Algiers, Louisiana
| Algiers | |
| 15th Ward | |
| New Orleans Neighborhood | |
 The corner of Vallette & Homer Streets in Algiers, New Orleans.
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Louisiana |
| City | New Orleans |
| Police District | District 4, Algiers |
| Elevation | 0 ft (0.0 m) |
| Coordinates | 29°55′30″N 90°00′50″W / 29.92500°N 90.01389°WCoordinates: 29°55′30″N 90°00′50″W / 29.92500°N 90.01389°W |
| Area | 0.62 sq mi (1.6 km2) |
| - land | 0.62 sq mi (2 km2) |
| - water | 0.00 sq mi (0 km2), 0% |
| Population | 50,995 (2010) |
| Density | 82,250/sq mi (31,757/km2) |
| Founded | 1718 |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code | 504 |
Algiers (/ælˈdʒɪərz/) is one of the oldest neighborhoods in New Orleans and, with English Turn, the only Orleans Parish community located on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. Algiers is also known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans.
Jean Baptiste le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, was granted a large tract of land on the west bank of the river opposite New Orleans in 1719. This date is sometimes given as the year of the town's founding, making it one of the oldest neighborhoods in what is now New Orleans, but development as a town as opposed to a private plantation did not actually occur until about 1800. The name is believed to have come from the proximity to the city as compared to France and Algeria. Another theory is that a soldier returning from fighting in Algeria decided it looked just like that country when viewed from a ship.
Others claim some connection to Arabs or Egypt and Algeria and Tunisia in the far past for the area. Some Arab groups were and are related not only to North Africa and Moors, but also to Asia as well as India. Columbus reported flags on ships of other powers on some of his travels to the Americas. Towns in the South named Egypt or Little Egypt or Tunica are real. It is possible, even likely, that some of this tradition is real.
A powder magazine was built here for safety reasons and because it stood on higher ground. A slaughterhouse was also established and Algiers went by the name of Slaughterhouse Point for some time.
With the importation of African slaves in the 18th century, this area was used as a holding area until those who survived the sea voyage recovered enough to be dispatched across the river to be sold. Algiers was also a holding area for the Cajuns who survived the Great Upheaval, when the British expelled them from Nova Scotia. The oldest part of Algiers is Algiers Point, across the river from the French Quarter.
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Wikipedia