- Des Allemands, Louisiana
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Des Allemands CDP Des Allemands on the Bayou des Allemands. View to the north.Nickname: Catfish Capital of the Universe Country United States State Louisiana Parishes Lafourche, St. Charles Elevation 3 ft (0.9 m) Coordinates 29°49′32″N 90°28′09″W / 29.82556°N 90.46917°W Area 10.9 sq mi (28.2 km2) - land 8.7 sq mi (23 km2) - water 2.2 sq mi (6 km2), 20.18% Population 2,500 (2000) Density 287.6 / sq mi (111 / km2) Timezone CST (UTC-6) - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) 70030 ZIP code Area code 985 Des Allemands is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lafourche and St. Charles parishes in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 2,500 at the 2000 census. The town, known as the "Catfish Capital of the Universe," is along the Bayou Des Allemands, which is the boundary of Lafourche and St. Charles parishes. The ZIP code for Des Allemands is 70030.
The St. Charles Parish portion of Des Allemands is part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Lafourche Parish portion is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Des Allemands was settled in 1721 by immigrants to the colony of Louisiana from Germany under the control of John Law (economist) and the "Company of the Indies". "Des Allemands" means "the Germans" (partitive case) in the French. The German Louisiana colony was originally up the Mississippi River in what is now Arkansas, but experienced hostility from the local Native Americans in that area, and moved to a location much closer to the colonial capital of New Orleans.
Geography
Des Allemands is located at 29°49′32″N 90°28′9″W / 29.82556°N 90.46917°W (29.825570, -90.469163)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 10.9 square miles (28.3 km²), of which, 8.7 square miles (22.5 km²) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it (20.35%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 2,500 people, 943 households, and 714 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 287.6 people per square mile (111.1/km²). There were 1,020 housing units at an average density of 117.3 per square mile (45.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.88% White, 10.44% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.48% of the population.
There were 943 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,908, and the median income for a family was $32,946. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $21,433 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,306. About 16.2% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 21.9% of those age 65 or over.
Festivals
- Hosts the Louisiana Catfish Festival every second weekend in July.
- Hosts a small parade in conjunction with Mardi Gras season.
In pop culture
- The 1973 James Bond movie Live and Let Die (film) included a boat chase scene that was filmed in Bayou Des Allemands.
- Popular southern metal band Down (band) filmed the music video for their 1995 debut single Stone The Crow at an old Des Allemands bar called The Smile Inn. The song peaked at #40 on the US Mainstream Rock Charts, and NOLA (album), the album from which it was taken, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
- Much of the 1997 Robert Duvall movie The Apostle was filmed in Des Allemands. Duvall's performance in this movie resulted in a nomination by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1998. John Beasley, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Bob Thornton, June Carter Cash, and Miranda Richardson also appear in the film.
- Portions of the 1999 HBO film Lesson Before Dying featuring Don Cheadle were filmed at various locations in and around Des Allemands. The Smile Inn and an old abandoned neighborhood grocery store known by locals as "DeJean's" were featured prominently in several scenes. The film received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Made-For-Television Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Mini-Series or Movie.
- Brandi and Gregory Dufrene, Jr., of Des Allemands were participants on the highly viewed reality television show Wife Swap that aired October 24, 2008 on the ABC television network. The episode illustrated the striking differences between Cajun life in Des Allemands, LA and urban life in Huntington Beach, CA.
- Portions of the Warner Bros. motion picture Jonah Hex starring Megan Fox and Josh Brolin were filmed in Des Allemands and New Orleans during the months of April and May 2009. The movie is scheduled to be released June 18, 2010.
- Gay Serial Killer Ronald Dominique made national news in 2006 when he was captured and confessed to the rape and murder of at least 23 men over a ten-year period beginning in 1997 in Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish, Iberville Parish and Jefferson Parish. Dominique lived and worked in Des Allemands for a short period during the time of the killings.
See also
References
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
Municipalities and communities of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana City Towns CDPs Unincorporated
communityFootnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent parish or parishes
Municipalities and communities of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana CDPs Unincorporated
communitiesFootnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent parish or parishes
Categories:- Populated places in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
- Populated places in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
- Census-designated places in Louisiana
- Greater New Orleans
- Houma – Bayou Cane – Thibodaux metropolitan area
- German-American history
- German diaspora
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