Kentwood is a rural town in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana near the Mississippi border. The population was 2,205 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Water from Kentwood is bottled and popularly marketed in New Orleans under the Kentwood Springs label. Kentwood is also known as "The Dairy Capital of the South." Kentwood used to have a dairy parade each November where people sold crafts and miscellaneous items. The festival hasn't been held for several years due to the shutdown of the dairy plant in the 1970s and the subsequent decline of the town and its economy. Later, the parade and festival was moved to the summer months. Despite all this, Kentwood is best known as the hometown of the pop singer Britney Spears and sister Jamie Lynn Spears.
History
This rural town was founded by Amos Kent in 1888.
s (17.9 km²), of which, 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²) of it is land and 0.14% is water.
Demographics
As of the census[1][page needed] of 2000, there were 2,205 people, 850 households, and 559 families residing in the town. The population density was 318.4 people per square mile (123.0/km²). There were 979 housing units at an average density of 141.4/sq mi (54.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 34.42% White, 64.85% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.
There were 850 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% were married couples living together, 28.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $17,297, and the median income for a family was $23,889. Males had a median income of $25,583 versus $15,200 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,171. About 29.5% of families and 37.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.2% of those under age 18 and 32.5% of those age 65 or over. Dillon High school located in Kentwood was the only school in Tangipahoa Parish for African American to attend. The school was called Tangipahoa Parish Training School. Mr. O. W. Dillon was the schools first principal. The school was later named Dillon High School in his honor. In 1970 the school was renamed Kentwood elementary.
Notable natives
- Britney Spears, singer
- Jamie Lynn Spears, actress/singer
- Bryan Spears, TV producer, son of Lynne Spears & Jamie Spears and also older brother of Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears
- Lynne Spears, author and mother of Bryan, Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears
- William Hodding Carter, I, politician, farmer and businessman
- Taylor Horn, singer and actress
- Clay Shaw, New Orleans businessman and the only person prosecuted in connection with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He was found not guilty.
- Jackie Smith, National Football League tight end and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Little Brother Montgomery, jazz pianist
- Collis Temple Jr., first African-American athlete at Louisiana State University
- Stacy Head, New Orleans elected official born in nearby Greensburg but associated with Kentwood
- Michael "Mike" Jackson, former National Football League wide receiver
See also
Camp Moore
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
