Slidell, Louisiana

Slidell /slaɪˈdɛl/ is a city on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 27,068 at the 2010 census.[3] Greater Slidell has a population of about 90,000.[4] It is part of the New Orleans−Metairie−Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Slidell, Louisiana
City
City of Slidell
Heritage Park in Slidell
Nickname(s): 
The Camellia City (official), The Dell
Location of Slidell in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Slidell, Louisiana
Location of Slidell in Louisiana
Coordinates: 30°16′45″N 89°46′40″W
Country United States
State Louisiana
ParishSt. Tammany
Government
 • TypeMayor
 • BodyGreg Cromer (R)
Area
 • Total15.70 sq mi (40.67 km2)
 • Land15.33 sq mi (39.70 km2)
 • Water0.37 sq mi (0.96 km2)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total27,068
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
27,633
 • Density1,802.54/sq mi (695.96/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code
70458, 70459, 70460, 70461, 70469
Area code(s)985
Websitemyslidell.com

History

Beginning

One of the earlier settlers to the area was Foster Willie. Along with a younger brother, Wesley Coke Asbury Gause, Judge Wingate, and several others, he left Shallotte, North Carolina, on February 18, and arrived at Pearlington, Mississippi, on April 14, 1836. Wesley and his family remained there, while John and family crossed the Pearl River and built a log cabin on the west bank, a little further south. He then began a lumber mill in the fledgling town later 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 where Gause Boulevard crosses the railroad track. The log cabin was built at the 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.).[5][6] 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.[5]

Twentieth century & beyond

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.

In 1915, the creosote plant burned to the ground, killing 55 workers and 3 firefighters. The plant was rebuilt on Bayou Lane, closer to a water source and a fire station. Eventually, creosote polluted the bayou, 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.

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 ten years, and the city became a major suburb of New Orleans. The National Weather Service forecast office for the New Orleans and Baton Rouge area is also in Slidell.[7] Slidell is the headquarters of Vesco Tennis Courts, a privately held firm specializing in construction of hard surfaces for outdoor sports facilities.[8]

The city hosts several parade krewes each Carnival season.[9][10]

On August 29, 2005, Slidell suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina, as the storm made final landfall on the morning of August 29, 2005. The municipal area is 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 called Slidell, experienced a storm surge of 13 to 16 feet (4.0 to 4.9 m).[11]

Geography

Slidell is located at 30°16′45″N 89°46′40″W (30.279040, -89.777744)[12] and has an elevation of 13 feet (4.0 m).[13] 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.[14]

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. Hurricanes pose a threat to the area, and the city is vulnerable because of its low elevation.[15][16]

Climate data for Slidell, Louisiana
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 61
(16)		 64
(18)		 71
(22)		 77
(25)		 84
(29)		 89
(32)		 91
(33)		 91
(33)		 88
(31)		 80
(27)		 71
(22)		 64
(18)		 78
(26)
Average low °F (°C) 40
(4)		 43
(6)		 50
(10)		 56
(13)		 65
(18)		 71
(22)		 73
(23)		 72
(22)		 68
(20)		 57
(14)		 49
(9)		 42
(6)		 57
(14)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 6.42
(163)		 5.03
(128)		 5.94
(151)		 4.76
(121)		 5.76
(146)		 4.27
(108)		 6.55
(166)		 5.85
(149)		 5.16
(131)		 3.10
(79)		 5.13
(130)		 4.69
(119)		 62.66
(1,591)
Source: [17]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1890364—
19001,129210.2%
19102,18893.8%
19202,95835.2%
19302,807−5.1%
19402,8220.5%
19503,38319.9%
19606,35687.9%
197016,101153.3%
198026,71865.9%
199024,124−9.7%
200025,6956.5%
201027,0685.3%
2019 (est.)27,633[2]2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]

2010

According to the 2010 US Census,[3] 27,068 people, 10,050 households, and 7,145 families. live in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 76.0% White, 17.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.3% of the population.

Of the 10,050 households, 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.4% of households were one person and 9.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.13.

The age distribution was 28.0% under the age of 19, 6% from 20 to 24, 26% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 14% 65 or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males.

There were 11,155 housing units, of which 7,226 (64.8%) were owner-occupied, and 2,824(25.3%) were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 11.0%. 19,170 people (70.8%) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 7,583 people (28.0%) lived in renter-occupied housing units.

2000

As of the census[19] of 2000, there were 25,695 people in 9,480 households, including 7,157 families, 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. Hispanics or Latinos 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 households were one person and 8.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09.

The age distribution was 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% 65 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 household income was $42,856 and the median family income 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

Slidell's public schools 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 won 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 girls' soccer team went undefeated for 5 consecutive years from 1986 to 1990, winning 5 state championships. Northshore's baseball team was the state champion in 2009, and the Northshore girls' swimming team were champions in 2009, 2010, and 2011. 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
The train station in downtown Slidell

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

Slidell is 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.

Slidell Airport (ICAO: KASD, FAA LID: ASD) is a city-owned public-use airport four nautical miles (7 km) northwest of Slidell's central business district. Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, Slidell's is assigned ASD by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA (which assigned ASD to Andros Town Airport in the Bahamas).

Notable people

References
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