$258,841Average Value$166Average Price per Sq Ft58Homes For Sale
Arabi's unique name reflects a colorful past
Even by New Orleans standards, the history of Arabi is almost impossibly colorful. While many neighborhoods began as suburbs before being annexed by a larger city over the years, Arabi did just the opposite, rebelliously breaking away from New Orleans when an 1880s law banned stockyards and slaughterhouses in Orleans Parish. The name itself – Arabi – is an Anglicized tribute to Egyptian leader Ahmed ‘Urabi, who went the 1880s version of viral for starting a revolt against European influence in his country. The spirit of thumbing its nose at NOLA carried into the early 20th century. Arabi was the place New Orleanians sought for its illegal gambling halls until they were finally busted for good in the 1950s. Arabi’s present is not nearly as checkered as its past. Slaughterhouses and gambling dens eventually gave way to something sweeter – Domino Sugar’s largest refinery in North America. But Arabi remains a unique locale – right down to the scent emanating from the factory where sugar cane is turned into what is sold at stores. “It smells like cotton candy all the time,” says Arabi resident Alison Barrios, the broker/owner of Barrios Real Estate Group. “Like someone is cooking caramel constantly.”
Where colorful history meets brand-new construction
While Arabi’s past is colorful in a figurative sense, many of its historic houses are colorful in a literal way. It’s not unusual to find ranches or two-story custom homes with bright pastel exteriors. And while Arabi is rooted in history – the part of town closest to the Mississippi River is known as Old Arabi – there's also plenty of recent construction as many parts of town rebuilt after the devastating storm surge of Hurricane Katrina brought up to 20 feet of floodwater from the canals north of town. Homes range from $189,000-$749,000 with a median price of $317,000. Many homes listed over $300,000 have been built since 2020 and are located both in Old Arabi and the younger area of town north of Judge Perez Drive.
Newly constructed craftsman-style homes are becoming common in Arabi.
Arabi is home to many vibrantly colored houses.
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A small town with big-city tastes
Good eating, good times and a flair for the creative don’t stop when you cross into St. Bernard Parish from New Orleans. The St. Claude Arts campus features 12 artist studios, a park, and the Zeitgeist Theatre. Many buildings on this stretch of St. Claude Ave. Are decorated with murals from local artists. Arabi Food Store has cooked up Louisiana favorites for breakfast, lunch or an early dinner since 1973. For a different set of flavors, Stella Maris Restaurant offers Mediterranean cuisine as well as its wildly popular Lebanese Tea to go along with a small grocery. These days, many Arabi residents do their grocery shopping at Canseco’s Arabi Market. Popular nightspots include Pirogue’s Whiskey Bayou and OAB on the River, both of which feature live music. Kitchen Table Cafe is a fine dining establishment that also has live music on its patio.
Arabi Food Store has been serving fresh meals in Arabi since 1973.
Fresh hot donuts are available at Gerald's Donuts, a 24-hour diner.
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Sugar Fest gives Arabi a flavorful event
The event most unique to Arabi is Old Arabi Sugar Fest, held each October at the Ayock Barn community center. This sticky, sweet festival is marked by such events as a donut-eating contest and a dessert bake-off that requires all recipes to use sugar. The Old Arabi Neighborhood Association also hosts a “Sippin’ in the Sunset” fundraiser every few months featuring local vendors and restaurants as well as beer and wine. “It’s a very small-town feel just a couple of blocks outside of the city,” Barrios says.
Community events such as Sugar Fest are held at Ayock Barn.
The Domino Sugar Refinery offers employment to the residents of Arabi, and sponsors Sugar Fest.
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St. Bernard Parish school system
Arabi Elementary is the only school in Arabi. The St. Bernard Parish public school earns a B-rating from Niche. Older students head to neighboring Chalmette to continue their education at Andrew Jackson Middle School, which also has a B-grade. High schoolers attend Chalmette High, which was completely rebuilt following Katrina. Chalmette High has a B-plus rating on Niche.
An unlikely planetarium
The campus that opened as Maumus High School in 1929 before later becoming an elementary school has been rebuilt and reimagined as a community center and planetarium open to the public. Arabi’s Pearl Harbor Memorial Park holds a ceremony every Dec. 7 dedicated to those killed in the attack that brought the United States into World War II. There are also a pair of small community parks with youth sports fields. In nearby Chalmette, the Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery commemorate the site of the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
New Orleans is just minutes away
Residents can take the NORTA No. 84 bus along St. Claude Avenue into the Lower Ninth Ward and the city. The No. 86 route runs along Judge Perez Drive into Chalmette, making its final stop at Nunez Community College. St. Claude Ave. and Judge Perez Dr., which becomes Claiborne Ave. in Orleans Parish, both have drawbridges for residents traveling towards downtown New Orleans through the Lower Ninth Ward. “It's very affordable compared to Orleans Parish, but still less than 10 minutes from downtown or the French Quarter,” Barrios said. “It's quite easy to get pretty much anywhere.”
Photography Contributed By
Andrew Nelson
Video By
Victoria Sharpe
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