Slidell's first settlement was established on Bayou Bonfouca in 1852, and by 1883, when the railroad was completed and the town was named, it already was dubbed "the industrial capital of the South." Slidell's port was busy with 314 sailing vessels per year traveling to the Port of New Orleans carrying lumber, bricks, and food. The train brought workers, settlers, and, in later years, tourists to the area. Nestled in the "Ozone Belt," the fresh air and water had a healing power that attracted people from all over to bathe in and drink it. Shipbuilding began as early as the first settlers and continued until 1993. With the arrival of the space program, Slidell grew rapidly from a small town to a city of over 6,000. Located three miles from Lake Pontchartrain and minutes away from New Orleans, it is a quiet community on the north shore today.