Gretna, Louisiana | |
City | |
Gretna City Hall
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Country | United States |
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State | Louisiana |
Parish | Jefferson |
Elevation | 0 ft (0.0 m) |
Coordinates | 29°54′59″N 90°03′15″W / 29.91639°N 90.05417°WCoordinates: 29°54′59″N 90°03′15″W / 29.91639°N 90.05417°W |
Area | 3.9 sq mi (10.1 km2) |
- land | 3.5 sq mi (9 km2) |
- water | 0.4 sq mi (1 km2), 10.26% |
Population | 17,736 (2010) |
Density | 4,983.9/sq mi (1,924.3/km2) |
Mayor | Belinda Cambre Constant |
Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
- summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP codes | 70053, 70056 |
Area code | 504 |
Website: www |
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Gretna is the second-largest city and parish seat of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Gretna is on the west bank of the Mississippi River, just east and across the river from uptown New Orleans. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,736 at the 2010 census.
Gretna is located at 29°54′59″N 90°3′15″W / 29.91639°N 90.05417°W (29.916459, -90.054260) and has an elevation of 0 feet (0 m) behind the levee along the Mississippi River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km2), of which 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2) is land and 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) (9.33%) is water.
Gretna was settled in 1836, originally as Mechanicsham, growing with a station on the Mississippi River for the Missouri Pacific Railroad, Texas and Pacific Railway, and Southern Pacific Railroad, with a ferry across the River to New Orleans. The famous spice-maker Zatarain's was founded here in 1889. Gretna was incorporated in 1913, absorbing the section of McDonogh within the Jefferson Parish boundaries. In the 1940 census, Gretna had a population of 10,879.