BUSINESS CLIMATE
A look at the big picture reveals that Louisiana is a right-to-work state with a union density of 17.5 percent compared to the average union density of all states of 33.5 percent resulting in a low number of man-hours lost due to work stoppages.  Louisiana does not rely heavily on corporate franchise and corporate income taxes to finance state government.  They represent only 8.2 percent of the total taxes collected. The state's unemployment insurance weekly benefit is $195 while the national average is $262, ranking Louisiana's rates among the lowest in the nation.

The oil and gas, maritime, seafood, tourism, shipbuilding and aerospace industries contribute significantly to the New Orleans region economy. Louisiana's oil and natural gas production rank first and second, respectively, in the United States. The state's gas processing capacity leads the nation while its refining capacity ranks second nationally.  Also among natural resources, Louisiana is the largest producer of salt in the United States.

A competitive advantage over almost every other U.S. seaport, the New Orleans region is accessible to major U.S., world and Latin American markets via five interstate highways, the Mississippi River waterway system, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and six trunk line railroads.

Second only to Alaska, Louisiana's fishing industry accounts for 26 percent of all seafood landed in the country.

One of the nation's leading shipbuilding regions, New Orleans realizes competitive advantages thus successfully competes for the nation's defense contracts.

While New Orleans' tourism industry has experienced a setback at the hands of Hurricane Katrina, St. Tammany's tourism industry has seen consistent increases.

St. Tammany's tourism industry ranks second in the state among non-gaming parishes, with nearly $163 million in expenditures in St. Tammany.  Tourism supports 1,380 jobs that generate $23 million in salaries.

The film industry, across the state, is booming.  P3/Production Update, a film industry trade magazine, ranked Louisiana as the best state to make movies in its July 2006 article, "Top 10 Places to Shoot."  Louisiana attracted $550 million in total production value in 2005 and $375 million in 2004.

St. Tammany has experienced extraordinary economic growth in medical, publishing and communication, construction and retail sectors. Economic diversification is being led by headquarter relocations, "back offices" and retirement communities.  St. Tammany has become the central location between Michoud and the Stennis Space Center for technology and information systems. 

St. Tammany is located within 50 miles of two of America's largest ports and one of its most important container ports, providing companies with frequent service to foreign markets.

With an international airport only 40 miles away, St. Tammany has two airports for commuter travel.  Once completed, expansion of the St. Tammany Regional Airport should spur growth in these sectors. Having secured a donation of 328 acres and received FFA approval, the St. Tammany Regional Airport is constructing a new facility, 5,000-foot runway, expandable to 7,000 feet, and new hangers to accommodate personal and private jets.  The Slidell Municipal Airport consists of 350 acres with a 5,000-foot asphalt and lighted runway.

COST OF LIVING
Not only do lower labor costs translate into lower costs of doing business, but so does living costs. St. Tammany enjoys a better living index (weighting of the cost of living and crime indices and education levels) of 93.68, which is higher than other southern metropolitan regions.

The parish's estimated per capita income in 2006 is $27,807 making it higher than Louisiana's estimated per capita income of $22,459 and mirroring the U.S. at $27,462.

Louisiana has the seventh lowest local, state and federal tax burden in the U.S.  Its individual income tax is also among the lowest in the nation. Tax rates for individuals filing as single, married but filing separately, or as head of household are two percent of the first $12,500 of taxable income, four percent of the next $12,500 and six percent on taxable income over $25,000. Married persons filing a joint return are taxed at rates of two percent of the first $25,000, four percent of the next $25,000, and six percent of taxable income over $50,000. The standard deduction is $4,500 ($9,000 for heads of households and married taxpayers filing jointly). A dependency deduction of $1,000 is allowed for each dependent, for taxpayer and/or spouse who is a least 65 years of age, and for taxpayer and/or spouse who is blind.

The most generous in the country is Louisiana's property tax, known as homestead exemption. The value of a home is tax-free up to $75,000 from state and parish property taxes.  Louisiana is the fourth lowest in the nation at $324 of local property taxes collected per capita.

Louisiana's corporate tax rate ranges from four percent on the first $25,000 of net income, five percent on the next $25,000, six percent on the next $50,000, seven percent on the next $100,000 and eight percent on the net income over $200,000. The state's corporate franchise tax rate is $1.50 for each $1,000 of taxable base up to $300,000 and $3 for each $1,000 of taxable base over $300,000.  The miminum corporate franchise tax is $10.

Beginning July 1, 2005, the state began rolling back the four percent state sales tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment as well as farming and forestry machinery.  Beginning January 1, 2006, the state began phasing out the corporate franchise tax on debt.  These two phaseouts will cut business taxes by more than $1 billion during the next eight years.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
In 2005, St. Tammany new home construction was set for another record year with 261 new homes permitted monthly.  Post-Katrina, St. Tammany continues to be the destination of choice for households migrating from southern parishes and newcomers from the northeast and west coast with roughly 300 new homes permitted monthly in the first quarter of 2006.

St. Tammany's residents occupy more than 90,000 households.  While housing prices are up 10.3 percent nationwide, St. Tammany's housing prices were up by nine percent.  The average price of a single family home in post-Katrina St. Tammany is $224,263 compared to the national average of $217,900.

In 2006, the average price per square foot for a residential dwelling was $105.95 in eastern St. Tammany and $124.25 in western St. Tammany.  Nationally, the price per square foot is approximately $140 for a single-family residence.

Residential apartments in St. Tammany, on the other hand, had an average price per square foot of $.83 with average rent of $989 for a 1,200 square foot apartment.

COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE
With major retail chains moving in across St. Tammany Parish, total retail sales is expected to reach $3.25 billion in 2006, up from 2.11billion in 2002. Post-Katrina, St. Tammany's Class A, B and C rental properties average occupancy rate is 94, 92 and 89 percent, respectively. Free standing stores and malls have a 100 percent occupancy rate.  Rental rates per square foot are $13.06 for Class A, $10.70 for Class B, $11.99 for Class C and $40 for malls. 

St. Tammany's office market, with 1.2 million feet, revealed a 97 percent occupancy rate for all office buildings. Rental rates for all office buildings averaged $14.33 per foot.  For both retail and office, this reflects the absorption of space by firms displaced from New Orleans seeking temporary offices to re-establish business and those considering a permanent move to secure back-up or satellite locations outside of flood prone areas.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
For the children of St. Tammany's residents, its public school system is one of the best in the nation.  St. Tammany's 49 public schools educated nearly 34,000 students in the 2005-2006 school year, down slightly from pre-Katrina enrollment of 35,000.  There are also 22 private and/or faith based schools.  All St. Tammany public schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).  Money magazine named it one of the top 100 school systems within the nation's major metropolitan areas.  Seven schools have been named National Schools of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.  

On the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), the St. Tammany Parish public school system consistently averaged scores above the national norm group at every grade level and in all subject areas.  On the American College Test (ACT), students in St. Tammany public school system scored above (21.5) the state (19.8) and national (20.9) averages.

Louisiana's Tuition Opportunity Program for Students, commonly called the TOPS Program, is a four-component program of state scholarships and is one of the most innovative and progressive student assistance programs in the nation.  Any Louisiana graduating high school student who achieves a cumulative 2.5-grade-point-average, completes a specified college-preparatory curriculum and who scores the state average (not less than 20) on the American College Test (ACT) is eligible to receive free college tuition. 

There are 12 colleges and universities within communting distance with two having satellite campuses in St. Tammany.

Higher education in Louisiana continues to be among the most affordable.  At its four-year public colleges, Louisiana tuition and fee charges for 2005-2006 were $3,500 compared to Alabama at $4,650, Arkansas at $4,700, Mississippi at $4,040, Texas at $4,830, and Florida at $3,100.

Delgado Community College offers a number of courses, mainly Arts & Sciences and Business courses, Allied Health programs, Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, and Horticulture, as well as basic education courses in English, Mathematics and Computer Literacy. Non-credit courses are also available.  Delgado recently partnered with St. Tammany's Florida Marine to provide a new state-of-the-art and Louisiana's first Towboat Simulator Training Facility that will train 9,000 mariners annually.

Southeastern Louisiana University's satellite campus, called the St. Tammany Center, is home to 1,500 students enrolled in courses, ranging from biology and chemistry to accounting and economics, being taught during day and evening hours by Southeastern faculty. In partnership with the St. Tammany Parish School Board, SLU has developed a teacher-training program that allows education students to fulfill their in-class teacher training requirements in North Shore schools.

HEALTH CARE
St. Tammany Parish has several public and private medical facilities that offer a wide array of services to North Shore residents. These medical facilities offer state-of-the-art equipment, qualified personnel and specialized medical practitioners.

PUBLIC MEDICAL FACILITIES
St. Tammany Parish is divided into two hospital districts, each with its own public hospital, St. Tammany Parish Hospital and Slidell Memorial Hospital. A third public hospital, Southeast Louisiana Hospital, is a well-known public mental health clinic and serves the citizens of the entire state.

PRIVATE MEDICAL FACILITIES
Six private facilities are available to meet the medical needs of St. Tammany Parish residents. They offer a variety of services, including acute care as well as mental health treatment and rehabilitation. The new state-of-the-art invasive heart hospital, Louisiana Heart Hospital opened in 2003, and the Ochsner Health System opened its largest clinic (98,500 square feet) on the North Shore in February 2004.

RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES
Among the nine retirement communities in St. Tammany, some are noted among the premier places for independent active retirees in Louisiana.  Among them are Christwood, The Windsor Senior Living Community, Southerland Place and Heritage Manor.

LEISURE ACTIVITIES
Approximately 77,000 acres, or 14 percent of the total land area within St. Tammany Parish, is designated as federal or state public land in the form of national wildlife reserves, state wildlife management areas, and state parks. In addition to these public lands, the Nature Conservancy, a non-profit organization that operates the largest private system of nature sanctuaries worldwide, has established five nature preserves in the parish totaling more than 4,600 acres. Hurricane Katrina devastated St. Tammany's pine population yet most public areas have recovered and are open for public use.

In December 2001, St. Tammany Parish purchased what's affectionately known as Camp Salmen, a 60-plus years camp for New Orleans area Boy Scouts. The vision for the 106 pristine acres on the scenic Bayou Liberty is to become a recreational area for the people of St. Tammany, with bike paths connecting it to the Tammany Trace. The Parish is in the process of developing a master plan.

Pelican Park, the largest of St. Tammany's local public parks, accommodates approximately 750,000 annual park visitors. Pelican Park also is the site of the Castine Center, a 46,000 square-foot special events venue with an adjacent 2,200 square-foot conference center.

The new Northshore Harbor Center is another alternative for conferences, tradeshows, performances, social events and athletic tournaments. This 45,000 square foot facility can accommodate over 2,500 people, with meeting rooms or exhibit space.

The Greater Covington Center, located in the scenic downtown Covington, has a 15,762 square foot auditorium suitable for professional theatrical performances, two 462 square foot meeting rooms and a 4,000 square foot professional kitchen and banquet area.

The Tammany Trace is one of the newest recreational opportunities in the parish and offers residents and visitors a facility that is virtually unmatched in quality, length, and amenities in the entire state. The Tammany Trace is Louisiana's first rail-to-trail-conversion that provides a multi-use, 31-mile recreational corridor for pedestrians, bicycles, equestrians, roller bladers, and joggers.

Northlake Nature Center/Museum is located on 400 acres of ancient pines and hardwood forest. Bounded on the west by Bayou Castine, crossed by a marsh and active beaver pond, it is teeming with native animal and plant life. Areas of cultural interest include the site of an archaeological survey providing evidence of a 700-year-old Acolapissa Native American population. The center is complete with an open-air pavilion.

With water covering nearly one-quarter of the entire area of St. Tammany Parish, access to streams, rivers, and lakes is important to St. Tammany's residents. No less than 12 marinas and numerous boat ramps and marinas are located throughout the parish for a multitude of water sports.

A growing population has also created a growing market for private full- and limited-service athletic facilities that can be found throughout the parish. Nine public and private golf courses and numerous tennis courts and swimming pools provide the parish's residents with an abundance of outdoor activities.

With major retail chains moving in across St. Tammany Parish, there's no need to leave the parish for the most popular shopping haunts. St. Tammany also has carved a niche in the world of art, antiques and specialty shopping.