The alluring town of Covington stands at the border of two Louisianas. The first, to the south, is flat and wet, home to New Orleans, and rooted in a French-Catholic culture. North of town is hilly and piney--- a farm country rooted in an Anglo-Protestant tradition. In Covington, you get the best of both worlds. It has top-notch white tablecloth restaurants, boutique shopping and the calendar is filled with a lively cultural scene of gallery openings, main street goings-on and the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival. This historic city is set on the Bogue Falaya River, where Columbia Street Landing holds community events, and from which there’s access to Lake Pontchartrain. But, with its proximity to country life, Covington is also a launch point for natural excursions, connecting to miles of the Tammany Trace’s green-drenched hiking and biking trails. Just a short drive away, horses cavort on rolling, pastured farms.

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The City of Covington, founded in 1813, is a charming Southern community nestled among three rivers. An eclectic mix of boutiques, art galleries, specialty shops and restaurants line the downtown streets. Special care has been taken to ensure the conservation of Covington's historic homes and buildings while also allowing for the modernization of its infrastructure. The downtown historic district is home to many turn-of-the-century cottages surrounded by ancient oaks and South Louisiana's lush, green foliage. In Covington, we celebrate our history and culture through music, food and the arts. We take time to enjoy the many concerts and special events that take place here. But it's the strong sense of community, of civic pride, that is the lifeblood of this town. We welcome you to come and experience Covington for yourself. You just might want to call it "home."

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John Wharton Collins, a New Orleans merchant by way of New York, founded the City of Covington in 1813 as the Town of Wharton. John Collins' father, Thomas Wharton, fled to Philadelphia from Scotland after the Seven Years War in 1763 and assumed his mother's maiden name, Collins, in order to maintain anonymity in the colonies. (As a Scottish militiaman, Thomas found himself on the winning end a dual to defend his sister's virtue.) Once in the colonies, Thomas was found to be a Tory sympathizer and was imprisoned during the Revolutionary War. His wife Mary successfully gained his freedom upon appeal to George Washington. Thomas was released, and the family moved to Nova Scotia where Thomas died in 1790, leaving Mary a widow with seven children. A resourceful woman, Mary made her way to New York where she reared her children. Her son William became a postal boat captain and was the first of the family to move to New Orleans. John later followed in 1800 and opened a mercantile store on Magazine Street.