Mandeville Information

Mandeville, located in the famous Ozone Belt of Louisiana, is located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, a convenient 40 minute drive from the heart of New Orleans. Mandeville is one of the larger municipal communities of St. Tammany Parish, whose strategic location affords Mandeville residents and businesses the benefits of the New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner Metro area, as well as the Gulf-South region by commuting across Lake Pontchartrain on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Mandeville is one of Louisiana's fastest growing communities, yet provides its residents a small-town feel and big-city opportunities. St. Tammany Parish has a flourishing business community and has been recognized by the state of Louisiana for the high quality of its school systems. Mandeville is close to all of the attractions and excitement of New Orleans, but maintains a quiet lifestyle and an independent charm of its own. The Mandeville area was originally agricultural land and was charted as a township by developer Bernard Xavier de Marigny de Mandeville (Bernard de Marigny), in 1834. Mandeville, whose name originates in the villages of Normandy, France who bear the same name, derives their nomenclature from the French term, Magna Villa, meaning "big farm". By 1840, Mandeville was incorporated as a town and had achieved the status of a popular summer destination for tourists from abroad and affluent New Orleanians who wanted to escape the city's summer heat. Regular daily steamboat traffic from New Orleans elevated Mandeville's status as a popular weekend getaway and broadened its availability as such to those from a wider spectrum of social classes. As such, Mandeville became one of the first towns outside of New Orleans to incorporate jazz music into their cultural identity and history. The U.S. space program of the 1960s brought NASA's lunar landing program to three locations near Mandeville: the NASA computer center on Slidell's Gause Boulevard, Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the John C. Stennis Space Center in nearby Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. These new constructions brought additional tourism and an unprecedented number of technical jobs to the Mandeville area, increasing the city's growth and bringing it firmly into the ranks of the major suburbs of New Orleans.

Located within 40 minutes from most major New Orleans attractions, such as the Superdome, French Quarter and the city's famous Mardi Gras celebrations, Mandeville residents have all the excitement of the big city close at hand, but live in a community without the stresses and inconveniences of big-city living. Geographically separate from the city by Lake Ponchartrain, the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway—which is the world's longest bridge—offers Mandeville residents an escape from the problems of large metropolitan areas without isolating them from the city's amenities, allowing Mandeville to maintain its unique identity and laid-back lifestyle. Lake Ponchartrain, an estuary, supports a diverse ecosystem of lakes, rivers, bayous, forest, swamp and marshes in the region, making Mandeville a paradise for nature enthusiasts and lovers of the great outdoors. Favorite local activities include fishing, hunting, shrimping, crabbing, crawfishing, boating, swimming, and camping, with no shortage of idyllic locations to choose from. Fontainebleau State Park boasts classic Louisiana scenery, which is best observed during one of the many guided boat swamp tours offered locally. Explorers can also opt to observe the resident and migratory wildlife, which include alligators, black bear, raccoons, deer, beaver, nutria, bald eagles, waterfowl, herons, mink, turtles, and the Louisiana state bird, the pelican, at their leisure. The Seven Sisters Oak, which is the largest certified southern live oak tree, is proudly found in Mandeville as well. In addition to the abundant natural beauty, Mandeville also features a bustling arts community, historic districts and plenty of leisure activities and destinations to choose from, including the historic buildings of early jazz history Ruby's Roadhouse and the Dew Drop Social and Benevolent Hall, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lake Shore Drive, Mandeville's lakefront historic district, features an array of shops, business and restaurants, as well as numerous fine examples of historic architecture and majestic oaks. Other attractions within easy distance of Mandeville include Abita Springs & Brewery, Honey Island Swamp, Slidell Museum, Tammany Trace, Madisonville Lighthouse, Global Wildlife Center, Bayou Lacombe Museum, Fort Pike, Bogue Falaya Park and Fairview-Riverside State Park. Mandeville, Louisiana offers its citizens world-class educational and employment opportunities, combined with an affordable cost of living and a casual suburban lifestyle. Families, professionals and retirees find Mandeville ideal and enjoy the unique history, flavors and recreational opportunities of its semi-rural lifestyle.