Slidell, Louisiana

Slidell, Louisiana
City
Nickname: The Dell, The Camellia City, Slytown
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	St. Tammany
Elevation	3 ft (0.9 m)
Coordinates	30°16′45″N 89°46′40″W / 30.27917°N 89.77778°W / 30.27917; -89.77778
Area	15.2 sq mi (39.4 km2)
- land	14.8 sq mi (38 km2)
- water	0.4 sq mi (1 km2), 2.63%
Population	27,068 (2010)
Density	1,828.9 / sq mi (706.1 / km2)
Mayor	Freddy Drennan
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	70458, 70459, 70460, 70461, 70469
Area code	985
Location of Slidell in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: http://www.slidell.la.us

Slidell /slaɪˈdɛl/ is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 27,068 at the 2010 census.^[1] Greater Slidell has a population of about 90,000.^[2] It is part of the New Orleans−Metairie−Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Beginning

One of the earlier settlers to the area was John William Gause. Along with a younger brother, Wesley Coke Asbury Gause, Judge Wingate, and several others, they left Shallotte, North Carolina, on February 18, and arrived at Pearlington, Mississippi, on April 14, 1836. Wesley and his family decided to remain there, while John and family decided to cross the Pearl River, and built a log cabin on the west bank, just a little further south. He then began a lumber mill, in the fledgling town later to be known as Slidell. His traveling back and forth from lumber yard to home created a road, known today as Gause Boulevard, a major east/west street in the town. The lumber yard was located at the northwest area of where Gause Boulevard crosses the railroad track. The log cabin was built at the very east end of the road, just a few yards from the river. The house stood until the late 1990s, and a small family burial plot still remains, where John is buried between his two wives, Lydia Russ and Johanna Frederica VanHeemskerk.

Slidell was founded on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in 1882 and 1883 during construction of the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad (N.O.N.E.).^[3] The N.O.N.E. line connected New Orleans to Meridian, Mississippi. The town was named in honor of American politician and Confederate ambassador to France John Slidell, father-in-law of real estate developer Baron Frederic Emile d'Erlanger and officially chartered by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1888.^[3]

Twentieth century

Around 1910, Slidell began a period of economic and industrial growth. A large creosote plant was built, and Slidell became home to the Fritz Salmen Brickyard, a major producer of bricks later named St. Joe Brick. A lumber mill and shipyard were also built. Following the construction of Interstate 10, Interstate 59, and Interstate 12, Slidell became a major crossroads for those traversing the Gulf States.^{[citation needed]}

In 1915, the creosote plant burned to the ground, killing 55 workers and 3 firefighters.^{[citation needed]} The plant was rebuilt on Bayou Lane, closer to a water source and closer to a fire station. Eventually, creosote polluted the bayou which was a source of drinking water for many of Slidell's residents. The creosote plant was abandoned in 1986 and became an EPA Superfund site. The canal was dredged and waste incinerated until completion of the cleanup in 1996. At that time a boat launch was built and Heritage Park was constructed on the former site.^{[citation needed]}

With the advent of the U.S. space program in the 1960s, NASA opened the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, the John C. Stennis Space Center in nearby Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and a NASA computer center on Gause Boulevard. This nearly tripled Slidell's population over a period of ten years, and the city became a major suburb of New Orleans. Slidell is also the location of the National Weather Service forecast office for the New Orleans and Baton Rouge area.^[4] Slidell is the headquarters of Vesco Tennis Courts, a privately held firm specializing in construction of hard surfaces for outdoor sports facilities.^[5]

The city hosts several parade krewes each Carnival season.^[6][7]

In 2005, Slidell suffered extensive damage from the effects of Hurricane Katrina as the storm made final landfall on the morning of August 29. The municipal area is located about 2 miles (3 km) inland, and parts of the city experienced a storm surge in excess of 10 feet (3.0 m). The unincorporated areas of St. Tammany Parish, to the south and east, often commonly referred to as Slidell, experienced a storm surge of 13 to 16 feet (4.0 to 4.9 m).^[8]

Geography

Slidell is located at 30°16′45″N 89°46′40″W / 30.27917°N 89.77778°W / 30.27917; -89.77778 (30.279040, -89.777744)^[9] and has an elevation of 13 feet (4.0 m)^[10]. It is in southeastern St. Tammany Parish, located approximately 3 miles (5 km) north of Lake Pontchartrain.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.2 square miles (39.4 km²), of which 14.8 square miles (38.4 km²) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.9 km²), or 2.39%, is water.^[11]

Climate

Slidell has a humid subtropical climate, with short, generally mild winters (slightly cooler than the Southshore part of the New Orleans area) and hot, humid summers. Precipitation in winter usually accompanies the passage of a cold front.^{[citation needed]} Hurricanes pose a threat to the area, and the city is vulnerable because of its low elevation.^[12][13]

Demographics

As of the census^[15] of 2000, there were 25,695 people, 9,480 households, and 7,157 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,178.5 people per square mile (841.5/km²). There were 10,133 housing units at an average density of 859.1 per square mile (131.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.13% White, 13.56% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 2.05% Hungarian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.67% of the population.

Of the 9,480 households, 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,856, and the median income for a family was $48,298. Males had a median income of $40,211 versus $26,050 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,947. About 9.5% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Slidell is the global headquarters for Automotive manufacturer and Military contractor Textron Marine & Land Systems.

Education

Public schools in Slidell are operated by the St. Tammany Parish Public Schools. There are three public high schools in Slidell: Northshore High School, Salmen High School, and Slidell High School, and two private high schools: Pope John Paul II High School and First Baptist Christian School.

Salmen High School's football team won the 4A State Championship in 1994 and 1995. The girls' basketball team and baseball team went on to win state championships in 1996, bringing a total of three state championships to Salmen High School for the 1995-96 academic year. The football team garnered the state championship in 2001. Northshore High School's baseball team was the state champion in 2009, and the Northshore girls' swimming team were champions in 2009 and 2010. Slidell High School's powerlifting team finished as national runners-up in 2000. In 2001, the Tigers won the USAPL national championship, and followed it up with a third place finish in 2002.

Transportation

Amtrak's daily Crescent train connects Slidell with New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Birmingham, and New Orleans. The Slidell Amtrak station is situated on Front Street in Olde Towne Slidell, with a beautiful view of one of the city's parks, Heritage, which is complete with playground equipment for younger children and open spaces for people to play football. There are also numerous fishing spots.

Slidell is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Interstate 10, Interstate 12, Interstate 59, and U.S. Highway 11. The I-10 Twin Span Bridge runs from Slidell over Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans East.

Rather than using the airport codes of ASD and KASD for the existing Slidell Airport, or NEW and KNEW for the original New Orleans Lakefront Airport, or even MSY and KMSY for the Louis Armstrong International Airport, NWSFO Slidell uses IATA airport code "LIX" and ICAO airport code "KLIX", despite not corresponding to any actual airport.

The train station in downtown Slidell

Notable people

• John Besh, chef and owner of LaProvence Restaurant, Restaurant August and Luke; finalist on the Food Network show Iron Chef America
• Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Grammy Award-winning instrumentalist
• P. J. Brown, NBA basketball player^[16]
• Tony Canzoneri, world boxing champion
• Arthur Chevrolet, co-founder of the automobile company that bears his name and participant in the inaugural Indianapolis 500
• Rich Clementi, mixed martial arts fighter and UFC veteran who trains and resides in Slidell
• Greg Cromer, District 90 state representative since 2008
• Chris Duhon, former Duke University point guard and current Los Angeles Lakers reserve point guard; played basketball at Salmen High School
• Mike Fontenot, second baseman for the San Francisco Giants; played high school baseball at Salmen High School and college baseball at Louisiana State University^[17]
• Matt Forté, running back for Chicago Bears; played at Tulane University in New Orleans and at Slidell High School
• Gerry E. Hinton, chiropractor and former state senator
• Rodney Holman, former tight end for Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions
• Arthur Jones, inventor, TV producer, adventurer and animal trapper.
• Juvenile, Southern rapper
• LaRon Landry, strong safety for Washington Redskins and LSU standout athlete
• Paul Mauffray, conductor
• Logan Morrison, outfielder for the Miami Marlins; played baseball at Northshore High School
• Xavier Paul, outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds
• The Residents, avant-garde music group (who originally claimed to be from Shreveport)
• Ed Scogin, State representative, 1972–1992; St. Tammany Parish police juror, 1968–1972
• Taryn Terrell, WWE wrestler, model
• Will Harris Pitcher Colorado Rockies>former LSU Tiger infield/pitcher-played baseball at Slidell High School.
• Kim Crosby, racing driver, former Principal at Slidell Junior high

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slidell, Louisiana.

• City of Slidell official website
• St. Petersburg Times Travel article
• Photographs of Hurricane Katrina's destruction in Slidell

v t e Municipalities and communities of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States Parish seat: Covington Cities Covington Mandeville Slidell Towns Abita Springs Madisonville Pearl River Villages Folsom Sun CDPs Eden Isle Lacombe Unincorporated communities Bush Goodbee Talisheek

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