Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana | |
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.jpg) Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts in Hammond | |
 Seal  Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofLouisiana | |
 Louisiana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:30°37′36″N90°24′20″W / 30.62665°N 90.40568°W /30.62665; -90.40568 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Founded | March 6, 1869 |
| Named after | Acolapissa word meaningear of corn orthose 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 (83 km2) 3.9% |
| Population | |
• Total | 133,157 |
| • Density | 168/sq mi (65.0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 1st,5th |
| Website | www |
Tangipahoa Parish (/ˌtændʒɪpəˈhoʊə/) is aparish located on the southeastern border of theU.S. state ofLouisiana. As of the2020 census, the population was 133,157.[2] Theparish seat isAmite City,[3] while the largest city isHammond.Southeastern Louisiana University is located in Hammond.Lake Pontchartrain borders the southeastern side of the parish.
The nameTangipahoa comes from anAcolapissa word meaning "ear ofcorn" or "those who gather corn." The parish was organized in 1869 during the Reconstruction era.[4]
Tangipahoa Parish comprises the Hammond, LAMetropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in theBaton Rouge–Hammond, LA Combined Statistical Area.[5] It is one of what are called theFlorida Parishes, at one time part ofWest Florida.
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Tangipahoa Parish was created by Louisiana Act 85 on March 6, 1869, during theReconstruction era.[6] The parish was assembled from territories taken fromLivingston Parish,St. Helena Parish,St. Tammany Parish, andWashington Parish. It was named after theTangipahoa River and the historicTangipahoaNative American people of this area. Tangipahoa is the youngest parish in theFlorida Parishes region of southern Louisiana.
Parts of this area had already been developed for sugar cane plantations when the parish was organized, and that industry depended on numerous African American laborers who were freedmen after the war. Mostly white yeomen farmers occupied areas in the piney woods and resisted planters' attempts at political dominance. African Americans comprised about one-quarter of the population overall in the Florida Parishes before the war but were prevalent in the plantation areas, where they had been enslaved laborers.[7]
The region developed rapidly during and after Reconstruction. Both physical and political conflicts arose in Tangipahoa Parish among interests related to construction of railroads, exploitation of timber, yeoman farmers in the piney woods keeping truck farms, and the beginning of manufacturing.
Sugar cane had depended on the labor of large gangs of enslaved African Americans before the Civil War. After the war and emancipation, somefreedmen stayed to work on the plantations as laborers. Others moved to New Orleans and other cities, seeking different work. This area had rapid development and received a high rate of immigrants and migrants from other areas of the country. Through the turn of the twentieth century, the eastern Florida Parishes had the most white mob violence and highest rate of lynchings (primarily of black men) in southern Louisiana.[7]
Especially after Reconstruction, whites helped black communities with flowers and food. Piney woods whites resisted the planters' efforts to restore their political power, but imposed their own brutal violence on freedmen.
Tangipahoa Parish became more socially volatile by a "pronounced in-migration" of northerners (from the Midwest) andSicilian immigrants, coupled with "industrial development along theIllinois Central Railroad, and crippling political factionalism."[7]
During the period of 1877–1950, a total of 24 blacks werelynched by whites in the parish as a means of racial terrorism and intimidation. This was the sixth highest total of any parish in Louisiana[8] and the highest number of any parish in southern Louisiana.[7] Twenty-two of these murders took place from 1879 to 1919, a time of heightened violence in the state. Unlike some other parishes, Tangipahoa did not have a high rate of legal executions of blacks; the whites operated outside the justice system altogether.[7] Among those lynched and hanged by a mob was Emma Hooper, a black woman who had shot and wounded a constable.[9]
In 1898 the Louisiana state legislaturedisenfranchised most blacks by raising barriers to voter registration. They effectively excluded blacks from politics for decades, until after passage and enforcement of federal civil rights legislation.
In the first half of the 20th century, many African Americans left Tangipahoa Parish to escape the racial violence and oppression ofJim Crow, moving to industrial cities in theGreat Migration. Especially during and after World War II, they moved to the West Coast, where the buildup of the defense industry opened up new jobs. In the 21st century, blacks constitute a minority in the parish.
Timber, agriculture and industry are still important to the parish. It suffered flooding in 1932 and in the early 1980s. In 2016, Tangipahoa was one of many parishes declared aFederaldisaster area due tohistoric flooding from rainfall and storms in both March and August.
According to theU.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.[10]Lake Pontchartrain lies on the southeast side of the parish.
Most of the parish south ofPonchatoula consists ofHolocene coastal swamp and marsh—gray-to-black clays of high organic content and thick peat beds underlying freshwater marsh and swamp.[11]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 133,157 | 10.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] 1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14] 1990-2000[15] 2010[16] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[17] | Pop 1990[18] | Pop 2000[19] | Pop 2010[20] | Pop 2020[21] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 55,375 | 59,895 | 69,300 | 77,807 | 79,825 | 68.62% | 69.88% | 68.89% | 64.25% | 59.95% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 23,945 | 24,446 | 28,388 | 36,485 | 39,770 | 29.67% | 28.52% | 28.22% | 30.13% | 29.87% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 84 | 175 | 222 | 355 | 409 | 0.10% | 0.20% | 0.22% | 0.29% | 0.31% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 141 | 232 | 387 | 714 | 942 | 0.17% | 0.27% | 0.38% | 0.59% | 0.71% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[22] | x[23] | 5 | 35 | 23 | x | x | 0.00% | 0.03% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 99 | 10 | 62 | 108 | 376 | 0.12% | 0.01% | 0.06% | 0.09% | 0.28% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[24] | x[25] | 688 | 1,333 | 4,570 | x | x | 0.68% | 1.10% | 3.43% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,054 | 951 | 1,536 | 4,260 | 7,242 | 1.31% | 1.11% | 1.53% | 3.52% | 5.44% |
| Total | 80,698 | 85,709 | 100,588 | 121,097 | 133,157 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 133,157 people, 46,526 households, and 31,420 families residing in the parish.
The parish is part of bothLouisiana's 1st congressional district andLouisiana's 5th congressional district. Since the late 20th century most of the conservative, white-majority voters have left the Democratic Party and shifted to theRepublican Party. African Americans have largely continued to support the Democratic Party and its candidates.
The parish government is governed by theLouisiana State Constitution and the Tangipahoa Parish Home Rule Charter. The Parish Government of Tangipahoa is headed by a parish president and a parish council (president-council government). The council is the legislative body of the parish, with authority under Louisiana State Constitution, the Parish Home Rule Charter, and laws passed by theLouisiana State Legislature. The ParishSheriff is the chief law enforcement officer; other elected officers include the coroner, assessor, and clerk of court.
Keith Bardwell,justice of the peace for the parish's 8thward (Robert, Louisiana), attracted attention in October 2009 forrefusing to officiate the wedding of aninterracial couple. Bardwell, a justice of the peace for 34 years, had concluded that "most black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society". He said he does not perform weddings forinterracial marriages because "I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves."[26] Bardwell said he had refused to perform the weddings of four couples during the 2½-year period before the news of his actions was publicized, resigned effective November 3, 2009.[27] GovernorBobby Jindal said that the resignation was "long overdue."[27]
Despite the parish's Republican leanings, the parish is also the home of Democratic GovernorJohn Bel Edwards. Edwards won over 60% of the parish vote in2015 and carried the parish again in2019, outperforming Democratic presidential candidates by over 30 points in both elections.
Tangipahoa Parish is governed by an elected ten-member Council, each representing a geographic district and roughly equal populations. As of October 2016 its chairman was Bobby Cortez. Kristen Pecararo is the clerk of the council.[28]
In 1986, the former governing body of Tangipahoa Parish, the Tangipahoa Police Jury, and the voters of the Parish approved a "home rule charter" style of government. The charter provided for the election of a parish president, essentially a parish-wide mayor. Democrat Gordon A. Burgess was elected to an initial one-year term and re-elected the following year for a four-year term. Burgess was repeatedly re-elected as parish president until he retired in 2015.
In 2016, Republican businessman Robert "Robby" Miller succeeded Burgess. In April 2016, the Parish hired its first chief administrative officer, Shelby "Joe" Thomas, Jr. to handle operating functions.[29]
| President | Terms of Office | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Gordon Burgess | October 27, 1986 – January 11, 2016 | Democratic |
| Robby Miller | January 11, 2016 – incumbent | Republican |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 40 | 3.02% | 1,061 | 80.02% | 225 | 16.97% |
| 1916 | 159 | 10.62% | 1,326 | 88.58% | 12 | 0.80% |
| 1920 | 440 | 22.67% | 1,501 | 77.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 479 | 22.76% | 1,626 | 77.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 1,415 | 33.30% | 2,834 | 66.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 455 | 9.36% | 4,404 | 90.58% | 3 | 0.06% |
| 1936 | 1,374 | 22.90% | 4,624 | 77.07% | 2 | 0.03% |
| 1940 | 1,284 | 17.87% | 5,900 | 82.09% | 3 | 0.04% |
| 1944 | 1,572 | 26.24% | 4,419 | 73.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,287 | 17.37% | 2,184 | 29.48% | 3,937 | 53.15% |
| 1952 | 5,166 | 46.90% | 5,850 | 53.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 5,788 | 51.75% | 4,831 | 43.19% | 566 | 5.06% |
| 1960 | 3,285 | 22.89% | 6,648 | 46.32% | 4,418 | 30.79% |
| 1964 | 9,732 | 57.79% | 7,109 | 42.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,907 | 13.86% | 4,983 | 23.75% | 13,088 | 62.39% |
| 1972 | 11,607 | 62.89% | 5,227 | 28.32% | 1,623 | 8.79% |
| 1976 | 9,242 | 38.02% | 14,432 | 59.36% | 637 | 2.62% |
| 1980 | 15,187 | 48.46% | 15,272 | 48.73% | 883 | 2.82% |
| 1984 | 19,580 | 60.10% | 12,799 | 39.29% | 200 | 0.61% |
| 1988 | 16,669 | 54.32% | 13,527 | 44.08% | 492 | 1.60% |
| 1992 | 14,128 | 41.26% | 15,194 | 44.37% | 4,923 | 14.38% |
| 1996 | 15,517 | 41.28% | 18,617 | 49.53% | 3,457 | 9.20% |
| 2000 | 20,421 | 54.96% | 15,843 | 42.64% | 891 | 2.40% |
| 2004 | 26,181 | 62.14% | 15,345 | 36.42% | 609 | 1.45% |
| 2008 | 31,434 | 64.68% | 16,438 | 33.82% | 730 | 1.50% |
| 2012 | 31,590 | 63.06% | 17,722 | 35.37% | 787 | 1.57% |
| 2016 | 33,959 | 64.79% | 16,878 | 32.20% | 1,579 | 3.01% |
| 2020 | 37,806 | 65.57% | 18,887 | 32.76% | 968 | 1.68% |
| 2024 | 37,500 | 68.05% | 16,886 | 30.64% | 718 | 1.30% |
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office is headquartered inHammond.[31] The Sheriff's office was excluded from aDEA task force in 2016 after theJustice Department charged two deputies with stealing money and drugs seized in raids.[32]
The parish is served by theTangipahoa Parish School System.[33]Southeastern Louisiana University is located inHammond.
On seven occasions, theAmerican 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.[34]
The elected school board governs and oversees the Tangipahoa Parish School System (TPSS). 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.[35]
The parish is home to the204th Theater Airfield Operations Group and the Forward Support Company of the 205th Engineer Battalion. This 205th Engineer Battalion is a component of the225th Engineer Brigade of theLouisiana National Guard. These units reside within the city ofHammond. A detachment of the 1021st Engineer Company (Vertical) resides inIndependence, Louisiana. The236th Combat Communications Squadron of theLouisiana Air National Guard also resides at the Hammond Airport.
Amtrak's dailyCity 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.[36]
The historic main line of theIllinois Central that carries freight through the parish is now part ofCN. It continues to be busy.
Interstate 12
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Louisiana Highway 3234Bardwell 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."
Places adjacent to Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana | |
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Municipalities and communities ofTangipahoa Parish, Louisiana,United States | ||
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30°37′36″N90°24′20″W / 30.62665°N 90.40568°W /30.62665; -90.40568
