Directly across the 17th Street Canal from New Orleans' premier lakefront neighborhoods, Metairie, Louisiana, is a thoroughly developed suburb on the Southshore of Lake Pontchartrain. Developed in the early 20th century as an upscale, quiet alternative to the Big Easy's raucous cultural crossroads, this easygoing suburb drew in former city residents seeking a stand-alone community that offered a more family-oriented set of perks. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Metairie was one of the first areas in the immediate wake to drain its flood waters, though the storm certainly changed Metairie forever too, particularly in its housing stock. But with a population of about 143,000, it never shook the title of Jefferson Parish's largest community. The suburban city features affluent neighborhoods intermixed with a range of shopping and dining options, highly rated schools and a cross-stitching of busy commuter highways that serve as the backbone of the greater region's economy.
Metairie is a vital artery to the metro New Orleans area.
Many residents exercise daily on the Bucktown Marsh Boardwalk at the Bucktown Marina.
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A buyers market with increasing home sizes
Ever since Katrina, homes in Metairie keep getting bigger, according to local Realtor Ken Hamrick of Keller Williams Realty. "Some of the homes that flooded, people chose not to move back. And so they sold them as a teardown," Hamrick says. "So, neighbors took advantage of that by buying the lot next door to allow them to have a tennis court, or a basketball court, or a pool." This is particularly the case west of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, in neighborhoods such as Country Club Estates, while on the east side of the causeway, homes in neighborhoods like Bonnabel Place are a bit smaller. The suburb's premier and most established neighborhood is Old Metairie, an early streetcar suburb developed in the 1920s that features a wide mix of stately Colonial Revivals, picturesque Craftsman cottages and everything in between. Across Metairie, home designs vary widely, with some neighborhoods featuring a mix of neoclassical manors and ranch-style homes, while others are loaded with midcentury designs and new traditional homes aplenty. Metairie is primarily a buyer’s market, meaning homes sell for less and stay on the market longer. In the last 12 months, single-family homes for sale spent an average of 69 days on the market at a median price of $335,000. But realistically, a buyer could end up paying anywhere from $100,000 to over $3 million. While most of the houses in Metairie are single-family units, condos, townhouses and apartments can also be found throughout the area. Condos and townhouses sell anywhere between $27,000 and $1.1 million, while apartments rent between $750 and $3,700 per month.
Older and newer mansions are options for buying in Old Metairie.
Cottages are an option when looking to move to Bonnabel Place.
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The largest school district in Louisiana
Metairie schools fall within the Jefferson Parish School District, which is the largest district in Louisiana. “A lot of people move here for the schools,” says Kendall Phillips, a Metairie resident of 32 years. The district holds a B-minus rating on Niche and serves over 46,800 students across 74 institutions. Metairie is also home to several highly sought-after private schools including Metairie Park Country Day School, which is ranked as the best private high school in the New Orleans area.
Secondary school options include Tulane University, Loyola University New Orleans and Xavier University of Louisiana, which are within 5 miles of Metairie. Tulane has an A-plus rating on Niche and is ranked as the best college in Louisiana. Loyola University has a B rating and is ranked as the 5th best college in the state, and Xavier University has a B-minus rating.
Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies serves Old Metairie and the surrounding area.
Metairie Park Country Day School has served Old Metairie since 1929.
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Lakeside Mall, Bucktown seafood and beloved wine shops
One of Metairie’s main attractions is Lakeside Mall New Orleans in the Ferran Place-Courtland Heights neighborhood. With over 100 shops and eateries, the mall is a prominent destination for locals and tourists alike. "We really don't have any other shopping centers around. There is one little bit further west at Clearview that's much smaller. But Lakeside is really the only shopping in the metro area if you want to go to a multitude of stores," Hamrick says. Veterans Memorial Boulevard is the main commercial corridor of Metairie, connecting residents with grocery stores and local businesses like Martin's, a popular wine shop and cafe in Metairie. Some areas of Metairie are also culinary enclaves, particularly Bucktown, a long-established fishing village that hosts an annual Seafood Festival. In addition to famous city eateries across the canal in New Orleans, Metairie’s culinary scene is a similarly vibrant showcase of Cajun and Creole culture. And with a population that’s about 15% Hispanic or Latino, Latin American restaurants, especially Cuban and Honduran options, are also popular in the area.
Clearview City Center has many entertainment and retail options in Clearview-Transcontinental.
Zuppardo’s Family Market is known for its friendly service in Clearview-Transcontinental.
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Traffic heavy commutes to Oschner Health, Breeze Airways and other employers
A crucial attraction to Metairie is the number of major employers based there, dovetailing with the suburb's numerous highways that connect with New Orleans and places on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. The Central Business District of New Orleans is 6 miles southeast, and the French Quarter is 7 miles southeast. "There are quite a few people that commute from the Northshore over to the Southshore," Hamrick says. "I couldn't do it. Not on a daily basis, it would drive me nuts. But there are a lot of people that do. So, as you come off the bridge, Causeway Boulevard is heavily trafficked. You're probably talking thousands of cars a day." Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is also roughly 9 miles west of Metairie – both a mainstay employer for Metairie and a major hub for Breeze Airways. Another major employer is Ochsner Health, which manages many of the region's major hospitals and clinics, including numerous locations in Metairie.
Public transit takes the form of bus routes found on major roads and some residential streets. But according to Phillips, “Bus systems are far, and few, so most of us drive." Driving in Metairie is not too dissimilar from driving in New Orleans, with potholes and traffic jams abound, especially on I-10. Traffic is also a concern on Veterans Boulevard, worsening particularly from the construction of a $1.5 million multi-use trail project that began in December of 2023.
Art markets at Lafreniere Park
The Jefferson Parish Parks and Recreation Department manages 36 facilities, several of which are in Metairie. Lafreniere Park, which is located on Metairie’s west side between Napolean Avenue and Downs Boulevard, is the district’s largest and most used greenspace. In addition to fishing spots, trails, a conference center and a dog park, it's also where some of Metairie's most popular events occur, including a farmer’s and art market every Wednesday. The Lakefront Trail allows residents to hike the entire northern edge of Metairie along the levee, providing both recreation and a way to travel across town sans traffic. “You’ll usually find people out on the lake,” says Phillips, “We’ll hang out, fish and have picnics. Sometimes, a few guys will bring out their classic cars and show off; it’s a good time.”
Lafreniere Park serves families throughout Jefferson Parish..
The Pontchartrain Lakefront Trail is a popular location for walking and jogging in Bucktown.
Near Bonnabel Place there are many activities on Lake Pontchartrain.
Take your dog for a walk on the Bucktown Marsh Boardwalk at the Bucktown Marina.
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Seafood festivals and cultural parades
In addition to the Bucktown Seafood Festival and the weekly market at LaFrenier Park, Metairie has a vigorous schedule of parades throughout the year, with the largest being the Irish-Italian Parade every March. Although overshadowed somewhat by the kaleidoscopic krewes and floats of New Orleans' Mardi Gras parades, Metairie offers its own carnival season that is not to be overlooked. "The Metairie parades are much more family attended, just because I think people feel safer out there," Hamrick says. "The crowds aren't quite as large. So you don't feel like you're getting trampled."
Take a spin on a carnival ride at the Bucktown Seafood Festival.
Buy local produce at the farmers market hosted by Lafreniere Park each Wednesday.
The Irish-Italian Parade rolls through Bonnabel Place each year.
Cabbage is a common throw at the St. Patrick's Day Metairie Road Parade.
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Things to consider
Like most places in Southern Louisiana, Metairie is surrounded and segmented by canals and levees to control flooding. Katrina proved the suburb's ability to flood, but it also was the impetus for drastic improvements to Metairie's preparedness. "Katrina really would not have been bad at all, if it wouldn't have been for the levees breaking," Hamrick says. "Since then, the Army Corps of Engineers has invested billions of dollars to reinforce the levees and to improve the drainage and the pumping. So that's improved tremendously." Nevertheless, many areas of the city are still special hazard flood zones, including residential streets, thus requiring homeowners to purchase flood insurance.
The parish is a draw for residents looking to move out of nearby New Orleans, where crime rates hover above national figures. Crime statistics specific to Metairie are not readily available, but data from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department shows property and violent crime rates steadily decreasing from 2015 to 2023. “If you call the police, they’ll come fast, and it’s never just one or two cars: it’s about six or seven. They come in groups because they don’t have much else to do,” Phillips says jokingly.
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