Veterans Memorial Boulevard

Veterans Memorial Boulevard carries Jefferson Parish through its full width. The western terminus sits at Belleview Boulevard in Kenner near Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport; the eastern end crosses the 17th Street Canal into New Orleans, terminating at West End Boulevard. Live oaks line the neutral ground for the entire length. Built during Metairie's 1950s suburban expansion, the boulevard became Jefferson Parish's Main Street — six lanes of commercial corridor anchored by Lakeside Shopping Center, one of the area's largest malls, and Clearview Mall. Between them: car dealers, strip shopping centers, the infrastructure of post-war suburbia. A Veterans Memorial monument stands near the eastern end at the 17th Street Canal. The boulevard is dedicated to the memory of all veterans. The restaurant row reflects successive waves of immigration — Vietnamese, Honduran, Lebanese. Whatever arrives in Jefferson Parish eventually appears along Veterans. During Carnival season, several Mardi Gras parades roll through Metairie along portions of the boulevard. In 1978, the Jefferson Parish Council adopted a standardized parade route beginning at Clearview Shopping Center, rolling east along Veterans, and disbanding at Bonnabel Boulevard. In 2019, the council gave krewes the option of reversing direction — westbound from Bonnabel to Clearview. The boulevard runs parallel to Interstate 10 for most of its length, but the parades don't use the interstate. They use Veterans, because this is where people live and eat and the street knows how to hold a crowd.