West End (also referred to as West Lakeview) 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 ...
. A subdistrict of the Lakeview District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are:
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ; ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from w ...
to the north, the
New Basin Canal and Pontchartrain Boulevard to the east,
Veterans Boulevard to the south, and the
17th Street Canal
The 17th Street Canal is the largest and most important drainage canal in the city of New Orleans. Operating with Pump Station 6, it moves water into Lake Pontchartrain. The canal, along with the Orleans Canal and the London Avenue Canal, form ...
to the west. The area was largely built on land reclaimed from
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ; ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from w ...
. It is a commercial seafood and recreational boating hub for the city and has been known for its seafood restaurants. In recent years, the area has seen large condominium-complex developments built which overlook the Lake, marinas, and centrally located West End Park.
The majority of the land and
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
s at West End are managed by the New Orleans Municipal Yacht Harbor Management Corporation, a
public-benefit corporation of the City of New Orleans, with much of it leased to private interests and individuals.
The area is immediately north of the site of the
levee
A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...
failure on the
17th Street Canal
The 17th Street Canal is the largest and most important drainage canal in the city of New Orleans. Operating with Pump Station 6, it moves water into Lake Pontchartrain. The canal, along with the Orleans Canal and the London Avenue Canal, form ...
during
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. ...
, which was a primary cause of the inundation and devastation of many neighborhoods in New Orleans. Located outside of the flood walls, West End experienced some severe damage, but it was limited to heavy winds and high water destroying the restaurants and music clubs built on piers over the lake. Because West End was developed above sea level, the neighborhood only flooded due to the
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 ...
coming in from
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ; ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from w ...
. After the water rapidly receded, the location became a staging area for the
US Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, mi ...
, the
Louisiana National Guard
The Louisiana National Guard (; ) is the armed force through which the Louisiana Military Department executes the U.S. state of Louisiana's security policy. Consisting of the Louisiana Army National Guard, a reserve component of the United States ...
, and the
Massachusetts National Guard
The Massachusetts National Guard is the United States National Guard, National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts militia, Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the ...
, who were conducting rescues of stranded residents.
Two yacht club facilities, the
New Orleans Yacht Club and
Southern Yacht Club
The Southern Yacht Club is located in New Orleans, Louisiana's West End, New Orleans, West End neighborhood, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Established on July 21, 1849, it is the second oldest yacht club in the United States and a foundin ...
, along with a number of
marine-related businesses, condominiums, and boathouses, occupy the area surrounding the park, marinas, and boat channels. West End's most recognizable icon, the
New Canal Lighthouse or more commonly New Basin Canal Lighthouse, originally constructed in 1838, was heavily damaged by
Hurricanes
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
Katrina and
Rita. Reconstruction of the familiar landmark began in February 2012 and was completed in 2013.
Geography
West End 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 (87.59%) of which is water.
Adjacent neighborhoods
* West End (north)
*
Lakeview (east)
*
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
(east)
*
Mid-City (east)
*
Dixon (south)
*
Hollygrove (south)
*
Jefferson Parish (west)
Boundaries
West End is the westernmost point of the lakefront in
Orleans Parish
Orleans Parish (; ) is a parish of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Since 1870, the parish has been coextensive with the city of New Orleans, and the parish and city are largely governed as a single consolidated city.
History
On April 10, 180 ...
, with
Jefferson Parish and
Bucktown on the other side of the
17th Street Canal
The 17th Street Canal is the largest and most important drainage canal in the city of New Orleans. Operating with Pump Station 6, it moves water into Lake Pontchartrain. The canal, along with the Orleans Canal and the London Avenue Canal, form ...
.
The City Planning Commission defines the boundaries of West End as these streets: Lake Pontchartrain, the New Basin Canal, Pontchartrain Boulevard, Veterans Memorial Boulevard and the 17th Street Canal.
Demographics
According to the American Community Survey of 2019, there were 3,931 people, 1,804 households, and 839 families residing in the neighborhood. 12.1% of residents have a graduate or professional degree.
History
West End was originally a nationally renowned resort built between 1835 and 1876 and named New Lake End. In 1878, the name was changed to West End with the additions of a hotel, restaurant, and an amusement park built on piers over
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ; ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from w ...
. (In the 20th century, the amusement park was moved to a newer stretch of reclaimed land and became part of a large, privately owned complex called
Pontchartrain Beach
Pontchartrain Beach was an amusement park located in New Orleans, Louisiana, on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It was founded by Harry J. Batt Sr. (grandfather of American actor Bryan Batt) and later managed and owned by his sons, Harr ...
.)
The oldest point-to-point sailing
regatta
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
in the Western Hemisphere, the
Race to the Coast was formed on July 4, 1850 by Southern Yacht Club and took their start at Dan Hickock's Lake Hotel at West End before transiting the
Rigolets
Rigolets is a deepwater strait in Louisiana. "Rigolets" comes from the word ''rigole'', French for 'trench' or 'gutter'. The name is now locally pronounced "RIG-uh-leez".
The strait begins at and follows a generally eastward course to Lake Bo ...
Pass through the marsh leading into
Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne ( ; , ; ) is a lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Louisiana. Although early maps show it as a lake surrounded by land, coastal erosion has made it an arm of the Gulf of Mexico.
Geography
In southern Louisiana, three large ...
and finishing at a pier near the Montgomery Hotel along the
Mississippi Sound
The Mississippi Sound is a sound along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It runs east-west along the southern coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, from the mouth of the Pearl River at the Mississippi-Louisiana state border to the Dauphin Islan ...
in
Pass Christian
Pass Christian (), nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,307 at the 2019 census.
History
Pre-European histor ...
, Mississippi. The regatta continues today with a start on Lake Pontchartrain and finishes in
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport ( ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States, and its co-county seat. It had a population of 72,926 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Mississippi, second-most populous ...
at the
Gulfport Yacht Club.
In the late 19th century, the City of New Orleans constructed a harbor and railroad and
streetcar
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...
facilities along the
New Basin Canal and the
17th Street Canal
The 17th Street Canal is the largest and most important drainage canal in the city of New Orleans. Operating with Pump Station 6, it moves water into Lake Pontchartrain. The canal, along with the Orleans Canal and the London Avenue Canal, form ...
. By 1921, it had built a
seawall
A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation, ...
out into the Lake and filled in this space to create the large and oak-lined West End Park.
West End was a popular music venue in the early days of
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 ...
.
Joe "King" Oliver
Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wro ...
wrote the tune ''
West End Blues'' in commemoration of the area; a recording of the number by
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
is one of the most famous jazz recordings of the 1920s.
West End has also appeared on the pages of works by notable authors including Mark Twain's ''
Life on the Mississippi
''Life on the Mississippi'' is a memoir by Mark Twain of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War published in 1883. It is also a travel book, recounting his trips on the Mississippi River, from St. L ...
'' and Kate Chopin's novel
The Awakening (Chopin novel)
The area grew to become well known for outstanding and historic
seafood
Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...
restaurants, including
Brunings which opened in 1859 and operated nearly continuously. Damage from
Hurricane Georges prompted a move to a nearby building somewhat better sheltered from
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 ...
, but it was destroyed by
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. ...
on August 29, 2005.
Gallery
file:Westendnola.jpg, Entrance to West End four days after Hurricane Katrina - 2005
File:West End - New Orleans, LA.jpg, Entrance to West End - 2013
See also
*
Neighborhoods in New Orleans
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 ...
*
New Basin Canal
*
New Canal Lighthouse
References
Further reading
*
*
*
History of West EndFurther History of West EndWest End during Hurricane Katrina
External links
Southern Yacht ClubNew Orleans Yacht ClubNew Canal Lighthouse at West EndNew Orleans Municipal Yacht Harbor Management Corporation
{{New Orleans District 5
Neighborhoods in New Orleans