One of the earlier settlers to the area was Foster Willie. Along with a younger brother, Wesley Coke Asbury Gause, Judge Wingate, and several others, he left Shallotte, North Carolina, on February 18, and arrived at Pearlington, Mississippi, on April 14, 1836. Wesley and his family remained there, while John and family crossed the Pearl River and built a log cabin on the west bank, a little further south. He then began a lumber mill in the fledgling town later known as Slidell. His traveling back and forth from lumber yard to home created a road known today as Gause Boulevard, a major east–west street in the town. The lumber yard was where Gause Boulevard crosses the railroad track. The log cabin was built at the east end of the road, just a few yards from the river. The house stood until the late 1990s, and a small family burial plot still remains where John is buried between his two wives, Lydia Russ and Johanna Frederica VanHeemskerk.
Around 1910, Slidell began a period of economic and industrial growth. A large creosote plant was built, and Slidell became home to the Fritz Salmen Brickyard, a major producer of bricks later named St. Joe Brick. A lumber mill and shipyard were also built. Following the construction of Interstate 10, Interstate 59, and Interstate 12, Slidell became a major crossroads for those traversing the Gulf States.[citation needed]
In 1915, the creosote plant burned to the ground.[5] The plant was rebuilt on Bayou Lane, closer to a water source and a fire station. Eventually, creosote polluted the bayou, a source of drinking water for many of Slidell's residents. The creosote plant was abandoned in 1986 and became an EPA Superfund site.[6] The canal was dredged and waste incinerated until completion of the cleanup in the 1990s. At that time a boat launch was built and Heritage Park was constructed on the former site.[7]
On August 29, 2005, Slidell suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina, as the storm made final landfall on the morning of August 29, 2005. The municipal area is about 2 miles (3 km) inland, and parts of the city experienced a storm surge in excess of 10 feet (3.0 m). The unincorporated areas of St. Tammany Parish, to the south and east, often called Slidell, experienced a storm surge of 13 to 16 feet (4.0 to 4.9 m).[12]
On April 20, 2011, an Amtrak train derailed in Slidell which injured six people.
Slidell Museum
The Slidell Museum is a small museum that highlights the founding of the city as a railroad town. Located in Old Town Slidell on 1st Street, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free to the public.[13]
Geography
Slidell is located at 30°16′45″N89°46′40″W / 30.27917°N 89.77778°W / 30.27917; -89.77778 (30.279040, -89.777744),[14] and has an elevation of 13 feet (4.0 m).[15] It is in southeastern St. Tammany Parish, located approximately 3 miles (5 km) north of Lake Pontchartrain. The city forms part of the Greater New Orleans area. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.2 square miles (39.4 km2), of which 14.8 square miles (38.4 km2) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.9 km2), or 2.39%, is water.[16]
Slidell has a humid subtropical climate, with short, generally mild winters (slightly cooler than the southshore part of the New Orleans area) and hot, humid summers. Precipitation in winter usually accompanies the passage of a cold front.[citation needed]Hurricanes pose a threat to the area, and the city is vulnerable because of its low elevation.[17][18]
Climate data for Slidell, Louisiana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1956–present)
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 28,781 people, 9,818 households, and 6,430 families residing in the city. At the 2010 United States census, 27,068 people, 10,050 households, and 7,145 families resided in Slidell.[23] In 2000, the population was 25,695.[24]
Per to the 2019 American Community Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the racial and ethnic makeup of the city as 71.8% non-Hispanic white, 16.9% Black and African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% some other race, 2.3% two or more races, and 7.1% Hispanic and Latin American of any race.[25] In 2010, the racial makeup of the city was 76.0% White, 17.0% Black and African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latin Americans of any race were 6.3% of the population. At the 2000 U.S. census, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 83.13% White, 13.56% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races; Hispanics and Latin Americans of any race were 2.67% of the population.
Of the population in 2019, the median age was 36.7 and 73.2% of the population were aged 18 and older; an estimated 15.9% of the population were aged 65 and older.[26] Residents of Slidell had a median household income of $54,906 and 15.1% of the population lived at or below the poverty line. Males had a median full-time annual income of $54,642 versus $37,183 for females. Of the 10,050 households in 2010, 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.4% of households were one person and 9.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.13. In 2010, the age distribution was 28.0% under the age of 19, 6% from 20 to 24, 26% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 14% 65 or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males.
Previously the Slidell Learning Center and later the Northshore-Slidell campus, and with Covington having the Northshore-Covington Campus. The latter opened in summer 2002.[29] The Slidell campus closed in 2016 due to financial issues.[27]
Slidell Airport (ICAO: KASD, FAA LID: ASD) is a city-owned public-use airport four nautical miles (7 km) northwest of Slidell's central business district. Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, Slidell's is assigned ASD by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA (which assigned ASD to Andros Town Airport in the Bahamas).
^"Station: Slidell, LA". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
United States
Louisiana
