Slidell

History

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. Slidell was founded on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in 1882 and 1883 during construction of the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad (N.O.N.E.). The N.O.N.E. line connected New Orleans to Meridian, Mississippi. The town was named in honor of American politician and Confederate ambassador to France John Slidell, and officially chartered by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1888. 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. 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. With the…

Geography

Slidell is located at (30.279040, -89.777744), and has an elevation of . It is in southeastern St. Tammany Parish, located approximately 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 , of which is land and , or 2.39%, is water. 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. Hurricanes pose a threat to the area, and the city is vulnerable because of its low elevation.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Slidell High School
  High · Slidell · 1,883 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• Northshore High School
  High · Slidell · 1,681 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Salmen High School
  High · Slidell · 1,216 students · 21:1 ratio
• W.L. Abney Elementary School
  Elementary · Slidell · 1,094 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• Little Oak Middle School
  Middle · Slidell · 929 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• Henry Mayfield Elementary School
  Elementary · Slidell · 832 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Pearl River High School
  High · Pearl River · 830 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Slidell Junior High School
  Middle · Slidell · 823 students · 21.7:1 ratio