Covington, Louisiana
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Covington is a city located in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, of which it is the parish seat. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,483.
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History
Earliest known settlement by Europeans was in 1800 by Jacques Dreux. In 1813 John Wharton Collins established a town here with the name of Wharton.
The city was renamed after General Leonard Covington, a hero of the War of 1812.
Commerce was brought here by boat up the Boge Falaya, which connects to Lake Pontchartrain.
In 1888 the railroad came to town.
In the late 20th century many people who worked in New Orleans started living in Covington, commuting across Lake Pontchartrain on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Population continues to grow, bringing Covington ever more into the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area.
Geography
LAMap-doton-Covington.png
Location of Covington, Louisiana
Covington is located at 30°28'44" North, 90°6'15" West (30.479002, -90.104029)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.9 km² (6.9 mi²). 17.6 km² (6.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.45% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 8,483 people, 3,258 households, and 2,212 families residing in the city. The population density is 481.7/km² (1,248.0/mi²). There are 3,565 housing units at an average density of 202.4/km² (524.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 77.45% White, 20.17% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. 1.56% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,258 households out of which 33.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% are married couples living together, 17.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% are non-families. 27.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.52 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $36,949, and the median income for a family is $50,332. Males have a median income of $36,434 versus $23,859 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,438. 16.1% of the population and 11.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.5% of those under the age of 18 and 17.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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