St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana

St. Tammany Parish (: Paroisse de Saint-Tammany) is a located in the  of, in the. The is, and as of 2000, the population was 191,268. In 2004, the population was estimated to have grown to 212,000, and after the landfall of the following year, the population was estimated by St. Tammany Planners to be about 264,000. Most new residents are thought to have come from. If correct, these figures make St. Tammany Parish the fastest-growing parish in the state, overtaking and  parishes.

Geography
The parish has a total area of 2,911 (1,124 ). 2,212 km² (854 sq mi) of it is land and 699 km² (270 sq mi) of it (24.01%) is water.

Adjacent parishes and natural features

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (south and southeast 24.5 miles across the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway Bridge)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (west)

History
In 1699,, a French explorer, became the first European to visit the area of present-day St. Tammany Parish. While exploring lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas, Iberville wrote in his journal, "The place where I am is one of the prettiest I have seen, fine level ground bare of canes. The land north of the lakes is a country of pine trees mixed with hard woods. The soil is sandy and many tracks of buffalo and deer can be seen."

St. Tammany was originally inhabited by numerous Indian peoples, including the Colapissas, Bayou Goulas, Chickasaw, Biloxi, Choctaw, and Pensacola nations (although, Frederick S. Ellis, in his book St. Tammany Parish: L’autre Côté du Lac, claims that the regionally prominent Choctaw tribe did not arrive to the area until after it had begun to be settled by Europeans).

After the founding and development of New Orleans, French settlers began to enter the region. Their primary industry was the production of pitch, tar, turpentine and resin from the forests.

After the French were defeated in the, St. Tammany (like the surrounding regions of the ) became part of English. Then, after Britain was defeated in the, West Florida was governed by the Spanish. During the West Florida period, St. Tammany, like the rest of West Florida, attracted British loyalists who wanted to escape persecution in the 13 colonies. The West Florida period ended with the West Florida Revolt, which preceded West Florida's annexation by the United States.

In, President James Madison claimed West Florida as part of Louisiana and sent to claim the territory. Claiborne established the boundaries of the, including St. Tammany. St. Tammany was named after Indian Chief, or after Tammany Hall in New York.

Before 1834, there were only two towns in St. Tammany:, a retreat with summer homes and hotels; and , a shipbuilding and sawmill town. The area south to Lake Ponchartrain all the way to the Pearl River were know as the Covington Lowlands, this includes Mandeville, Abita Springs, Lacombe, Slidell, and Pearl River. was developed that year as a health resort for wealthy New Orleanians, because they believed that Ozone was emitted from the numerous trees in the area and became an immediate success, spurring the development of another resort community,. A railroad connected the towns to Mandeville and further to New Orleans, allowing for a burgeoning of growth in Abita Springs, where underground spring waters furnished supposedly healthful baths for public use.

After the construction of the, and , people began to relocate to St. Tammany in large numbers.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 191,268 people, 69,253 households, and 52,701 families residing in the parish. The was 86/km² (224/sq mi). There were 75,398 housing units at an average density of 34/km² (88/sq mi). The racial makeup of the parish was 87.03%, 9.90% or , 0.43% , 0.74% , 0.03% , 0.61% from , and 1.26% from two or more races. 2.48% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 69,253 households out of which 39.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.90% were non-families. 19.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the parish the population was spread out with 28.40% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 10.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $47,883, and the median income for a family was $55,346. Males had a median income of $41,876 versus $25,996 for females. The for the parish was $22,514. About 7.60% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the, including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education
operate the public schools in the parish. http://www.stpsb.org
 * Abita Springs elementary (k-3)
 * Abita Springs middle (4-6)
 * Abney elementary (k-5)
 * Alton elementary (k-5)
 * Bayou Lacombe middle (4-6)
 * Bayou Woods elementary (k-3)
 * Bonnie Ecole elementary (k-6)
 * Boyet Jr. High (7-8)
 * Brock elementary (k-5) temp st tammany jr high
 * Carolyn Park Middle (4-6)
 * Chahta-Ima elementary (k-3)
 * Clearwood Jr. High (4-8)
 * Covington elementary (k-3)
 * Covington High (9-12)
 * Covington Pathways (special)
 * Creekside Jr. High (6-8)
 * Cypress Cove elementary (k-1)
 * Fifth Ward Jr. High (k-8)
 * Florida Avenue elementary (k-6)
 * Folsom Elementary (k-5)
 * Folson Jr. High (6-8)
 * Fontainebleau Jr. High (7-8)
 * (9-12)
 * Honey Island Elementary (2-3)
 * Lake Harbor Middle (4-6)
 * Lee Road Jr. High (k-8)
 * Little Oaks Middle (4-6)
 * Lyon Elementary (k-3)
 * Madisonville elementary (k-3)
 * Madisonville Jr. High (4-8)
 * Magnolia Trace elementary (k-3)
 * Mandeville elementary (k-3)
 * Mandeville Middle (4-6)
 * Mandeville Jr. High (7-8)
 * (9-12)
 * Monteleone Jr. High (7-8)
 * Northshore High (9-12)
 * Operation Jumpstart Alt 6-8
 * Operation Jumpstart Alt 9-12
 * Pearl River High (9-12)
 * Pine View Middle (4-6)
 * Wiiliam Pitcher Jr. High (7-8)
 * Pontchartrain Elementary (k-3)
 * Riverside Elementary (k-5)
 * Salmen High (9-12)
 * Sixth Ward Elementary (Pre-k-5)
 * Slidell Jr. High (7-8)
 * Sldell High (9-12)
 * Slidell Pathways (special)
 * St. Tammany Jr. High (6-8)
 * Tchefunte Middle (4-6)
 * Whispering Forest Elementaty (k-3)
 * Woodlake elementary (k-3)

Growth
Until the began heating up across  in  around the late 1950s, St. Tammany Parish had remained mostly rural. Population and economic growth accelerated after 1956, when the first span of the bridge was completed. The parish became a magnet for wealthy residents leaving the city of New Orleans, and, since that time, has remained by far the fastest-growing, safest, and wealthiest parish in the metropolitan area. The population exceeded 200,000 in the wake of 's landfall in.