| Pearl River, Louisiana | |
| Official Name: | Town of Pearl River |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Motto: | Home of the Honey Island Swamp |
| Image Map1: | Louisiana in United States (US48).svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Louisiana in the United States |
| Coordinates: | 30.3711°N -89.7511°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Louisiana |
| Subdivision Type2: | Parish |
| Subdivision Name2: | St. Tammany |
| Established Title: | Incorporation (Village) |
| Established Date: | May 24, 1906 |
| Established Title1: | Town |
| Established Date1: | 1964 |
| Leader Party: | Republican |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | David McQueen (R) (Reelected 2018) |
| Leader Title1: | Chief of Police |
| Leader Name1: | Jack Sessions (R) (Elected 2018) |
| Leader Title2: | Alderwoman |
| Leader Name2: | Bridgett Yates Bennett (2014–present) (R) |
| Leader Title3: | Alderwoman |
| Leader Name3: | Angel Galloway (I) |
| Leader Title4: | Alderman |
| Leader Name4: | Joe D. Lee (R) |
| Leader Title5: | Alderwoman |
| Leader Name5: | Kathryn "Kat" Walsh (R) |
| Leader Title6: | Alderman |
| Leader Name6: | David McGregor (R) |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 9.86 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.81 |
| Area Land Km2: | 9.67 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 3.73 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.19 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.07 |
| Elevation Ft: | 26 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 2565 |
| Population Density Km2: | 265.20 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 686.93 |
| Timezone1: | CST |
| Utc Offset1: | −06:00 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | −05:00 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 70452[2] |
| Area Code: | 985 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 22-59445 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Wikimedia Commons |
Pearl River is a town in St. Tammany Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 2,506 at the 2010 U.S. census,[3] and 2,618 at the 2020 population estimates program.[4] It is part of the New Orleans - Metairie - Kenner metropolitan statistical area.
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.
Pearl River is located at (30.371096, -89.751139), in southern Louisiana in the Greater New Orleans area.[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.3sqkm, of which 9sqkm is land and 0.2sqkm, or 2.27%, is water.[6]
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 2,131 | 83.08% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 76 | 2.96% | |
| Native American | 12 | 0.47% | |
| Asian | 14 | 0.55% | |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.12% | |
| Other/Mixed | 155 | 6.04% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 174 | 6.78% |
Residents are zoned to St. Tammany Parish Public Schools schools.
Riverside was first opened in 1987 and originally only had grades PreK through 3rd grade. Mrs. Mary Lou Jordan served as Principal of the school from 1994 until her retirement in June 2018. Mrs. Jordan started at Riverside its opening year as a second grade teacher. Mrs. Patti Holden was given the title of Principal following Mrs. Jordan's retirement.
Creekside was opened in 2003 when the town decided to turn Pearl River Junior High into a police training academy. Lisa Virga has been the principal since 2006. Adam Barrois has served as the Vice Principal since 2011.
Pearl River High School was first opened in 1968 with Robert Harper and Sigvart Halvorsen, School Board Members responsible for establishing the school. Mr. E.W. Rowley served as principal until 1982. And PRHS would see 5 more principals through its time. Mr. Michael "Mike" Winkler has served as principal since 2000. Linda Fussell has been a vice president since 2011. Clark Hershey has been the other vice principal since 2016.
On the 2023 TV series Night Court, District Attorney Dan Fielding returns to his hometown of Pearl River to become a judge in the final episode of the first season.
