Jena, Louisiana
Jena (/ˈdʒiːnə/) is a town in, and the parish seat of, La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States.[2] The population was 3,398 at the 2010 census.
Jena, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Town of Jena | |
 | |
 Location of Jena in LaSalle Parish, Louisiana. | |
.svg.png.webp) Location of Louisiana in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 31°41′24″N 92°07′29″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | La Salle |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.53 sq mi (14.32 km2) |
| • Land | 5.50 sq mi (14.24 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2) |
| Elevation | 167 ft (51 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 4,155 |
| • Density | 755.73/sq mi (291.80/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 71342 |
| Area code | 318 |
| FIPS code | 22-38285 |
| Website | townofjena |
History
Jena was named for Jena, Germany, where French Emperor Napoleon I won the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt in 1806.[3] The town in Louisiana was founded exactly one hundred years later.
In September 2006, Jena became the focus of national news stories in the United States for a racial controversy involving its school system and a group of students known as the Jena Six.[4]
Geography
Jena is at 31°41′24″N 92°7′29″W (31.689993, -92.124781)[5] and has an elevation of 167 feet (50.9 m).[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 5.4 square miles (14 km2), all land.
Surrounding communities
Residents of these rural communities frequent Jena for school, work, and shopping.
- Midway
- Olla, Louisiana
- Jonesville, Louisiana
- Trout, Louisiana
- Nebo
- Summerville
- Good Pine
- Possum Point
- Belah
- Fellowship
- White Sulphur Springs
- Searcy
- Whitehall
- Rhinehart
Climate
This region experiences hot summers with rainy days, with no average monthly temperatures above 92 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Jena has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[7]
There are mild winters during which intense rainfall occurs. It has hot, rainy summers with moderate rainfall through all year months.
Snow in Jena is possible in winter months.
Average annual precipitation is 59.4 inches (1,510 mm). There are on annual average 76 days with measurable precipitation.
| Climate data for Jena, Louisiana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1985–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) |
84 (29) |
87 (31) |
95 (35) |
96 (36) |
103 (39) |
104 (40) |
109 (43) |
110 (43) |
96 (36) |
89 (32) |
83 (28) |
110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 75.4 (24.1) |
78.5 (25.8) |
83.6 (28.7) |
86.5 (30.3) |
90.5 (32.5) |
94.6 (34.8) |
97.7 (36.5) |
98.6 (37.0) |
96.0 (35.6) |
90.2 (32.3) |
82.4 (28.0) |
77.6 (25.3) |
100.1 (37.8) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 57.1 (13.9) |
61.6 (16.4) |
69.2 (20.7) |
75.6 (24.2) |
82.8 (28.2) |
88.8 (31.6) |
91.3 (32.9) |
91.7 (33.2) |
87.5 (30.8) |
78.1 (25.6) |
67.0 (19.4) |
59.1 (15.1) |
75.8 (24.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 46.6 (8.1) |
50.6 (10.3) |
57.9 (14.4) |
64.4 (18.0) |
72.4 (22.4) |
78.8 (26.0) |
81.5 (27.5) |
81.2 (27.3) |
76.4 (24.7) |
65.8 (18.8) |
55.4 (13.0) |
48.8 (9.3) |
65.0 (18.3) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 36.2 (2.3) |
39.7 (4.3) |
46.6 (8.1) |
53.1 (11.7) |
61.9 (16.6) |
68.8 (20.4) |
71.7 (22.1) |
70.8 (21.6) |
65.3 (18.5) |
53.5 (11.9) |
43.8 (6.6) |
38.4 (3.6) |
54.1 (12.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 19.5 (−6.9) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
34.9 (1.6) |
46.7 (8.2) |
58.4 (14.7) |
64.9 (18.3) |
62.9 (17.2) |
50.7 (10.4) |
36.0 (2.2) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
23.1 (−4.9) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 11 (−12) |
9 (−13) |
16 (−9) |
26 (−3) |
38 (3) |
49 (9) |
57 (14) |
51 (11) |
41 (5) |
27 (−3) |
20 (−7) |
6 (−14) |
6 (−14) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.69 (145) |
5.53 (140) |
5.71 (145) |
5.38 (137) |
4.43 (113) |
4.86 (123) |
4.51 (115) |
3.80 (97) |
3.60 (91) |
4.72 (120) |
5.46 (139) |
5.82 (148) |
59.51 (1,512) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.5 (1.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.6 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 7.1 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 8.0 | 89.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Source: NOAA[8][9] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 689 | — | |
| 1920 | 620 | −10.0% | |
| 1930 | 1,007 | 62.4% | |
| 1940 | 946 | −6.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,438 | 52.0% | |
| 1960 | 2,098 | 45.9% | |
| 1970 | 2,431 | 15.9% | |
| 1980 | 4,375 | 80.0% | |
| 1990 | 2,626 | −40.0% | |
| 2000 | 2,971 | 13.1% | |
| 2010 | 3,398 | 14.4% | |
| 2020 | 4,155 | 22.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 2,436 | 58.63% |
| Black or African American | 447 | 10.76% |
| Native American | 23 | 0.55% |
| Asian | 105 | 2.53% |
| Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.12% |
| Other/Mixed | 115 | 2.77% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,024 | 24.65% |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 4,155 people, 1,169 households, and 884 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 2,971 people, 1,135 households, and 749 families residing in the town. The population density was 552.7 inhabitants per square mile (213.4/km2). There were 1,264 housing units at an average density of 235.2 per square mile (90.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 85.56% White, 12.02% African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.21% of the population.
There were 1,135 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were 21 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,938, and the median income for a family was $39,848. Males had a median income of $31,332 versus $18,317 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,761. About 9.9% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.
Media
Newspaper
- The Jena Times
Radio
| Frequency | Callsign | Format | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102.7 | KJNA | Country | Cloessner News & Broadcasting LLC. |
Education
The La Salle Parish School Board is located in Jena.
The following schools serve Jena:
- Jena High School, 9–12 (Jena)
- Jena Junior High School, 6,7, & 8 (Jena)
- Goodpine Middle School, 3,4, & 5 (Trout/Goodpine)
- Jena Elementary School, PreK - 2 (Jena)
- Fellowship Elementary School, Pre-K-8 (Belah)
- Nebo Elementary School, PreK-8 (Nebo)
- Temple Christian Academy, Private PreK-8 (Jena)
Infrastructure
- Hospital Service District #2 of LaSalle Parish, also known as LaSalle General Hospital, is a 60-bed medical facility, with a 24-hour emergency department, a home health, a 101-bed nursing home, and physical therapy.
- Universal Plant Services built a 24,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Jena. The full-service machining plant represents a $3.9 million capital investment and provides welding, fabrication, equipment overhaul and repair services for pipeline distribution systems and petrochemical processing plants.
- LaSalle Detention Center is an immigration detention facility of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operated by the GEO Group and located on 830 Pinehill Road, about two miles northwest of downtown Jena and it has a capacity of over 1160 detainees.
- Tractor Supply
- Ace Hardware
- Walmart Supercenter
Notable people
- Woodie Flowers, MIT professor and co-founder of FIRST
- Mike Francis, prominent businessman and former Louisiana Republican state chairman; born in Jena
- Jason Hatcher, former NFL football player for the Washington Redskins
- Jay F. Honeycutt, former director of the Kennedy Space Center
- Speedy O. Long (1928–2006), a member of the Long political dynasty
- Thomas D. "Tommy" Wright, former state representative from Jena
References
- "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- "Town of Jena, Louisiana". www.townofjena.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- Amy Waldman (January 2008). "The Truth About Jena". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012.
- "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- "Coburg, OR Climate".
- "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- "Station: Jena, LA". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
External links
- Town of Jena official website
- LaSalle General Hospital
- LaSalle Parish School Board
- Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge Archived 2008-12-25 at the Wayback Machine
Municipalities and communities of LaSalle Parish, Louisiana, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent parish or parishes | |