At the mouth of Lake Pontchartrain and right along the Tchefuncte River is the quaint little town of Madisonville. With a total area of only 2.4 square miles, this town in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana is home to less than 1,000 people. The close community feel of the area is perfect for those who would like to invest in Madisonville, LA real estate.
Before the 1800s, Native American Indians lived here in a village they called Chiconcte. When the settlers came, the town was founded and renamed Cocquille until the name was changed again in 1810 to Madisonville in honor of President James Madison. Because of its location, the town was an indispensable port enabling items such as bricks to reach the other towns in the Tchefuncte area and New Orleans.
Madisonville has several notable attractions. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum provides onlookers with a glimpse of the rich maritime history of the Northshore. The dioramas and exhibits in the museum really enable one to visualize how things were back then. To the people of Madisonville, the lake plays a very important role and this is evident with all the boats they show off every October during the Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival . Those with sea legs can appreciate the numerous hand-crafted wooden boats that bob gently over the water with the 169 year-old Madisonville Lighthouse in the background watching the show.
The ultimate laid back lifestyle can be found in Madisonville and its small downtown where you can gaze out from your cottage to the lake or river and see houseboats floating on the glistening water.
