Airline Park

Airline Park is an established suburban neighborhood in Metairie, Louisiana. While it’s considered to be a part of the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area, Metairie is actually in Jefferson Parish. Originally settled by the French in the 1700s, it was mostly farmland and swamp until it slowly morphed into one of the largest unincorporated communities in the United States.

Though it’s in a mostly residential area, bordered by West Napoleon Avenue and Airline Highway to the north and south and David Drive and Colony Place to the west and east, Airline Park residents enjoy close proximity to multiple commercial areas and 15-minute commutes to both downtown New Orleans and the airport.

Veterans Boulevard, the largest commercial corridor in the New Orleans area, is 10 minutes away and it’s lined with countless national retail chains, restaurants, strip malls and two major shopping malls. It is also the route for scores of Mardi Gras parades.

Most of the homes in Airline Park were built in the 60s and 70s, but newer construction is scattered throughout. The sense of community in Airline Park is enhanced by its abundance of sidewalks and easy access to nearby parks and athletic fields.

Most of the houses in Airline Park were built in the 1960s and 1970s. Architectural styles are mainly single-story traditional and ranch style of modest size with a few pockets of newer construction and occasional lots for sale. The average home price is between $250,000 and $300,000 with fixer-uppers as low as $150,000 and a few newly constructed and updated homes as high as $500,000.

Airline Park is conveniently located equidistant between the Veterans Boulevard and Elmwood commercial corridors. Each contains countless large national retail and restaurant chains, plus movie and entertainment complexes. Two of the city’s most prominent shopping malls are also minutes away.

As for supermarkets, there’s a Winn Dixie in the southern portion of the neighborhood and multiple local, regional and national stores nearby.

Mike Miley Playground, located within Airline Park, contains a stadium and multiple sports fields, plus batting cages, tennis courts, two playgrounds and a dog park.

The New Orleans Saints offices and practice fields, which are sometimes open to the public, are located just beyond the southern border of the neighborhood.

Everyone knows that New Orleans puts on a huge party for Mardi Gras, but Metairie also has its fair share of festivities even closer to home. Veterans Boulevard, which is minutes away from Airline Park, is the site of many enormous parades every carnival season, as well as the popular Family Gras festival. Another hugely popular event, the Metairie Road St. Patrick’s Day Parade, also happens nearby.

Lafreniere Park, immediately adjacent to the neighborhood, provides residents with access to 155 acres of green space, lush gardens, a lagoon and tons of amenities. Plus, it hosts several elaborate annual holiday events, including the Park-A-Boo Halloween festival, Christmas in Lafreniere holiday lights display and Uncle Sam Jam, a Fourth of July celebration featuring live music and a fireworks show.

The shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain is about 15 minutes away for those who enjoy boating and watersports, or just taking in the view.

Residents of Airline Park have hit the jackpot where parks are concerned. The Mike Miley Playground, located within the neighborhood, is a large facility featuring a stadium and numerous fields for football, baseball, softball and soccer, plus batting cages and tennis courts. There are also multiple concession stands, a gym, two “tot lot” playgrounds for children, a dog park and meeting rooms

An even bigger treasure is located immediately adjacent to the north of the neighborhood. Lafreniere Park is spread across 155 acres, featuring lots of green space and gardens, a two-mile jogging trail, several picnic shelters, a 20-acre lagoon, two playgrounds, a carousel, multi-use sports fields and an 18-hole disc golf course. It also hosts multiple elaborate signature annual events including the Park-A-Boo Halloween festival, Christmas in Lafreniere holiday lights display and Uncle Sam Jam, a Fourth of July celebration featuring live music and a fireworks show.

Airline Park families can choose from a wide array of local public and private schools. The neighborhood falls under the umbrella of Jefferson Parish Schools, the largest public school district in Louisiana, and is zoned for Rudolph Matas Elementary School, serving grades pre-K-8 and East Jefferson High School for grades 9-12. Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies, located in the heart of the neighborhood, is a public magnet school for grades pre-K-5.

Nearby private schools include Kehoe-France School for pre-K-7, Ecole Classique for pre-K-12, Archbishop Rummel High School for boys in grades 8-12 and Archbishop Chapelle High School for girls in grades 8-12.

The abundance of sidewalks and nearby parks makes Airline Park a pleasant place for walking, playing community sports and enjoying a multitude of outdoor activities. The shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain is about 15 minutes away for those who enjoy boating and watersports, or just taking in the sights.

The neighborhood is 15 minutes from both East Jefferson General Hospital and Ochsner Medical Center with multiple urgent care facilities just minutes away and a family practice clinic located within the Airline Park. The nearest fire station is about six minutes away.

Downtown New Orleans, which is 15 minutes from Airline Park by highway or surface streets, is home to the headquarters of some of the city’s largest employers, including Entergy Corporation, Ochsner Health System, Tulane University, Whitney Holding Corporation, and Boh Bros Construction. There is also a concentrated area of commercial businesses along nearby Causeway Boulevard.

Airline Park residents have multiple surface street and highway options when it comes to commuting, and most everything of importance, including hospitals, shopping, and the airport, is between 10 and 15 minutes away.

The drive to downtown takes around 15 minutes and commuters can use Interstate 10, Airline Drive or Earhart Expressway, depending on traffic conditions. Jefferson Parish Transit has a bus route along Airline Drive, which constitutes the southern border of the neighborhood. It stretches west to the airport and east to downtown with stops every two blocks.

Photography Contributed By

Aaron Bloodworth

Video By

Scott Wiggins