Entry #4- Carolyn's Field Notes

We visited Norco, LA on the afternoon of Saturday, February 28. It took about half an hour to get there from Tulane's campus. As close as about three miles away from the Destrehan/Kenner/Norco area, we were able to see smoke and exhaust being let off into the sky, and some of the plant's towers and smokestacks in the distance. After a few more minutes of driving, about a mile away from Norco, the plant came into full view and dominated the skyline on both sides of the highway. It was an impressive but overwhelming sight, and it made it clear why the area is named after the refinery.
Once we got past the plant and into the residential and commercial area of Norco, there was a drastic change of scenery (though the plant was still very visible). There was no space between the residential neighborhoods and the refinery--many houses were situated less than fifty feet away from the fence of the plant. Most of the houses were modest and well-kept, though there were only a few people outside doing yardwork, which I found strange considering it was a fairly warm weekend afternoon. The few children to be seen were at what we presumed to be a birthday party, playing on a small moon bounce.
When we got to the main street of town, there were about a handful of cars driving slowly on the road. Otherwise, the town seemed deserted. We decided to stop at the Sub Express, since there were some cars parked outside. Inside, we met Rose, a middle-aged resident of Norco (whose interview will be posted in detail by another group member). After talking with Rose for a while, we went outside and walked to the end of the main road, and then up to the levy to get a better view of town. With our backs to the river, the view we got from the levy was unsurprising-- the plant lay to the east as far as the eye could see, and to the west there seemed to be nothing but houses. I did, however, note several things from our vantage point: the river did not seem to look any different than it does downriver, near New Orleans, and the wildlife (including a large flock of herons) seemed to be unaffected by the plant; also, I was able to note that most of the cars in town were either new or close to new trucks and SUVs. There were very few sedans or mini-vans. This trend in cars could point to the working class status of the citizens of Norco, who need more practical/utility vehicles for their jobs, etc.
From there, our group decided to split up--Emily and Jordan went into a bar, Club 99, while Michelle and I went to the Fantasies Hair Salon. When we walked in, there was no one at the desk, but the shop seemed to have a few clients and all the employees seemed busy at work. We noted that the shop seemed surprisingly modern and trendy, something we would not have expected after driving around the nearly deserted town outside. We asked two women who were waiting to get their hair done whether they lived in Norco. They quickly responded with an emphatic "No."
We deicded that the salon probably would not be the best place to get information at that time because the employees were busy, so we walked back towards the front of town to the Dollar General. Upon entering, we again noted that there were not many people out and about. The store seemed to stock many different products, from groceries to clothing, at low prices. After walking around the store a bit, we came across two female employees stocking shelves. Michelle and I said hello and explained to them that we were Tulane students doing research for a project on Norco. Once we said "Tulane," the women became somewhat standoffish, but one of the ladies, Tammy, eventually ended up talking to us and even seemed to enjoy it after a while. Tammy's take on Norco was very different from the bleak perspective we had gotten from Rose earlier. Tammy generally thought that living in Norco was not that bad, but did seem to recognize the fact that it was a stereotypical small town-- she joked numerous times about the Dollar General being the "Norco mall."
She told us that Norco used to have a lot more going for it, that there was a roller rink, a movie theater, and a fried chicken restaurant several decades ago. She said that a lot changed after the infamous explosion at the plant in 1989, which she admitted was "a nightmare," especially since she was pregnant at the time. When we asked her about what she knew about health problems caused by the plant, she didn't give a conclusive answer, but did tell us about her first husband who died of cancer at the age of 29. She didn't have much to complain about, unlike Rose, when it came to the plant, and told us that a large number of men in Norco work for Shell. When asked about the school system, she said she "[could] not say enough" about how good they are, which is in large part caused by the fact that Shell Company gives a lot of money to the schools in the surrounding area.
After we left the Dollar General, we were able to look at the town very differently. Obviously some residents, unlike Rose, are at least fairly content living there, though they know that Norco is not a perfect town in many ways. We met back up with Jordan and Emily, jotted down some notes, and then drove around town a bit more, mainly down Good Hope Avenue and Apple St.. Still there were very few people outside, but we were able to locate both the Norco Civic Center and the newly reinstated Norco library (both of which were unfortunately closed at the time). Having spent nearly three hours on site, we decided to head back to Tulane, with plans to visit Norco again in the near future. Hopefully next time we will be able to get a better idea of what Norco used to be like around the time when it had a movie theater, etc., and also be able to talk to residents of different age groups.