Kentwood, Louisiana

Kentwood is a rural town in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana near the Mississippi border. The population was 2,205 at the 2000 census.

Water from Kentwood is bottled and popularly marketed in New Orleans under the Kentwood Springs label. Kentwood is also known as "The Dairy Capital of the South." It has an annual festival in November (moved from June due to high temperatures) with a parade, music, and miscellaneous items for sale. However, Kentwood is best known for being the hometown of pop singer Britney Spears and actress Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney's younger sister.

Kentwood was left with down power lines and trees due to Hurricane Katrina. However, the power was restored within a couple of weeks.

History

Founded by Amos Kent in 1893.

Geography

Location of Kentwood, Louisiana

Kentwood is located at 30°56′10″N 90°30′55″W (30.936116, -90.515389)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.9 km² (6.9 mi²). 17.9 km² (6.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.14% is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 2,205 people, 850 households, and 559 families residing in the town. The population density was 123.0/km² (318.4/mi²). There were 979 housing units at an average density of 54.6/km² (141.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 34.42% White, 64.85% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.

There were 850 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% were married couples living together, 28.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $17,297, and the median income for a family was $23,889. Males had a median income of $25,583 versus $15,200 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,171. About 29.5% of families and 37.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.2% of those under age 18 and 32.5% of those age 65 or over.

External link

• Kentwood Museum
• Kentwood Community Development