Best Web Design in Metairie, LA (2026)

Web Design for Metairie, Louisiana

Metairie is a sprawling, unincorporated suburb hugging New Orleans on Lake Pontchartrain's south shore, and with roughly 143,500 residents it is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and one of the biggest census-designated places in the entire country. Built along the old Metairie Ridge, it blends leafy 1920s streetcar-era neighborhoods with mid-century malls, and it throws its own family-friendly Mardi Gras parades down Veterans Memorial Boulevard. It sits mostly below sea level and lives fully inside New Orleans' Cajun-Creole cultural orbit while keeping a distinctly suburban identity.

AppWT works with Metairie, LA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Metairie

Also known as. Old Metairie (for the historic 1920s core). Fat City (the 1970s nightlife/commercial district).

History. French settlers were the first Europeans to live here in the 1720s, farming the naturally raised Metairie Ridge; the name comes from the French metairie, a small tenant farm worked by sharecroppers who paid the landlord in a share of the crop. Many original French farmers were tenants in the 1760s, and after the Civil War much of the community remained sharecroppers until urbanization began in the 1910s. An electric streetcar line built along Metairie Road in the late 1910s spurred growth, and upscale houses in the 1920s created the Old Metairie neighborhood. Cheaper land and lower taxes drove rapid population growth in the 1940s as people moved out from New Orleans. The 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane (125 mph winds) put much of Metairie under about 6 feet of water, and Hurricane Betsy caused heavy damage in 1965. A May 8, 1995 flood dropped more than 20 inches of rain in about 12 hours, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 prompted a wave of migration from New Orleans into the community.

Local economy. High-paying local industries include finance, insurance, and oil and gas, alongside tourism tied to New Orleans. The NFL's New Orleans Saints have their training facility in Metairie. The NBA's New Orleans Pelicans also base their training facility in Metairie. Retail is a major economic driver, anchored by the large Lakeside Shopping Center (established 1958-59) and the redeveloped Clearview City Center (originally Clearview Shopping Center, one of the region's first enclosed malls, opened 1969). Three Lakeway Center rises 403 feet, making it the tallest building in Louisiana outside New Orleans and Baton Rouge and a hub for office tenants. Median household income was about $60,404 as of 2019.

Culture and community. Like New Orleans, Metairie sits below sea level and stages large annual Mardi Gras celebrations, holding its own parades since the 1970s with crowds along Veterans Memorial Boulevard. The Krewe of Argus has paraded in Metairie on Mardi Gras Day since 1974, joined by krewes such as Caesar, Centurions, and the co-ed Krewe of Excalibur (reigning since 2000). Metairie's parades are considered more family-friendly and easier to attend than those in New Orleans. Fat City, developed as Metairie's commercial and nightlife district, became a hub of lounges and happy-hour bars catering to singles. The area shares in the region's Cajun and Creole food culture and hosts festivals and concerts at Lafreniere Park. Minor-league sports have a home here: the New Orleans Baby Cakes (Triple-A baseball, 1993-2019) played at the Shrine on Airline, now home to the New Orleans Gold rugby club (Major League Rugby, since 2020).

What makes Metairie distinct. Despite its size, Metairie is not a city at all - it is an unincorporated census-designated place, and with about 143,500 people it ranks as one of the largest CDPs in the United States. The 17th Street Canal, which failed catastrophically during Hurricane Katrina, forms Metairie's eastern border with New Orleans. Lafreniere Park sits on the footprint of the old Jefferson Downs horse-racing track, wiped out by Hurricane Betsy in 1965. In 1989 a Metairie district elected white supremacist David Duke to the Louisiana state legislature, drawing national attention. The community averages about 62.5 inches of rain a year and roughly 77 days at or above 90 degrees F. Fat City earned its nickname as a singles-and-nightlife enclave that grew up around the Lakeside mall and nearby apartment complexes.

Metairie Landmarks and Local Life

• Lake Pontchartrain Causeway - its southern terminus is in Metairie; the roughly 24-mile twin span is one of the world's longest bridges over water
• Three Lakeway Center - 403-foot office tower, the tallest building in Louisiana outside New Orleans and Baton Rouge
• Lafreniere Park - Metairie's largest public park, built on the former Jefferson Downs racetrack site (racing 1954 until Hurricane Betsy destroyed it in 1965)
• Lakeside Shopping Center - major regional mall dating to 1958-59
• Clearview City Center - originally a 1969 enclosed mall, redeveloped in 2020
• Fat City - the planned commercial/entertainment district known for nightlife