Ponchatoula
| Ponchatoula | |||
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| Nickname : Strawberry Capital of the World | |||
 Ponchatoula during the Strawberry Festival, 2007 |
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| Location in Louisiana | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | 1820 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | Louisiana | ||
| Parish : | Tangipahoa Parish | ||
| Coordinates : | 30 ° 26 ′ N , 90 ° 27 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) | ||
| Residents : | 5,180 (as of: 2000) | ||
| Population density : | 475.2 inhabitants per km 2 | ||
| Area : | 10.9 km 2 (approx. 4 mi 2 ) of which 10.9 km 2 (approx. 4 mi 2 ) is land |
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| Height : | 8 m | ||
| Postal code : | 70454 | ||
| Website : | www.ponchatoula.com | ||
| Mayor : | Bob Zabbia | ||
Ponchatoula is a small city in Tangipahoa Parish in US -amerikanischen State Louisiana . It's located on Interstate 55 and Louisiana Highway 22, pretty much between New Orleans and Baton Rouge . The nickname is "The Strawberry Capital" or "Strawberry Capital of The World". For a long time from 1900 onwards, strawberries were the top product of regional agriculture. The name Ponchatoula is of Indian origin and means something like "flowing hair". That refers to the beauty of the landscape, especially the trees.
history
Ponchatoula was founded in 1820 as a logging camp. Until around 1900 the timber industry was the dominant form of economy. After that there was an increasing switch to agriculture . Strawberries were the main agricultural product. In the 1980s, tourism became the leading industry.
Only since the advent of tourism has a "strawberry festival" been celebrated every year in April. The Strawberry Festival is the largest folk festival in Louisiana after Mardi Gras .