ZIP Code 70401

Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. Its population was 20,019 in the 2010 U.S. census, and 21,359 at the 2020 population estimates program. The city is named for Peter Hammond (1798-1870), the surname anglicized from Peter av Hammerdal (Peter of Hammerdal) a Swedish immigrant who first settled the area around 1818. During the Civil War, the city was a shoe-making center for the Confederate States Army. It later became a shipping point for strawberries, so a plaque downtown gave it the title of "Strawberry Capital of America" During World War II, the Hammond Airport (now Hammond Northshore Regional Airport) served as a detention camp for prisoners of war from Nazi Germany. Today, Hammond is intersected by Interstates 12 and 55. Its airport has a long runway which serves as a backup landing site for Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. It is the home base for the Louisiana Army National Guard's 236th Combat Communications Squadron. About 15 mi (24 km) south of the city, on the railroad and I55, lies Port Manchac, which provides e-rail-air-rail transportation to a Gulf of Mexico port. Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond offers the state's only academic degree in supply chain management. This is one of the destinations on the African American Heritage Trail of the Louisiana American Heritage Museum, which is located in the city.

History

The city is named for Peter Hammond (1798-1870), the surname anglicized from Peter av Hammerdal (Peter of Hammerdal) a Swedish immigrant who first settled the area around 1818. In 1854, the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad (later the Illinois Central Railroad, now Canadian National Railway) came through the area, launching the town's emergence as a commercial and transport center. By the end of the 19th century, Hammond had become a stopping point for northern rail passengers traveling south and for New Orleanians heading north to escape summer yellow fever outbreaks. The city later became a shipping point for strawberries, so a plaque downtown gave it the title of "Strawberry Capital of America" The city was the home base for the first season of the NBC television series In the Heat of the Night, starring O'Connor Carroll. During World War II, the Hammond Airport (now Hammond Northshore Regional Airport) served as a detention camp for prisoners of war from Nazi Germany. Today, Hammond is intersected by Interstates 12 and 55. Its airport has a long runway which serves as a backup landing site for Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. It is also a major training site for the Louisiana Army National Guard, as well as the home Base of the Louisiana Air National Guard's 236th Combat Communications Squadron. About 15 mi (24 km) south of the city, on both the railroad and I55, lies Port Manchac, which provides egress via Lake Pontchartrain with the Gulf of Mexico.

Geography

Hammond is located at 30°3016N 90°2756W (30.504446, -90.465616) and has an elevation of 43 feet (13.1 m) According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.8 square miles (33 km²) The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. Hammond has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps. The city is located on the U.S.-Mexico border and has a population of 2,816. The U.N. World Meteorological Agency has declared Hammond a "major hurricane hazard" in the summer of 2013. The National Weather Service has declared the city a major hurricane hazard in the winter of 2013 and 2014. It is the only city in the state of New Mexico that has been declared a major hurricanes hazard in 2013 or 2014. The United States Geological Survey has listed Hammond as a major Hurricane Hazard in the past. It has been listed as such since the 1970s. The town is located near the junction of Interstate 70 and Interstate 80. It was the site of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in 1881 and 1882. The Battle was the deadliest battle in the history of the state, with more than 1,000 people killed. It also was the scene of the first recorded atomic bomb blast, which occurred in 1883. The area is known for its hot, dry summers and mild winters.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 19,584 people, 6,871 households, and 3,972 families residing in the city. The city's population is expected to rise to 20,000 by the mid-2020s. The population of the city is projected to reach 20,500 by the end of the 20th century. It is the largest city in the state with a population of more than 19,000. It also has the highest population growth rate of any city in New York state, at 2.7% in the last 10 years. It has the second highest population density in the United States, behind New York City, at 1.8% of the total population. It was the first city to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It received the nation's first post-bellum grant in 1881, and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1883. It became the city's name in 1894. It had its own post office for the first time in 1891, and the city was named after a former postmaster. In 1894, it became a city of the same name, with a post office located in the town center. The town's name was first used in 1805, when it was named for the town's founder, William "Willie" Witherspoon. The name was later changed to "Willy Withers" in 1808, when the town was first incorporated.

Education

Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU), based in Hammond, is one of the state's regional universities. The city's public schools are part of the Tangipahoa Parish School System. The Catholic Church operates two schools in Hammond: Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, which is just north of the city, and Holy Ghost Catholic School. Trafton Academy (pre-K through 8th) and Oaks Montessori School are private schools serving area students. In 2018, press reports indicated that only 74% of the local population held high school diplomas. In this respect, Hammond ranks among the bottom 25 cities nationally and is comparable to Salem, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona. With only 20% of people having a college degree, the city was in the bottom quarter nationwide in this ranking too. It is also home to Northshore Technical Community College, which was established in 1925 through the efforts of the educator Linus A. Sims, then principal of Hammond High School. It was the first community college in the state of Louisiana and is now the largest employer in the city. It has an enrollment of about 2,000 students. It also has an alumni base of about 3,000. The university has an endowment of more than $1.5 million. The school system has an annual budget of about $100 million. In 2013, the school system had an operating budget of $8.2 million. It had an annual enrollment of around 2,500 students.

Sports and recreation

The Southeastern Louisiana Lions sports teams use multiple venues in Hammond. Chappapeela Sports Park hosts American football, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, softball and volleyball. The Lions are a member of the Southeastern Conference and play in the National Football League. The team is based in Shreveport, Louisiana, and has a team of about 1,000 players. The stadium is located on the campus of the Louisiana Institute of Technology, which has a campus of about 2,000 students. It is also home to the Louisiana Tech Lions football team, which plays in the N.C. State Series. The school also has a number of other sports teams, including lacrosse and soccer, which play at the same stadium. It also hosts the Louisiana High School All-Star Game, which is held every year in the town. The town also hosts numerous other sports events, including the Louisiana State Invitational and Louisiana State Junior and Varsity Lacrosse Championships, which are held in the summer. The city also has its own Little League team, the Hammond Lions, which competes in the state championship game every year. It was founded in 1883 and was named after the town of Hammond, Louisiana.

Government and infrastructure

The Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice operates the Hammond Office in Hammond. The U.S. Postal Service runs the Hammond Post Office. The Hammond area is home to the Hammond High School football team. The high school's football team won the state championship in 2010. The school's cheerleading squad won the district championship in 2011. The football team also won the Louisiana State Championship in 2012. The state's basketball team finished second in the state in the 2010-11 season. The team won its first state title in the 2006-07 season. It won its second state championship the 2012-13 season in the 2014-15 season.

Law enforcement and crime

Hammond has suffered from exceptionally high crime rates for many years. Not only has Louisiana been ranked #1 most violent state in the United States, but Hammond is ranked the most violent city in all Louisiana per capita. The city's uniform crime reporting statistics are available on the FBI UCR website. The Hammond Police Department is headquartered at 120 S Oak St. The police force responsible for all property owned by SLU is called the SLU Police Department. The 7th Ward City Court Marshal's Office is the city court marshal for the city of Hammond. The Louisiana State Police (LSP) is the state police force for the parish of Tangipahoa. The state police are responsible for the protection of the citizens of the state of Louisiana. The UCR reports that Hammond has the highest crime rate in the state. The crime rate is higher than the UCR average for all of Louisiana, but lower than the state average for the state as a whole. The FBI reports that the city has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation, with the city's crime rate less than the national average. The average UCR crime rate for all Louisiana cities is lower than that of all of the U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with a crime rate of less than 1.5 per cent. The most violent cities in Louisiana are Lafayette and Shreveport. The highest crime rates are found in New Orleans and New Orleans, with an average of 1.7 per cent for the two cities.

Health care

North Oaks Medical Center is on U.S. Route 51 Business between Hammond and Ponchatoula. North Oaks is one of the largest hospitals in Louisiana and helps serve the teaching needs of Southeastern Louisiana University's College of Nursing & Health Sciences. The hospital is located on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Hammond, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana = 54.1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 28. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Hammond = 5.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 19,584 individuals with a median age of 29.5 age the population grows by 13.11% in Hammond, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,374.22 residents per square mile of area (530.59/km²). There are average 2.49 people per household in the 7,133 households with an average household income of $27,105 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.80% of the available work force and has dropped -6.45% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 19.30%. The number of physicians in Hammond per 100,000 population = 101.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Hammond = 63.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 107. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 215. 93 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 39.3 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 23, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Hammond, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana which are owned by the occupant = 45.39%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 29 years with median home cost = $177,210 and home appreciation of -0.15%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $2.33 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,280 per student. There are 17.4 students for each teacher in the school, 672 students for each Librarian and 274 students for each Counselor. 1.52% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 15.53% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 10.68% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).