PARISH PROFILE
GIS Planning estimates that there are over 3,000 retail establishments in St. Tammany Parish.
Throughout St. Tammany, you can enjoy strolling and shopping at antique shops, gift shops, and art galleries. Don’t miss an opportunity to stop by the farmers markets held in multiple areas each week to stock up on fresh produce, local delicacies and support local artisans.
There also are a number of shopping centers with a variety of retailers. Slidell offers Fremaux Town Center – a newly constructed outdoor shopping mall – with a variety of retail and dining options. Covington is home to Nord du Lac and River Chase shopping centers. Mandeville offers Premier Shopping Centers 1 and 2.
St. Tammany Parish and its municipalities often appear in online rankings for the safest places to live in Louisiana.
In 2015, total crimes reported in St. Tammany Parish were the second lowest over a five-year period.
Overall, violent crime was down with a 2% decrease from 2014’s already low numbers.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office violent crime solve rate was more than 90%. The non-violent solve rate was 38%, and the overall solve rate for 2015 was 55%. The national average for solve rates of violent and non-violent crimes are approximately 47% and 20%, respectively.
In 2014, crime in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish decreased 16% from the previous year. It was the second year in a row with a double-digit drop in the parish crime rate. The overall solve rate was 61%. The total number of violent crimes in St. Tammany Parish had dropped nearly 46% over the previous five years.
In 2014, Slidell experienced a 10-year low in crime that included a 27.5% drop in violent crime and an 11.4% drop in property crime from 2013.
St. Tammany offers a variety of housing options, including apartment rentals, condominiums, town homes, and single-family homes. 78% of residents own their homes, while 22% rent. Residents live in gated communities, on the waterfront with boat launch access, and in high-end, sprawling estates. All housing opportunities are available across the parish in convenient locations. The average rent in St. Tammany for a 2-bedroom apartment is more than $1,200. The average sales price for a home is almost $260,000.
St. Tammany Parish is renowned by outdoor enthusiasts and sportsmen for its 26 parks, nature trails, bike paths, playgrounds and sports complexes, including:
Tammany Trace
This 31-mile rails-to-trails conversion meanders through lovely wooded areas and links five St. Tammany towns, permitting runners, walkers, cyclers, and even equestrians.
Fontainebleau State Park
This historic park offers 2,800 acres with beautiful cabins built over Lake Pontchartrain, 130 improved campsites, 180 unimproved campsites, several nature trails, three group camps, a lodge, a sandy beach, a playground and the ruins of an 1829 sugar mill situated among towering oaks.
Fairview-Riverside State Park
Located on the Tchefuncte River, Fairview-Riverside State Park offers the Historic Otis House Museum, 22 premium campsites, 59 improved campsites and 20 unimproved campsites where guests can fish and have picnics.
Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge
Federal wildlife refuge on 15,000 acres of pine flatwoods and coastal marsh.
Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge
36,000-acres of the Pearl River Basin.
Northlake Nature Center
A nature preserve with a boardwalk, children’s programs and nature activities, located on 400 acres of ancient pines and hardwood forest along Bayou Castine. Hosts the annual Great Louisiana Birdfest.
St. Tammany Parish is home to eight public and private golf courses. These include: Abita Springs Golf and Country Club; Beau Chene Country Club; Covington Country Club; Money Hill Golf and Country Club; Oak Harbor Golf Club; Pinewood Golf Club; Royal Golf Club; and Tchefuncta Country Club. All courses offer 18 holes.
Located between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, St. Tammany Parish is the ideal home for fans of both the New Orleans Saints professional football team and the Louisiana State University Tigers collegiate football team. Both teams enjoy a dedicated regional and national fan base.
For fans of professional basketball, the New Orleans Pelicans franchise calls New Orleans home.
Other collegiate sports teams in the region include the Southeastern Louisiana University Lions football and baseball teams, the Tulane University Green Wave football and baseball teams, and the University of New Orleans Privateers basketball and baseball teams.
In addition to the impressive regional offerings such as the National WWII Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, St. Tammany Parish is home to 12 historic sites and museums, including:
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum
Explore the area’s rich maritime history up-close via detailed exhibits, boat models, boat-building classes and the very popular Wooden Boat Festival in October. The maritime museum is located on the banks of the Tchefuncte River.
H.J. Smith’s Son General Store and Museum
Family owned and operated since 1876, this museum houses hundreds of items from 1870 through the early 1900s, including a 20-foot-long cypress dugout boat, a cast iron casket, old farming tools, a 1920s gas pump, a hand-operated wooden washing machine and much more.
Otis House Museum
This late 19th-century Queen Anne-style home of a lumber baron offers guided tours, exposing guests to photographs and memorabilia from the era. The home is located on the grounds of Fairview-Riverside State Park and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Saint Joseph Abbey
Benedictine monastery founded in 1889.
Slidell Museum and Slidell Mardi Gras Museum
Located in the old town jail, the museum displays two floors of photographs, collections and memorabilia on the history of Slidell. The newest addition is the Mardi Gras Museum, which houses a collection of over 800 pieces of Carnival memorabilia including dresses, costumes, scepters, goblets, throws and historical scrapbooks of past kings and queens.
GIS Planning estimates that there are almost 600 restaurants in St. Tammany Parish.
As one of the most populous parishes in Louisiana—a diverse area rich in culinary heritage and flavor—St. Tammany Parish satisfies and enthralls gourmands. With po-boys, fried and boiled seafood, jambalaya, gumbo, muffulettas, and all the other local cuisines, St. Tammany’s world-class and home-grown restaurants offer a wide range of fine and casual dining experiences across the parish.