Jean Lafitte, Louisiana

Jean Lafitte was initially settled by Native Americans and later explored and settled by the French, who established it as a harbor for large vessels coming in and out of New Orleans. Today, the communities along Bayou Barataria include Jean Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria. Under the leadership of Timothy Kerner Sr., the town built a number of civic and infrastructure improvements, including: a visitor center, museum, 1,300-seat auditorium, library, civic center, baseball park, senior center, medical clinic, art gallery, and nature trail. One of the mayor's major accomplishments was the creation of the Lafitte Area Independent Levee District that eventually secured over $300 million in funds to build tidal protection levees and flood walls. Since mid-2013, Manila Plaza, located in front of Jean Lafitte Town Hall, has held several historical markers and commemorative plaques acknowledging important individuals in the area's Filipino American history. The Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society participated in the dedication ceremony. While there were several settlements of Filipinos (sometimes called Manilamen or Tagalas) along the Louisiana coast in the late 19th century, Manila Village was the largest. The residents there implemented a system of platforms on which they dried shrimp, as forerunners of Louisiana's 21st-century dried shrimp industry. This community-on-stilts thrived for nearly a century, until it was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (4.47%) is water. ==Demographics==

Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Jean Lafitte had a population of 1,809. The median age was 41.2 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.6 males age 18 and over. The 2020 census also recorded 446 families in the town. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 652 households in Jean Lafitte, of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.5% were married-couple households, 18.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. ==Government==

The United States Postal Service operates a post office in Jean Lafitte. ==Education==

Lafitte residents are zoned to Jefferson Parish Public Schools. Residents from K-5 are zoned to Leo E. Kerner Elementary School (formerly Lafitte Elementary School). 6-12 are zoned to Fisher Middle-High School. The Leo. E. Kerner Jr. City Park Multi-Purpose Complex is located in Jean Lafitte. Jefferson Parish Library operates the Lafitte Library inside the complex. The over facility, which is almost three times larger than the previous library facility, opened on March 4, 2010. The previous library facility sustained damage during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, and the library contents were destroyed. The American Library Association donated $200,000 to the State of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Library Association's Disaster Relief Program awarded $20,000 of that to Jefferson Parish Library; the funds were used to rebuild the Lafitte Library. The previous library building became the Sheriff Harry Lee Police Station. ==See also==