Reserve, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Reserve, Louisiana
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 Reserve, Louisiana
Location in Louisiana
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| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | St. John the Baptist |
| Area | |
| • Total | 17.1 sq mi (44 km2) |
| • Land | 16.1 sq mi (42 km2) |
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (3 km2) |
| Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
| Population
(2000)
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| • Total | 9,111 |
| • Density | 532.8/sq mi (205.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
70084
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| Area code(s) | 985 |
Reserve is a small place in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States. It's known as an unincorporated community, which means it's not officially a city or town with its own local government. It's also a census-designated place (CDP), which is an area the government uses for counting people.
Reserve is located on the east side of the Mississippi River. In 2000, about 9,111 people lived there.
Contents
Reserve's Past
Before it was called Reserve, this area was known as Bonnet Carre. The name changed in the late 1800s because of a businessman named Leon Godchaux.
Leon Godchaux built the Godchaux–Reserve Plantation. The oldest part of this plantation house was built in 1764. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.
In the early 1900s, the plantation in Reserve had the biggest sugarcane refinery in the United States. This refinery was called Godchaux Sugar Refinery.
Two US Presidents have visited Reserve. President William Howard Taft came in 1909. Later, President Gerald Ford visited in 1976.
Another important historical building is Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church. It was built in 1937 to serve the African American Catholic community. This church is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pontchartrain Works and the Environment
In 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) looked into the air quality in the Reserve area. They found that a chemical called chloroprene was being released into the air.
This chemical came from the Pontchartrain Works facility. This factory was owned by DuPont for many years. In 2015, it was sold to a Japanese company called Denka. This facility is the only one in the United States that makes this specific chemical. The EPA worked with the company to reduce the amount of this chemical released into the air.
Where is Reserve?
Reserve is located at 30°3′45″N 90°33′12″W / 30.06250°N 90.55333°W.
The United States Census Bureau says that Reserve covers about 17.1 square miles (44.3 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 16.1 square miles (41.6 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 1.0 square mile (2.7 square kilometers), is water.
Who Lives in Reserve?
Demographics is the study of people in a certain area, like their age, race, and how many families there are.
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 3,923 | 3,559 | 2,806 | 43.06% | 36.44% | 32.85% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 4,909 | 5,772 | 5,011 | 53.88% | 59.10% | 58.67% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 16 | 18 | 26 | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.30% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 29 | 38 | 29 | 0.32% | 0.39% | 0.34% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0.02% | 0.04% | 0.02% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 1 | 7 | 10 | 0.01% | 0.07% | 0.12% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 51 | 88 | 165 | 0.56% | 0.90% | 1.93% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 180 | 280 | 492 | 1.98% | 2.87% | 5.76% |
| Total | 9,111 | 9,766 | 8,541 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
In 2020, there were 8,541 people living in Reserve. There were 3,232 households and 2,246 families. In 2000, the population was 9,111 people.
About 41.5% of households in 2000 had children under 18 living there. About 48.6% were married couples. The average household had almost 3 people.
The population was spread out by age. About 32.2% of people were under 18. About 9.5% were 65 or older. The average age was 31 years old.
Schools in Reserve
The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board manages the public schools in Reserve.
- East St. John Preparatory Academy is a public school in the area. It used to be called East St. John Elementary School. A new building for the school opened in 2018 after a fire in 2015. In 2017, it became a school for grades 5-8. It will be renamed Fifth Ward Preparatory School in 2025.
- Fifth Ward Elementary School is another public school. Historically, this school was for African-American students only. It is near the Denka Performance Elastomer chemical plant. This school is planned to close in 2025.
Before 2017, other elementary schools like Emily C. Watkins also served parts of Reserve.
For high school, students in Reserve attend East St. John High School.
There are also private schools in Reserve:
- Riverside Academy is a small private school.
- St. Peter Catholic School is a Catholic school for grades K-7.
- Our Lady of Grace School was a Catholic school that closed in 2015.
Famous People from Reserve
Many talented people have come from Reserve:
- Jared Butler – A basketball player who was the MVP of the 2021 Final Four in college basketball.
- Demond "Tweety" Carter – A former basketball player for Baylor University.
- Rico Gathers – An NFL football player who also played college basketball.
- Edmond Hall – A famous jazz clarinet player and bandleader.
- Herb Hall – Also a jazz clarinet player.
- Ryan Perrilloux – A quarterback who played for Louisiana State University and the New York Giants.
- Patrick Lewis – A professional football player for the Seattle Seahawks.
- Kid Thomas Valentine – A jazz trumpeter and bandleader.
See also
In Spanish: Reserve (Luisiana) para niños
