Kenner, Louisiana, United States

🇺🇸 Kenner is a city in Louisiana, United States. It is the largest city in Jefferson Parish, and is the largest incorporated suburban city of New Orleans.

History In 1855, Kenner was founded by Minor Kenner on land that consisted of three plantation properties that had been purchased by the Kenner family. At the time, all land north of what is now Airline Highway was swampland.

In Kenner on May 10, 1870, "Gypsy" Jem Mace defeated Tom Allen for the heavyweight championship of the bare-knuckle boxing era; a monument marks the spot near the river end of Williams Boulevard.

From 1915 to 1931, a New Orleans streetcar line operated between New Orleans and Kenner. The line ran between the intersection of Rampart and Canal in New Orleans and the intersection of Williams Blvd and Jefferson Hwy in Kenner.

Kenner's growth began in the late 1950s when developers began subdividing, draining and filling the swampland in the northern half of the city. During the 1960s, the construction of Interstate 10 and improvements to Veterans Memorial Highway aided the rapid development of Kenner as a suburb of New Orleans.

In 1982, Pan Am Flight 759 crashed in a residential area of Kenner when a microburst forced it down. Eight people on the ground were killed, as were all 145 people aboard the aircraft. Six houses were completely destroyed and five more substantially damaged.

In October 2017, an explosion on the surface of an oil rig platform in Lake Pontchartrain north west of the Treasure Chest Casino injured 7 people.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.2 square miles (39 km²), of which 15.1 square miles (39 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.7%) is water.

The city of Kenner is located on the west side of Greater New Orleans, in Jefferson Parish. Its boundaries are Lake Pontchartrain to the north, the Mississippi River to the south, the unincorporated areas of Metairie and River Ridge to the east, and St. Charles Parish to the west.

Economy At one time L'Express Airlines had its headquarters in Kenner.

Library and planetarium Jefferson Parish Library operates the North Kenner Library.

Places of interest The following are located in Kenner: • A. J. Muss Bertolino Playground – a high school stadium, running track, and gymnasium. • Chateau Golf and Country Club. • Coconut Beach Volleyball Complex - 22 court sand volleyball complex, and the largest man-made sand complex in the United States. • The Esplanade Mall – Opened in 1983. • Laketown – A park built with a boat launch, two piers, pavilions, a jogging/biking path, and a concession stand and bait house. • Pontchartrain Center – Opened in 1991, it is the second-largest convention centre in the New Orleans metro area. • Rivertown – The historic district with museums, shops, and cultural resources. Located there are the Rivertown Repertory Theatre, Kenner Heritage Park, Kenner Planetarium, and Rivertown Science Center. • Treasure Chest Casino.

Education Kenner is served by the Jefferson Parish Public School System.

Kenner originally had one high school, Alfred Bonnabel High School, which is located on the border between Metairie and Kenner. The newest high school is a public charter (Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy). Most areas are zoned to Bonnabel. Some areas are zoned to East Jefferson High School and Grace King High School, both in Metairie. Theodore Roosevelt Middle School and Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy are the two middle schools in Kenner. In addition to Roosevelt and Kenner Discovery, middle schools serving sections of Kenner include Adams Middle and Harris Middle in Metairie, and Riverdale Middle in Jefferson.

Elementary schools include: • A.C. Alexander Elementary School • John James Audubon Elementary School • Chateau Estates Elementary School • John Clancy Elementary School • Greenlawn Terrace Elementary School • Walter Schneckenberger Elementary School • Washington Elementary School • Granville T. Woods Elementary • Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy (public charter)

In regards to the advanced studies academies, students are zoned to Airline Park Academy.

Private schools include: • First Baptist Christian School • Our Lady of Perpetual Help School (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans). The school, the parish school of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, opened in 1928. In 1951 an annex to the school opened. Another building with classrooms and a gymnasium was dedicated in 1956, and the current school building was dedicated in 1961. The Mercy Center, which houses school offices and a library, gymnasium, and a dedicated room for music classes, was dedicated in August 2004. • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans) • Islamic School of Greater New Orleans (ISGNO)

Media The Kenner Star is Kenner's free monthly community newspaper. Kenner is served primarily by New Orleans-based media outlets.

Transport: Bus Public transportation in the city is operated by the Jefferson Parish Department of Transit Administration which operates Jefferson Transit. Jefferson Transit provides service to points in Kenner, Metairie and New Orleans as well as other locations in incorporated and unincorporated Jefferson Parish.

Transport: Road Kenner is served by Interstate 10, which travels east–west through the city. Traveling westbound from the city line there are exits at Power Blvd., LA 49 (Williams Blvd.)/32nd St. New Orleans Int'l Airport, and Loyola Dr.

In addition, the interstate, U.S. 61 (generally signed as Airline Dr.) travels east–west through the southern end of the city. LA 49 (signed as Williams Blvd) is the city's primary north–south corridor.

Transport: Air The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (IATA: MSY), the main commercial airport for the New Orleans metropolitan area, is located within the city limits, just south of Interstate 10. It serves as a major tax-revenue generator for the city.

Health care • Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner – one of the major hospitals in the New Orleans metro area.