Pearl River, Louisiana

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Town of Pearl River
Town
none Pearl River Municipal Complex
Pearl River Municipal Complex
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish St. Tammany
Area 2.5 sq mi (6.5 km²)
 - land 2.5 sq mi (6.5 km²)
 - water 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km²), 1.6%
Center
 - coordinates 30°22′16″N 89°45′04″W / 30.37111, -89.75111Coordinates: 30°22′16″N 89°45′04″W / 30.37111, -89.75111
 - elevation 26 ft (8 m)
Population 1,839 (2000)
Density 737.7 /sq mi (284.8 /km²)
Incorporated, Village May 24, 1906
 - Incorporated, Town 1964
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code 985
Location of Pearl River in Louisiana
Location of Pearl River in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Location of Louisiana in the United States

Pearl River is a town in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,839 at the 2000 census.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Pearl River is located at 30°22′16″N, 89°45′4″W (30.371096, -89.751139)[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.6 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.58%) is water.

[edit] History

The community that is today Pearl River was originally known as Halloo, a moniker it reputedly garnered from loggers yelling to one another as they labored along the nearby Pearl River. Early Halloo was a small railroad town, located at the junction of the Northeastern and Poitevent and Favre’s East Louisiana Railroads. In 1886 a train station was constructed at the site, and two years later Samuel R. Poitevent established the first store in the village. The community’s name was first changed from Halloo to Pearl, later to Pearlville, and eventually Pearl River, in 1888, after the train station built in the town.

On July 13, 1898, the 200 citizens of Pearl River voted to petition the state of Louisiana for incorporation as the, “Village of Pearl River,” a request which was granted nearly a decade later, on May 24, 1906, by governor Newton Crain Blanchard, with G.W. Fuller as the first mayor. The village slowly modernized over the course of the next half century, acquiring the land for a courthouse in 1935 and a town hall ten years later. In 1964, the village insignia was replaced, as the newly minted “town” laid claim to 1,500 residents, a designation that lives on today, in the town of about 2,000.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,839 people, 708 households, and 513 families residing in the town. The population density was 737.7 people per square mile (285.2/km²). There were 788 housing units at an average density of 316.1/sq mi (122.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.38% White, 1.36% African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.65% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population.

There were 708 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,296, and the median income for a family was $40,647. Males had a median income of $31,855 versus $19,637 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,542. About 12.0% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

Residents are zoned to St. Tammany Parish Public Schools schools.

[edit] References

Ellis, Dan (1999). Slidell: “Camellia City”.