Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 United States Census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000.http://www.slidell.la.us/files/AnnualReportFY2005.pdf It is part of the New Orleans, Louisiana-Metairie, Louisiana-Kenner, Louisiana New Orleans metropolitan area.

History
=Beginning=
Slidell was founded on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in 1882 and 1883 during construction of the New Orleans and Northeastern...

Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 United States Census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000.http://www.slidell.la.us/files/AnnualReportFY2005.pdf It is part of the New Orleans, Louisiana-Metairie, Louisiana-Kenner, Louisiana New Orleans metropolitan area.

History
=Beginning=
Slidell was founded on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in 1882 and 1883 during construction of the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad (N.O.N.E.). Slidell museum brochure] The N.O.N.E. line connected New Orleans to Meridian, Mississippi. The town was named in honor of American politician John Slidell, and officially chartered by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1888.

=Twentieth Century=
Around 1910, Slidell began a period of economic and industrial growth. A large creosote plant was built, and Slidell became home to St Joe s, a major producer of bricks. A lumber mill and shipyard were also built. Following the construction of Interstate 10 in Louisiana, Interstate 59 in Louisiana and Interstate 12 in Louisiana, Slidell became a major Crossroads (culture) for those traversing the Gulf States.

In 1915 the creosote plant burned to the ground killing 55 workers and 3 firefighters. The plant was rebuilt on Bayou Lane, closer to a water source and closer to a fire station. Eventually, creosote polluted the bayou which was a source of drinking water for many of Slidell's residents. The creosote plant was abandoned in 1986 and then became an Superfund. The canal was dredged and waste incinerated until completion of the cleanup in 1996. At that time a boat launch was built and Heritage Park was constructed on the former site.

With the advent of the U.S. space program in the 1960s, NASA opened the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, the John C. Stennis Space Center in nearby Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and a NASA computer center on Gause Boulevard. This nearly tripled Slidell's population over a period of ten years, and the city became a major suburb of New Orleans. Slidell is also the location of the National Weather Service forecast office for greater New Orleans.