Jena, Louisiana

Jena, Louisiana
Town
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	La Salle
Elevation	167 ft (50.9 m)
Coordinates
Area	5.4 sq mi (14 km2)
- land	5.4 sq mi (14 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	3,398 (2010)
Density	552.7 / sq mi (213.4 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	71342
Area code	318
Location of Jena in Louisiana
Location of Louisiana in the United States
Website: www.jennalouisiana.net

Jena Town Hall

Jena /ˈdʒiːnə/ is a large town in and the parish seat of La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,398 at the 2010 census.

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.

History

Jena was named for Jena, Germany, where French Emperor Napoleon I won the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt in 1806. The town in Louisiana was founded exactly one hundred years later.

Geography

Jena is located at (31.689993, -92.124781) and has an elevation of 167 feet (50.9 m).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14 km²), all land.

Surrounding communities

• Midway
• Trout
• Nebo
• Webb Quarters
• Summerville
• Good Pine
• Possum Point
• Belah
• Fellowship
• White Sulphur Springs
• Mackerel
• Rogers
• Searcy
• Whitehall
• Rhinehart
• Sharptown

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
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%
Est. 2014	3,387		−0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,971 people, 1,135 households, and 749 families residing in the town. The population density was 552.7 people per square mile (213.2/km²). There were 1,264 housing units at an average density of 235.2 per square mile (90.7/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.

First Baptist Church of Jena

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.

Economy

Bank of Jena

• Ace Hardware opened a new 28,000 sq ft (2,600 m²) store in downtown Jena
• Arrows Industries opened a new expansion and now employs more than one hundred people
• Dollar General has re-located to a larger facility across from McDonald's
• Private prison operator GEO Group runs the $30 million LaSalle Detention Center, formerly the Wackenhut Corrections Facility, to house detainees for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Homeland Federal Saving Bank of Columbia, Louisiana, has opened a new branch in Jena
• Jena Town Hall has moved into the old Southern Heritage Bank building in downtown Jena
• Macs Supermarket remodeled 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m²) store in downtown Jena
• Southern Heritage Bank opened its new two-story, 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m²). building
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has built a 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m²) Supercenter on U.S. Route 84 West

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. The hospital is currently undertaking a $4 million expansion project.

Notable people

• J. Earl Downs, public safety commissioner in Shreveport, 1954 to 1962; educator and coach in Jena in 1930s
• Mike Francis, prominent businessman and former Louisiana Republican state chairman, was born in Jena.
• Woodie Flowers, MIT professor and co-founder of FIRST.
• Jason Hatcher, NFL player and member of the Dallas Cowboys.
• Jay F. Honeycutt, former director of the Kennedy Space Center.
• Graydon K. Kitchens, Sr., lawyer and politician from Minden in Webster Parish; reared in Trout in La Salle Parish
• Speedy O. Long (1928–2006), a member of the popular Long political dynasty.
• Danny Ted McDowell, professional bull rider on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Championship Bull Riding circuits.
• Thomas D. "Tommy" Wright, former state representative from Jena
• "Big" John Austin Barker, a famous big game hunter and YouTube star

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External links

• Official Town of Jena Website
• LaSalle General Hospital
• LaSalle Parish School Board
• Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge