Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana facts for kids

Tangipahoa Parish
Quick facts for kids Tangipahoa Parish
	Parish
	Parish of Tangipahoa
	Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts in Hammond
	Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
	; Louisiana's location within the U.S.;
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	March 6, 1869
Named for	Acolapissa word meaning ear of corn or those who gather corn
Seat	Amite City
Largest city	Hammond
Area
• Total	823 sq mi (2,130 km2)
• Land	791 sq mi (2,050 km2)
• Water	32 sq mi (80 km2) 3.9%
Population (2020)
• Total	133,157
• Density	161.79/sq mi (62.47/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 5th

Footbridge across a tributary of Ponchatoula Creek leading to North Oak Street Park on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Tangipahoa Parish

Tangipahoa Parish ( French: Paroisse de Tangipahoa) is a parish located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 121,097. The parish seat is Amite City, while the largest city is Hammond. Southeastern Louisiana University is located in Hammond. Lake Pontchartrain borders the southeast side of the parish.

The name Tangipahoa comes from an Acolapissa word meaning "ear of corn" or "those who gather corn." The parish was organized in 1869 during Reconstruction.

Tangipahoa Parish comprises the Hammond, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond, LA-MS Combined Statistical Area. It is one of what are called the Florida Parishes, at one time part of West Florida.

History

Tangipahoa Parish began in 1869, when it was carved from Livingston Parish, St. Helena Parish, St. Tammany Parish, and Washington Parish. It was flooded in 1932.

The name comes from the Tangipahoa River and the historic Tangipahoa Native American people.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 823 square miles (2,130 km²), of which 791 square miles (2,050 km²) is land and 32 square miles (83 km²) (3.9%) is water. Lake Pontchartrain lies on the southeast side of the parish.

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.

Adjacent counties and parishes

Transportation

Railroads

Amtrak's daily City of New Orleans long-distance train stops in Hammond, both northbound (to Chicago) and southbound. It serves about 15,000 riders a year, and Hammond-Chicago is the ninth-busiest city pair on the route.

The historic main line of the Illinois Central that carries freight through the parish is now part of CN. It continues to be busy.

Highways

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
Louisiana Highway 440
Louisiana Highway 442
Louisiana Highway 443
Louisiana Highway 445
Louisiana Highway 1040
Louisiana Highway 1045
Louisiana Highway 1046
Louisiana Highway 1048
Louisiana Highway 1049
Louisiana Highway 1050
Louisiana Highway 1051
Louisiana Highway 1053
Louisiana Highway 1054
Louisiana Highway 1055
Louisiana Highway 1056
Louisiana Highway 1057
Louisiana Highway 1061
Louisiana Highway 1062
Louisiana Highway 1063
Louisiana Highway 1064
Louisiana Highway 1065
Louisiana Highway 1067
Louisiana Highway 1249
Louisiana Highway 3158
Louisiana Highway 3234
Louisiana Highway 3260

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	7,928	—
1880	9,638	21.6%
1890	12,655	31.3%
1900	17,625	39.3%
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%
2010	121,097	20.4%
Est. 2019	134,758	11.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2019

2020 census

Tangipahoa Parish racial composition
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	79,825	59.95%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	39,770	29.87%
Native American	409	0.31%
Asian	942	0.71%
Pacific Islander	23	0.02%
Other/Mixed	4,946	3.71%
Hispanic or Latino	7,242	5.44%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 133,157 people, 46,526 households, and 31,420 families residing in the parish.

National Guard

The parish is home to the 204th Theater Airfield Operations Group and the Forward Support Company of the 205th Engineer Battalion. This 205th Engineer Battalion is a component of the 225th Engineer Brigade of the Louisiana National Guard. These units reside within the city of Hammond. A detachment of the 1021st Engineer Company (Vertical) resides in Independence, Louisiana. The 236th Combat Communications Squadron of the Louisiana Air National Guard also resides at the Hammond Airport.

Communities

Map of Tangipahoa Parish, depicting municipal boundaries

Cities

Towns

Villages

Census-designated place

Natalbany

Other unincorporated places

Education

The parish is served by the Tangipahoa Parish School System. 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.

School Board

The elected school board governs and oversees the Tangipahoa Parish School System (TPSS). The board appoints the superintendent of schools, who leads the school system and oversees is functioning. The current superintendent is Melissa M. Stilley. The president of the board is Sandra Bailey-Simmons, and the vice president is Tom Tolar.

Melissa M. Stilley, superintendent

Janice Fultz Richards (D), District A

Tom Tolar (R), District B

Robin Abrams (R), District C

Glenn Westmoreland (R), District D

Brett Duncan (I), District E

Randy Bush (R), District F

Jerry Moore (D), District G

Sandra Bailey-Simmons (R), District H

Rose Quave Dominguez (R), District I

The Board has a long history of racial discrimination in the hiring of teachers. In 1975, it was ordered to ensure one-third of the teaching staff were Black. Both the Board and the Court ignored the mandate for more than thirty years. During the period from 1998 to 2008, the Board hired fewer Black teachers than any other school system in the state. In 2010, a second ruling strengthened the first.

Notable people

Chris Broadwater, current District 86 state representative, resides in Hammond
Nick Bruno, president of University of Louisiana at Monroe
Hodding Carter, 20th-century journalist
John L. Crain, president of Southeastern Louisiana University
John Bel Edwards, current Governor of Louisiana; former Minority Leader of Louisiana House of Representatives; former District 72 state representative, resides in Amite
Lucy Fleming, singer
C. B. Forgotston, political activist
Barbara Forrest, critic of intelligent design
Tim Gautreaux, writer
Dennis Paul Hebert, state representative for Tangipahoa Parish, 1972-1996
Bolivar E. Kemp, U.S. representative, 1925–1933
Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Jr., Louisiana Attorney General, 1948–1952
Wade Miley, professional baseball pitcher
James H. Morrison, represented Louisiana's 6th congressional district from 1943 to 1967
Kim Mulkey, college basketball player, United States Olympic Team, Baylor head women's basketball coach
Rufus Porter, professional football player
Henry "Tank" Powell, state representative from 1996 to 2008
Billy Reid, fashion designer
Weldon Russell, former state representative from Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes
Jackie Smith, former professional football player, St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys, NFL Hall of Famer
Irma Thomas, Grammy-winning singer
Harry D. Wilson, Louisiana state representative and state agriculture commissioner; pushed for the establishment of the town of Independence in 1912
Justin Wilson, chef and humorist
Robert Alford, professional football player, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals
Harlan Miller, professional football player, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins
Kevin Hughes, professional football player, St. Louis Rams and Carolina Panthers
Donald Dykes, former professional football player, New York Jets and San Diego Chargers
Earl Wilson, former major league baseball player for Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres
LaBrandon Toefield, former professional football player, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers
Devonta Smith, professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles, 2020 Heisman Trophy Winner, Alabama Crimson Tide football.