As of the census of 2010, there were 20,348 people, 7,544 households, and 5,160 families residing in the CDP. There were 8,895 housing units, of which 1,351, or 15.2%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the CDP was 43.5% White, 41.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 6.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.6% some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.4% of the population. Of the 7,544 households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67, and the average family size was 3.17. In the CDP, 24.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.0% were from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males. For the period 2012-2016, the median annual income for a household in the CDP was $37,058, and the median income for a family was $52,173. Male full-time workers had a median income of $40,205 versus $32,500 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,344. About 17.4% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.
History
During the French colonial era, the first owner of this land was Jean-Baptiste d'Estrehan de Beaupre, royal treasurer and comptroller for the French Louisiana colony. He established a plantation here. He used his slaves to dig the ditch that would become the Harvey Canal, cutting south from the banks of the Mississippi River to the back of Bayou Barataria, to provide better access. Years later, d'Estrehan paid German settlers in the area to work on widening the ditch; they used wooden shovels. He paid them with small parcels of land located downriver in Mechanicsham, now the city of Gretna. D'Estrehan built his home where the ditch met the river banks, naming the settlement "Cosmopolite City". Harvey was founded as a company town at its founding, developed by Joseph Hale Harvey. During this time, Joseph Harvey would rename Cosmopolite City after his family surname. Harvey's wife, née Louise Destrehan, was a great-granddaughter of Jean Baptiste d'Estrehan. She was the daughter of Nicolas Noel d'Estrehan and granddaughter of Jean Noel Destréhan. Harvey and Destrehan initiated construction of the canal locks leading to the Mississippi. Their son, Horace Harvey, carried on development of the canal and its surroundings.
21st-century legal case
In 2003, Harvey resident Patrick O'Neal Kennedy was sentenced to death after being convicted of violently raping his eight-year-old stepdaughter. His case was appealed and ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court. It ruled in Kennedy v. Louisiana, that the death penalty for rape, even of a child, constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. They argued that the child or adult victim had not lost their life. By 2008, few states in the United States still had death penalty statutes that authorized capital punishment for rape.
Some residents are zoned to Gretna Middle School in Gretna, and some are zoned to Marrero Middle School in Marrero. Woodland West Elementary School is in Harvey. Ella C. Pittman Elementary School is in Marrero, adjacent to Harvey and serving portions of Harvey. Other schools outside of Harvey serving portions: Gretna Park and McDonogh #26 in Gretna, Cox Elementary in Timberlane, Collins Elementary in Marrero. Woodmere Elementary in Woodmere is nearby, but its attendance zone does not cover the Harvey CDP. Public kindergartens:
Harvey Kindergarten Center
In regards to advanced studies academies, residents are zoned to the Gretna Academy. Previously Homedale Elementary in Harvey served portions of the city. In 2012 Homedale Elementary closed. A plan called for Homedale students to be rezoned to McDonogh 26 Elementary in Gretna. Private schools
St. Ville Academy for High School Preparation
Homedale School
St Rosalie Elementary School
Jefferson Parish Library operates the Jane O'Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library in Harvey. The facility opened in 1990 and is the largest public library in the West Bank of Jefferson Parish.
