by Alana A. Carmon

The youngest of the Florida Parishes, Tangipahoa was established in 1869. St. Helena, St. Tammany, Livingston, and Washington Parishes all contributed territory to its formation.

The area’s early settlers emigrated from South Carolina and Georgia in the late eighteenth century. During the nineteenth century, particularly after the Civil War, many northerners were attracted by the mild climate and rich pinelands and settled Tangipahoa in sizeable numbers. Hence, the parish is a blending of several cultures: English, Scottish, Irish, and Italian. Immigrants of Italian ancestry introduced strawberries, a crop that has earned Hammond the title of "Strawberry Capital of the World." Tangipahoa’s economy is also based on truck farming, dairy farming, and the forestry industry.

Also known as the "Festival Capital of Louisiana," Tangipahoa Parish hosts many festivals throughout the year celebrating agriculture and local culture. Some of the celebrations include the annual Strawberry, Alligator, Oyster and Dairy festivals; Old Farmer's Day; Octoberfest; and the Italian and Black Heritage festivals. Louisiana Civil War history is kept alive at the Camp Moore Confederate Museum, the site of a training station during the war. Wilderness also abounds in Tangipahoa, with a 1000-foot swamp walk at Manchac Swamp, an alligator farm, and a 900-acre exotic animal safari.