.


History

The area closest to Saint Charles Avenue developed first, in the first half of the 19th century, booming with the opening of the New Orleans & Carrollton Railway, which became the St. Charles Streetcar Line. The opening of the New Basin Canal at the neighborhood's lower end contributed to the area's development as a center of commerce and a working class residential area, attracting many Irish, Italian, and German immigrants. After the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
many African Americans from rural areas settled in this part of the city. By the 1870s, the urbanized area extended back to Claiborne Avenue. Dryades Street in this area was a neighborhood commercial district by the 1830s. In 1849 the public Dryades Market was built, and served as an anchor for almost 100 years. The commercial district thrived in the first half of the 20th century, becoming the city's largest commercial district patronized by African Americans during the Jim Crow law era and a major hub for the Uptown African American community, overtaking the older South Rampart Street area in importance. At its height in the years after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Dryades Street district boasted over 200 businesses, with businesses owned primarily by Jews and some African Americans. The commercial portion of Dryades Street began a decline in the late 1960s, which became a steep nose-dive by the 1980s. At the low point somewhere around 1990, blighted and vacant buildings predominated. The blighted area got city attention, and the old commercial section of Dryades Street was renamed after local civil rights activist Oretha Castle Haley, who was one of the young college students who boycotted Dryades Street in 1960 (although black shoppers were welcomed, the businesses did not hire black cashiers or clerks) and participated in lunch counter desegregation demonstrations on Canal St. Projects to improve the neighborhood gradually saw fruit by the start of the 2000s. A large part of Central City was above the flooding which devastated the majority of New Orleans in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
in 2005 (see:
Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans As the center of Hurricane Katrina passed southeast of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, winds downtown were in the Category 1 range with frequent intense gusts. The storm surge caused approximately 23 breaches in the drainage canal and nav ...
). As there were many vacant buildings and vacant lots in this rare piece of high dry ground, greater attention has been drawn to Central City in post-Katrina redevelopment of the city, including the redevelopment and updating of old public housing apartments built in the 1940s during segregation. The Melph, Magnolia Projects, and Calliope Projects were located in Central City. Magnolia has been redeveloped and is now the mixed-income Harmony Oaks. Calliope has been partially redeveloped into the mixed-income Marrero Commons. Melpomene (known as the Guste apartments) includes a multi-story building for senior citizens, as well as newer townhouses and additional new replacement units under construction in 2015. Central City has a significant Civil Rights History. In addition to the boycott on Dryades Street, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded with Martin Luther King Jr. in Central City in 1957. The New Orleans chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality was founded and located in Central City as well.


Geography

Central City is located at and has an elevation of . According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the district has a total area of . of which is land and (0.0%) of which is water. It is located between the
Louisiana Superdome Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...
and the Garden District.


Adjacent neighborhoods

* Gert Town (north) *
Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
(north) * Lower Garden District (south) * Garden District (south) *
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
(west) * Broadmoor (west)


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 19,072 people, 8,147 households, and 4,016 families residing in the neighborhood. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was 13,526 /mi (5,155 /km). As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 11,257 people, 5,279 households, and 2,142 families residing in the neighborhood.


Crime

Central City was home to the civil rights movement in New Orleans in the 1960s, but fell into poverty, blight and crime in the late 1970s and into the 1980s and '90s. It was also one of the main areas affected by the
crack epidemic The crack epidemic was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the United States throughout the entirety of the 1980s and the early 1990s. This resulted in several social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in Americ ...
in the mid 1980s The overall crime rate in Central City is 93% higher than the national average. For every 100,000 people, there are 15.16 daily crimes that occur in Central City. It is safer than 44% of the cities in Louisiana. There is a 1 in 19 chance of becoming a victim of any crime. However, the number of total year-over-year crimes in New Orleans has decreased by 7%. In 2014, Central City was ranked 2nd most dangerous neighborhood with 122 violent crimes in a three-month period. Several gangs have been known to operate out of Central City.


Boundaries

The New Orleans City Planning Commission defines the boundaries of Central City as these streets: MLK Boulevard, South Claiborne Avenue,
Pontchartrain Expressway The Pontchartrain Expressway is a parallel six-lane section of Interstate 10 in Louisiana, Interstate 10 (I-10) and U.S. Route 90 Business (New Orleans, Louisiana), U.S. Route 90 Business (US 90 Bus.) in New Orleans, Louisiana, ...
, Magazine Street, Thalia Street, Prytania Street, Felicity Street, St. Charles Avenue, Toledano Street, Louisiana Avenue and Washington Avenue.


Landmarks

Major streets include Baronne, Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and Simon Bolivar. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is near a Martin Luther King statue and memorial on Claiborne Avenue, and the boulevard is part of the route of New Orleans's annual Martin Luther King Day parade. A memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. is on boulevard at the intersection of Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. It is a bronze sculpture by the late Frank Hayden, and was commissioned by the city and unveiled in 1976. Neighborhood businesses include Brown's Dairy and
Leidenheimer Bakery Leidenheimer Baking Company is a historic bakery in New Orleans. It was started in 1896 by George Leidenheimer, an immigrant from Deidesheim, Germany. Initially located on Dryades Street, it moved in 1904 to Simon Bolivar Avenue, where it conti ...
, which have furnished the city with milk, ice cream and Louisiana French bread for po'boy sandwiches respectively for generations. The "Main Street" of Central City is Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, formerly known as the Dryades Street commercial district for over 100 years. It is a nationally accredited Main Street, as well as a member of the Louisiana Main Streets Network, as well as a Louisiana Cultural District. Long-time anchors include the Ashe Cultural Arts Center and Cafe Reconcile. Other commercial borders and streets include St. Charles Ave., S. Claiborne Ave., and LaSalle/Simon Bolivar. Central City is a designated National Register Historic District, and contains several individually landmarked buildings as well.


Education

Orleans Parish School Board and the Recovery School District manage public schools, which are all charters. The
KIPP The Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) is a network of tuition-free, open-enrollment college-preparatory public charter schools serving students in historically underserved communities across the United States. Founded in 1994 by Mike Feinber ...
Central City Academy is located in the Carter G. Woodson Middle School building; the new Woodson building was dedicated in 2012. KIPP Central City Primary is also in Central City at the former Guste Elementary. New Orleans College Prep was established in 2006. The original New Orleans College Prep school building is in Central City. Central City also is home to the NET Charter High School, James Singleton Charter School and Edgar Harney Charter School. The New Orleans Public Library operates the Central City Branch in the
Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...
Center.


Notable residents

*
Buddy Bolden Charles Joseph "Buddy" Bolden (September 6, 1877 – November 4, 1931) was an American cornetist who was regarded by contemporaries and later jazz scholars as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of ragtime music, or "jass ...
, jazz pioneer *
Kid Ory Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, Trombone, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of Music of New Orle ...
, jazz pioneer *
Professor Longhair Henry Roeland Byrd (December 19, 1918 – January 30, 1980), better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday o ...
, songwriter, pianist * Birdman, rapper * Turk, rapper * Juvenile, rapper *
Soulja Slim James Adarryl Tapp Jr. (September 9, 1977 – November 26, 2003), better known by his stage name Soulja Slim, was an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for writing Juvenile (rapper), Juvenile's 2004 single "Slow Motion ...
, rapper *
Master P Percy Robert Miller (born April 29, 1967), better known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, dancer, actor and entrepreneur. He founded the record label No Limit Records in 1991, which was relau ...
, rapper *
Silkk The Shocker Vyshonn King Miller (born June 18, 1975), better known by his stage name Silkk the Shocker (formerly Silkk), is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. The brother of Master P, Miller signed with his record label No Limit Records, an im ...
, rapper *
C-Murder Corey Miller (born March 9, 1971), better known by his stage name C-Murder, is an American rapper. He initially gained fame in the mid-1990s as a part of his brother Master P's label No Limit Records, primarily as a member of the label's supergr ...
, rapper


See also

*
New Orleans neighborhoods The city planning commission for New Orleans divided the city into 13 planning districts and 73 distinct neighborhoods in 1980. Although initially in the study 68 neighborhoods were designated, and later increased by the City Planning Commission ...


References


External links

* * http://www.healinghistories.org
Central City Storymapping Project
Central City Storymapping Project

Central City Participatory Documentary Project, New Orleans videovoice {{Authority control Neighborhoods in New Orleans Uptown New Orleans Orleans Parish, Louisiana Crime in New Orleans African-American history in New Orleans National Register of Historic Places in New Orleans African-American history of Louisiana