| Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Louisiana |
|
 Louisiana's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1868 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Amite City |
| Largest city | Hammond |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
823 sq mi (2,132 km²) 790 sq mi (2,047 km²) 33 sq mi (85 km²), 3.99% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
100,588 127/sq mi (49/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.tangipahoa.org | |
| Named for: Acolapissa word meaning ear of corn or those who gather corn | |
Tangipahoa Parish (French: Paroisse de Tangipahoa) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137.[1] Tangipahoa comes from an Acolapissa word meaning "ear of corn" or "those who gather corn."
The Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Tangipahoa Parish.
Contents |
Geography
The parish has a total area of 823 square miles (2,132 km²), of which 790 square miles (2,047 km²) of it is land and 33 square miles (85 km²) of it (3.99%) is water.
Most of the parish south of Ponchatoula consists of Holocene coastal swamp and marsh—gray-to-black clays of high organic content and thick peat beds underlying freshwater marsh and swamp.[2]
Cities and towns
Adjacent counties, parishes and features
- Amite County, Mississippi (northwest)
- Pike County, Mississippi (northeast)
- St. Tammany Parish and Washington Parish (east)
- Lake Pontchartrain (southeast)
- St. John the Baptist Parish (south)
- Livingston Parish and St. Helena Parish (west)
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Amite County, Mississippi | Pike County, Mississippi | |
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| Livingston Parish and St. Helena Parish |  |
St. Tammany Parish and Washington Parish | ||
 Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana  |
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| St. John the Baptist Parish | Lake Pontchartrain |
Education
The parish is served by the Tangipahoa Parish School System.[3] Southeastern Louisiana University is located in Hammond.
On seven occasions, the American Civil Liberties Union has sued the Tangipahoa Parish School Board, along with other defendants, for having allegedly sponsored and promoted religion in teacher-led school activities.[4]
Transportation
Major highways in the parish include:
Interstate 12
Interstate 55
U.S. Route 51
U.S. Route 190
Louisiana Highway 10
Louisiana Highway 16
Louisiana Highway 22
Louisiana Highway 38
Louisiana Highway 40
Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 100,588 people, 36,558 households, and 25,773 families residing in the parish. The population density was 127 people per square mile (49/km²). There were 40,794 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 69.76% White, 28.35% Black or African American, 0.39% Asian, 0.24% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 1.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 17,625 |
|
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| 1910 | 29,160 | 65.4% | |
| 1920 | 31,440 | 7.8% | |
| 1930 | 46,227 | 47.0% | |
| 1940 | 45,519 | −1.5% | |
| 1950 | 53,218 | 16.9% | |
| 1960 | 59,434 | 11.7% | |
| 1970 | 65,875 | 10.8% | |
| 1980 | 80,698 | 22.5% | |
| 1990 | 85,709 | 6.2% | |
| 2000 | 100,588 | 17.4% | |
| Est. 2006 | 113,137 | [6] | 12.5% |
| Tangipahoa Parish Census Data[7] | |||
There were 36,558 households out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.90% were married couples living together, 16.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the parish the population was spread out with 27.70% under the age of 18, 12.70% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $29,412, and the median income for a family was $36,731. Males had a median income of $31,576 versus $20,066 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $14,461. About 18.00% of families and 22.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.60% of those under age 18 and 20.10% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
The parish is part of Louisiana's 1st congressional district.
The justice of the peace for the parish's 8th ward (Robert, Louisiana), Keith Bardwell, made the news in October 2009 for refusing to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple; Bardwell, a justice of the peace for 34 years, "came to the conclusion that most black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society" and said he doesn't perform weddings for interracial marriages because "I don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves."[8] Bardwell, who said he thought he had refused to issue a license to four couples during the 2½-year period before the news of his refusals became public, resigned effective November 3.[9] Bobby Jindal, the Governor of Louisiana, called the resignation "long overdue."[9]
Residents and natives
Notable residents and natives of the parish, past and present, include:
- Hodding Carter, 20th century journalist
- William Hodding Carter, I, politician and father of Hodding
- John Desmond, architect
- C.B. Forgotston, attorney and political activist
- Tim Gautreaux, writer
- James H. Morrison, represented Louisiana's 6th congressional district from 1943 to 1967
- Henry "Tank" Powell, state representative from 1996-2008; member of the Louisiana Board of Pardons
- Justin Wilson, chef and humorist
- Irma Thomas, Grammy-winning singer
References
- ^ About Tangipahoa Parish from the parish's official website. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ^ McCulloh, R. P.; P. V. Heinrich and J. Snead (2003). "Ponchatoula 30 x 60 Minute Geologic Quadrangle". Louisiana Geological Survey. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University. http://www.lgs.lsu.edu/deploy/uploads/Ponchatoula%20100K.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ^ Official website of the Tangipahoa Parish School System
- ^ Mitchell, David. "School board sued over prayer", Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, Capitol City Press, p. B01.[when?]
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Tangipahoa Parish Quickfacts". http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22105.html. Retrieved 2008-02-02.. Hurricane Katrina,which in 2005 wreaked severe damage east and south of Tangipahoa Parish, caused a surge in immigration from the Greater New Orleans area.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Louisiana Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/la190090.txt. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
- ^ "JP refuses to marry couple". Daily Star (Hammond). October 15, 2009. http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2009/10/17/top_stories/8847.txt. Retrieved 2009-10-17. "Bardwell said he came to the conclusion that most black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society.... “I don’t do interracial marriages because I don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves,” Bardwell said. “In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer.”"
- ^ a b "US judge in mixed-race row quits". BBC News. 4 November 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8341556.stm. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
External links
- Tangipahoa Parish official website
- Visitor's Bureau website, Tangipahoa history
- "Explore the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana". Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/louisiana/.
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