Zachary, Louisiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zachary, Louisiana
City
City of Zachary
Zachary Railroad Depot
Wordmark
Location of Zachary in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	East Baton Rouge
Area
• Total	26.80 sq mi (69.42 km2)
• Land	26.77 sq mi (69.33 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation	102 ft (31 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,316
• Density	721.63/sq mi (278.63/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	70791
Area code(s)	225
FIPS code	22-83405

Zachary is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is about 16 miles north of Baton Rouge. In 2010, about 14,960 people lived there. By 2020, Zachary's population grew to 19,316 people.

History of Zachary

Much of the land where Zachary is today was once a 160-acre farm. It belonged to a man named Darel Zachary (1827-1907). In the 1880s, Mr. Zachary sold his land to the Illinois Central Railroad.

The railroad built tracks and a train station there. Soon, a small village grew around the station. People started calling this new village "Zachary" after the farmer. Zachary got its first post office in 1885. It officially became a city on August 2, 1889. Thomas Edward McHugh was its first mayor.

A big fire damaged the city in 1903. It was said to have started when a grocer tried to ripen bananas with fire. The "historic village" in the city center has buildings that either survived the fire or were built soon after. The oldest building, besides the train station, is the Allison House from 1898.

The first count of people was done in 1914. It showed only 419 residents. In 1966, Zachary made history. It was the first city in Louisiana since the Reconstruction Era to elect a Republican mayor, Jack Louis Breaux.

Geography of Zachary

Zachary is located in the northern part of East Baton Rouge Parish. To its north is the city of Slaughter. To the east is Central, and to the south is Baker.

Louisiana Highway 19 goes through Zachary. It leads 5 miles north to Slaughter. It also goes 9 miles south to U.S. Route 61 in northern Baton Rouge.

The United States Census Bureau says Zachary covers about 26.80 square miles (69.42 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 26.77 square miles (69.33 square kilometers), is land. Only a tiny part, about 0.04 square miles (0.09 square kilometers), is water.

Zachary's Climate

People of Zachary

In 2020, Zachary had 19,316 people living there. There were 5,790 households and 4,267 families. A household means all the people living in one home. A family means two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption living together.

In 2019, about 7.9% of the people lived below the poverty line. The average income for a household was $84,795. For males, the average income was $62,920. For females, it was $49,092.

The average age of people in Zachary in 2019 was 35.1 years old. About 69.4% of the people were 18 years or older.

In 2000, there were 11,275 people. About 43.4% of households had children under 18. About 60.2% were married couples. The average household had 2.88 people. The average family had 3.26 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 30.0% were under 18. About 29.5% were between 25 and 44. About 10.8% were 65 or older. The average age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were about 90.5 males.

Education in Zachary

The schools in Zachary are managed by the Zachary Community School Board. This school system became separate from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System in 2003. This means Zachary has its own local school district.

Public Services in Zachary

The United States Postal Service has a post office in Zachary. This is where people can send and receive mail.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Library also has a branch in Zachary. This library first opened in 1939 in the old town hall. It moved a few times over the years. In 1966, it was in a building connected to the Louisiana National Bank.

The current library building opened on May 4, 2004. It is a large building, about 20,000 square feet. The land for it was bought by the library system in 2001. Construction on the building started in December 2002.

Notable People from Zachary

Many interesting people have connections to Zachary:

• Frank Brian (1923–2017) was a basketball player from Zachary High School. He played in the very first NBA All-Star Game in 1950.
• Kedrick Brown (born 1981) was also a basketball player from Zachary High School. He was the first junior college player ever chosen in the NBA draft.
• Donna Douglas (1932–2015) was an actress. She was famous for playing Elly May Clampett on the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies. She was born nearby in Pride, Louisiana.
• Trindon Holliday (born 1986) is a football player. He played as a wide receiver and return specialist for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Johnny Huggins (born 1976) is an American football player.
• Tonya Johnson (born 1969) is an American volleyball coach.
• John Kennedy (born 1951) is a United States Senator. He used to be Louisiana's state treasurer.
• Roderick Mullen (born 1972) was an NFL cornerback.
• Bob Odom (1935–2014) was a former Louisiana agriculture commissioner.
• Boston Scott (born 1995) is a running back and kick returner for the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Leonard Scott (born 1980) was a world champion sprinter and also an NFL player.
• Doug Williams (born 1955) was an NFL quarterback for the Washington Redskins. He was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXII.
• Robert Pete Williams (1914–1980) was a famous blues musician.
• Gus Young (1909–1969) was a civil rights leader. He helped lead the first voter registration drive in 1938.
• Shalanda Young (born 1977) is the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Images for kids

• 

  Hurricane Gustav over Zachary, 2008

See also

In Spanish: Zachary (Luisiana) para niños