Pearl River, LA
| Pearl River, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Pearl River Municipal Complex
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| Motto(s): Home of the Honey Island Swamp | |
 Location of Pearl River in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. |
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.svg) Location of Louisiana in the United States |
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| Coordinates: 30°22′16″N 89°45′04″W / 30.37111°N 89.75111°WCoordinates: 30°22′16″N 89°45′04″W / 30.37111°N 89.75111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | St. Tammany |
| Incorporation (Village) | May 24, 1906 |
| Town | 1964 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | David McQueen (2014-present) (R) |
| • Chief of Police | J.J. Jennings (2014-present) (R) |
| • Alderwoman | Bridgett Yates Bennett (2014-present) (R) |
| • Alderwoman | Kathryn Walsh |
| • Alderman | Virgil R. Phillips |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.76 sq mi (9.74 km2) |
| • Land | 3.69 sq mi (9.54 km2) |
| • Water | 0.07 sq mi (0.19 km2) |
| Elevation | 26 ft (8 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,506 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 2,552 |
| • Density | 692.54/sq mi (267.41/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 985 |
| FIPS code | 22-59445 |
Pearl River is a town in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,432 at the 2010 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Pearl River is located at 30°22′16″N 89°45′4″W / 30.37111°N 89.75111°W (30.371096, -89.751139).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2), of which 3.5 square miles (9.0 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 2.27%, is water.
The community that is today Pearl River was originally known as Halloo, a moniker it reputedly garnered from loggers yelling to one another as they labored along the nearby Pearl River. The town was founded in 1859. Early Halloo was a small railroad town, located at the junction of the Northeastern and Poitevent and Favre's East Louisiana Railroads. In 1886 a train station was constructed at the site, and two years later Samuel Russ Poitevent (June 4, 1852 - June 3, 1904), established the first store in the village. The community's name was first changed from Halloo (1859) to Pearl (1878), later to Pearlville (1881), and eventually Pearl River, in 1888, after the train station built in the town.
On July 13, 1898, the 200 citizens of Pearl River voted to petition the state of Louisiana for incorporation as the "Village of Pearl River", a request which was granted nearly a decade later, on May 24, 1906, by governor Newton Crain Blanchard, with G.W. Fuller as the first mayor. The village slowly modernized over the course of the next half century, acquiring the land for a courthouse in 1935 and a town hall ten years later. Pearl River Junior High was opened in 1963, but the building was made into a police training academy in 2005. In 1964, the village insignia was replaced, as the newly minted "town" laid claim to 1,500 residents, a designation that lives on today, in the town of about 2,500. In 1968 Pearl River High School was established on Taylor Drive. School Board Members Robert Harper and Sigvart Halvorsen were responsible for establishing the school. Mr. Rowley as principal. The school is now a major success with over 700 students total. Mr. Mike Winkler is the current principal. Mr. James "Jim" Lavigne served as Mayor of Pearl River from 1992 to 2014. Mr. Lavigne served as Mayor longer than anyone in Pearl River before. He lost the mayoral election in November 2014 to David McQueen. J.J. Jennings is the current Chief of Police; he was elected in November 2014, ending Bennie Raynor's long running position for the spot. Raynor, who was elected Pearl River Chief of Police in November 1982, held the position for 32 consecutive years. Raynor, decided to retire during the elections.
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