Pigeon Town, New Orleans
Pigeon Town is a New Orleans, Louisiana neighborhood located in the 17th Ward of New Orleans and within the larger Carrollton neighborhood, and within the area that the New Orleans city planning commission calls "Leonidas." Pigeon Town is (loosely) bordered by Cambronne St. (East), Claiborne Ave. (north), Oak St. (South) and the Parish line on the west. It is situated directly between the Hollygrove neighborhood and the Oak Street Cultural Arts District.
History and Name Controversy
Pigeon Town is part of the larger Carrollton neighborhood which was annexed to the City of New Orleans in 1874. There is comprehensive well-documented information on the history of Carrollton. The smaller Pigeon Town portion of Carrollton is sometimes called Pension Town and there is controversy over which neighborhood name came first and which name is correct. Many local ressdents use the name Pigeon Town or P-Town, while newcomers may call the neighborhood Pension Town.
Neighborhood Arts and Culture
The neighborhood is a diverse working class residential neighborhood primarily consisting of musicians and artists. Community members work near their homes, there is a high percentage of home ownership and neighbors chat and dance in the street. The Pigeon Town Steppers Social Aid and Pleasure Club hosts an annual Easter Parade that runs through the heart of Pigeon Town. There are several public art and farm projects in the neighborhood including the James Weldon Johnson School Garden, P-Town Farms, and Willow Wilds. The Oak Street border hosts several annual parties that flow into the neighborhood including the Krewe of OAK Midsummer Mardi Gras Parade and Po' boy Fest. Preferred transportation in the neighborhood is biking, walking and public transportation with the RTA streetcar barn right at the edge of Pigeon Town on Willow Street.