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Kentwood, Louisiana


FieldValue
nameKentwood, Louisiana
official_nameTown of Kentwood
settlement_typeTown
image_skyline2015-05-07_Kentwood_Day_of_Prayer_landscape_DSC_0216.jpg
image_captionKentwood residents observe a noontide Day of Prayer in front of the Town Hall in 2015
motto"The Foyer of Louisiana"
image_mapFile:Tangipahoa Parish Louisiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Kentwood Highlighted.svg
map_captionLocation of Kentwood in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.
image_map1Louisiana in United States (US48).svg
map_caption1Location of Louisiana in the United States
coordinates
coordinates_footnotes
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameUnited States
subdivision_type1State
subdivision_name1Louisiana
subdivision_type2Parish
subdivision_name2Tangipahoa
established_titleFounded
established_date1893
leader_titleMayor
unit_prefImperial
area_footnotes
area_total_km218.42
area_total_sq_mi7.11
area_land_km218.42
area_land_sq_mi7.11
area_water_km20.01
area_water_sq_mi0.00
elevation_footnotes
elevation_ft223
population_as_of2020
population_total2145
population_density_km2116.48
population_density_sq_mi301.69
timezone1CST
utc_offset1−06:00
timezone1_DSTCDT
utc_offset1_DST−05:00
postal_code_typeZIP code
postal_code70444
area_code985
blank_nameFIPS code
blank_info22-39545
blank1_nameGNIS feature ID
blank1_info2405939

Kentwood is a rural town in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States, near the Mississippi state line. The population was 2,198 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hammond MSA. Kentwood is best known as the hometown of singer Britney Spears.

History

Amos Kent assisted in laying out the town. The Postmaster named the town in honor of Kent on February 29, 1888.

On August 30, 2012, damage was caused by pressure on the 2,300 foot Percy Quin dam, a dam on the Tangipahoa River north of Kentwood, as a result of Hurricane Isaac, led to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal calling for a mandatory evacuation of the town due to fears of large-scale flooding from Lake Tangipahoa. The evacuation order, which was amended twice, was later rescinded as the dam held. The lake was drawn down so repairs could be made.

The 490-acre Lake Tangipahoa, which opened in 1939 and is located six miles south of McComb, Mississippi, was reopened in 2016. Repairs had been completed in 2014 and the lake restocked.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.9 sqmi, of which 6.9 sqmi is land and 0.14% is water.

Demographics

RaceNumberPercentageWhite (non-Hispanic)Black or African American (non-Hispanic)Native AmericanAsianOther/MixedHispanic or Latino
41419.3%
1,64276.55%
10.05%
40.19%
602.8%
241.12%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,145 people, 771 households, and 421 families residing in the town.

Education

Tangipahoa Parish School Board operates public schools:

  • Kentwood High Magnet School (7-12)
  • O. W. Dillon Memorial Elementary School (K-6)
  • Chesbrough Elementary (K-5)
  • Spring Creek Elementary (K-5)
  • Jewel M. Sumner Middle and High School

Notable people

  • Roger Ballard, country music singer-songwriter
  • Little Brother Montgomery (1906–85), jazz pianist
  • Clay Shaw (1913–74), New Orleans businessman and the only person prosecuted in connection with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He was acquitted.
  • Paul Gayten (1920-1991), R&B pianist, songwriter, record producer
  • Jackie Smith (born 1940), National Football League tight end and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
  • Collis Temple (born 1952), first African-American athlete at Louisiana State University
  • Stacy Head (born 1969), New Orleans elected official born in nearby Greensburg but associated with Kentwood
  • Michael "Mike" Jackson (1969–2017), former National Football League wide receiver
  • Ann Alexander Smith, Louisiana educator
  • Britney Spears (born 1981), singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress

References

References

  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
  2. (2023). "Kentwood LA ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com.
  3. {{GNIS. 2405939
  4. "Kentwood History".
  5. (August 31, 2012). "Percy Quin's Lake Tangipahoa drained after Tropical Storm Isaac".
  6. "Lake Tangipahoa (Percy Quin State Park)".
  7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
  8. "Explore Census Data".
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This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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