St. Bernard Parish is part of the New Orleans metro area. The parish of St. Bernard was officially designated in 1799. This historic parish is where the famous Battle of New Orleans occurred. Had it not been for U.S. winning the Battle of New Orleans which was the last battle of the War of 1812, the United States would be British today. Historically, the economy of St. Bernard has been tied to the land and its unique environment until the mid-twentieth century. The plantations and farms that were developed along the rich soils that lined the banks of the Mississippi provided economic benefits to the parish's residents during the pre-Industrial period. During the 1950 and 60's the parish grew by leaps and bounds. By the 1970's portions of St. Bernard had transformed from a sleepy, rural area to an urban area similar in character and appearance to the rest of New Orleans suburban areas. All that changed on August, 29, 2005. Hurricane Katrina pushed the marsh and the Gulf of Mexico in like a funnel through the Mississippi Gulf Outlet drowning every structure in St. Bernard in up to twelve feet of marsh muck that did not recede for up to over two weeks. It left a community of 67,000 people in over 27,000 households an empty shell in what used to be weeks before a vibrant productive community. Although many of its citizens are gallantly attempting to repopulate the area the population remains well below its pre-storm population. To learn more about this important parish in the New Orleans metro area please click here.