Wallace is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in St. John the Baptist Parish,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, United States. The population was 570 at the 2000 census. It is part of the

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 ...

– Metairie– Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The rural community is on the west bank of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

and easily accessible to

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

via the Gramercy Bridge. It is the site of Evergreen Plantation, designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1992. Evergreen is unusual for having 22 surviving slave quarters buildings. It is one of the most complete plantations in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. Because of its significance, it was selected as one of the sites on the

Louisiana African American Heritage Trail Louisiana African American Heritage Trail () is a cultural heritage trail with 38 sites designated by the state of Louisiana, from New Orleans along the Mississippi River to Baton Rouge and Shreveport, with sites in small towns and plantations als ...

. The Whitney Plantation is also located here. Also a designated site on the state heritage trail, this historic complex opened to the public in 2014. It is the first plantation museum in the country dedicated to the slave experience. The museum includes a plantation main house, and relocated church and outbuildings. There is a newly commissioned multi-part slave memorial, containing the names of thousands of slaves in Louisiana, and other public art related to slavery history. In addition, a memorial and information commemorate the

1811 German Coast Uprising The 1811 German Coast uprising was a slave rebellion which occurred in the Territory of Orleans from January 8–10, 1811. It occurred on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the modern-day Louisiana parishes of St. John the Baptist Paris ...

, a

slave revolt A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by slaves, as a way of fighting for their freedom. Rebellions of slaves have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery or have practiced slavery in the past. A desire for freedom and the dream o ...

that occurred in this region soon after it was acquired by the United States, during the

Territory of Orleans The Territory of Orleans or Orleans Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from October 1, 1804, until April 30, 1812, when it was Admission to ...

period.

Geography

Wallace is located at (30.040492, -90.666471). 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 CDP has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.6 km), of which 6.5 square miles (16.9 km) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.7 km) (13.77%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 755 people, 382 households, and 348 families residing in the CDP. 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 570 people, 174 households, and 144 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 195 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 6.14%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and 93.86%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.18% of the population. There were 174 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 28.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.28 and the average family size was 3.70. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $19,118, and the median income for a family was $25,179. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $11,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $6,625. About 35.6% of families and 45.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 51.1% of those under age 18 and 34.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

St. John the Baptist Parish School Board operates public schools in the community. Areas in Wallace are zoned to: * West St. John Elementary School Attendance Zones
" '' St. John the Baptist Parish School Board''. * West St. John High School

Notable people

* Cousin Joe (1907-1989), blues singer * Ernest "Doc" Paulin (1907–2007),

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician * Maurice Schexnayder (1895-1981), Bishop of Lafayette in Louisiana from 1956 to 1972

References

External links

Louisiana's African American Heritage Trail
{{authority control Census-designated places in Louisiana Census-designated places in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana Louisiana African American Heritage Trail Census-designated places in the New Orleans metropolitan area