The first of two bridges comprising the 24-mile-long Lake Pontchartrain Causeway linked the south shore in Metairie (a suburb of New Orleans) with the north shore at Mandeville in 1956. As a result, residential development of the Ozone Belt—so nicknamed because of the thick pine forests that improve the quality of the air—ensued with land-rush fervor, transforming the peaceful country getaway into a Big Easy bedroom community. Learn More...