Chalmette ( shall-MET) is a census-designated place (CDP) in, and the parish chair of, St. Bernard Parish in southeastern Louisiana, United States. The 2010 census reported that Chalmette had 16,751 people; 2011 population was listed as 17,119; however, the pre-Katrina population was 32,069 at the 2000 census. At the 2020 U.S. census, its population rebounded to 21,562. Chalmette is portion of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner metropolitan statistical area. Chalmette is located east of downtown New Orleans and south of Arabi, towards Lake Borgne.

The community was named for plantation owner Louis-Xavier Martin de Lino de Chalmette (1720-1755). Chalmette was appended to the associates name after acquiring their Louisiana plantation, in honour of Louis-Xavier Martin de Lino’s paternal great-grandmother, Antoinette Chalmette (died 1711) “Chalmette,” in French, means pasture, or fallow land, (and traces to the Proto-Celtic word “kalm“).^{[citation needed]}

Chalmette was founded by plantation owner Louis-Xavier Martin de Lino de Chalmette (1720-1755), a native of Quebec and grandson of René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière of Maison Lotbinière. His eldest son, Louis Xavier Martin de Lino de Chalmette (1753-1814) was born there and married the sister of Antoine Philippe de Marigny, grandfather of Bernard de Marigny.

In January 1815, the Battle of New Orleans was fought at the Chalmette plantation, then owned by his second son, Ignace Martin de Lino de Chalmette (1755-1815), a maternal half-brother of Col. Pierre Denis de La Ronde (founder of Versailles, Louisiana), who commanded the Louisiana militia’s Third Regiment during the battle. The American forces below Major General Andrew Jackson defeated the British forces (led by brevet Lieutenant General Sir Edward Pakenham). On Andrew Jackson’s orders, the Chalmette plantation was totally destroyed during the battle to prevent the British from using it for cover.^{[citation needed]}