Town file
LaPlace, Louisiana
LaPlace, Louisiana (St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 691, "A Big Ball Of Death" (16 April 2026). LaPlace, Louisiana, sits in St. John the Baptist Parish in the south-east of the state, about half an hour outside New Orleans.
- Town
- LaPlace
- County
- St. John the Baptist Parish
- State
- Louisiana
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 691
- Approximate location
- 30.072, -90.477
Episode 691 / 16 April 2026 / 183 min / full
A Big Ball Of Death
"This is La Place, Louisiana, in St. John the Baptist Parish, southeastern Louisiana, about 30 minutes outside New Orleans" about 0:04:48
The case: The River Parishes serial murders (October 1996 to July 1997). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 29,129
- Median age
- 37.2
- Median household income
- $65,459 a year
- Median home value
- $191,600
- Cost of living
- 90
- Religious
- 43.7%
- Property crime
- ▼ about two and a half times
- Violent crime
- ▲ just under three times
History, in brief
- Originally settled by German immigrants in the early 18th century. about 0:06:01
- The original larger settlement was called Karlstein, with a K, one of four settlements collectively known as the German Coast, populated by German-speaking immigrants since 1721. about 0:06:30
- The name Bonnet Carre was inspired by the right-angle turn of the Mississippi River near the settlement and its resemblance to a square bonnet. about 0:06:59
- In 1879 a pharmacist, planter and patent medicine purveyor named Basil Laplace arrived in New Orleans and established a large plantation in the area; the railroad depot was named after him, then the post office, then the town. about 0:07:27
- From 1850 to 1883 the levee on the east bank of the Mississippi flooded several times. about 0:08:05
- In 1850 a flood created the Bonnet Carre Crevasse, a levee breach more than a mile wide. about 0:08:11
- Several major floods were made worse by the LaPlace crevasse, and one caused severe flooding of New Orleans in 1871. about 0:08:20
- The crevasse was finally closed off in 1883 and the levee completed. about 0:08:32
- In 1983 a violent F-4 tornado devastated much of the town. about 0:08:39
- In 1992 Hurricane Andrew spawned an F-3 tornado that killed two people here. about 0:08:45
- In 2012, 5,000 houses were damaged by flooding in LaPlace during Hurricane Isaac. about 0:08:57
- In February and March 2016 several tornadoes touched down, damaging hundreds of buildings and cutting the power off. about 0:09:03
- In 2021 Hurricane Ida damaged the town again. about 0:09:15
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Lived here all his life; it could be better because after the hurricanes they do not redo everything, they just leave things in tatters; other than that it is a great place."about 0:09:41
3 stars
"A sort of quiet yet chaotic neighbourhood; he would get rid of the gang bangers and gangs, who cause nothing but mess and problems."about 0:10:10
2 stars
"Most of the people are rude and mean, newcomers say how mean the people are, and he does not think he will be moving back to the area in the near future."about 0:10:52
1 star
"LaPlace used to be a suburban town but has got a bit rough over time, and the constant construction makes the traffic terrible at all times of the day."about 0:11:27
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Marrero, Louisiana25 miles
- Gretna, Louisiana28 miles
- Houma, Louisiana37 miles
- Franklin, Louisiana65 miles
- St. Martinville, Louisiana81 miles
- Gulfport, Mississippi87 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.