Jena, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jena, Louisiana
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| Town of Jena | |
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Location of Jena in LaSalle Parish, Louisiana.
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Location of Louisiana in the United States
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| 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)
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| • Total | 4,155 |
| • Density | 755.73/sq mi (291.80/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
71342
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| Area code(s) | 318 |
| FIPS code | 22-38285 |
Jena is a town in Louisiana, United States. It is the main town, or parish seat, of La Salle Parish. In 2020, about 4,155 people lived there.
Contents
History of Jena, Louisiana
The area where Jena is today started to attract people in 1802. The Hemphills family was among the first settlers. They settled about two miles from the current town. Hemps Creek and the local post office were named after this family. This creek was known for its fertile land and was a great place for farming. It also had plenty of wild animals and fish.
Early Settlements and Mills
In the mid-1850s, Benjamin Baker and his father built a watermill on Hemps Creek. This mill could make corn meal and process cotton. Soon, this area became a popular trading spot for farmers. There were two general stores and a post office there.
The Hemps Creek post office opened in the late 1850s. Isaac L. Baker was its first postmaster. Mail was delivered by a rider who traveled weekly to nearby towns.
Education and Name Change
In 1869, the first schoolhouse was built in the area. Then, in 1892, the Jena Seminary opened. This was the start of high school education in what is now La Salle Parish. James Forsythe, an educated man, taught at Hemps Creek School from 1865 to 1871.
In 1871, the post office department asked for "Creek" and "Bayou" to be removed from post office names. Andrew Forsythe, visiting his brother James, suggested the name "Jena." This name came from his hometown, Jena, Illinois, which was named after Jena, Germany. James Forsythe sent this name to the post office, and it was accepted. This is how Jena got its name.
Growth and Important Firsts
The first train arrived in Jena on December 31, 1893. On May 1, 1904, the first passenger train came to town. A small hotel opened nearby, and in 1905, the local newspaper, "The Jena Times," was started.
On October 2, 1918, Mrs. Lula V. Coleman became a Deputy Sheriff. She believed she was the first female sheriff in the United States. Later, on March 28, 1920, she was chosen to lead the town as mayor. Mrs. Coleman was the only woman to serve as mayor of Jena. She was also the first female mayor in Louisiana, and possibly in the entire United States.
In September 2006, Jena was in the national news. This was due to a situation involving its school system and a group of students.
Geography of Jena
Jena is located at coordinates 31°41′24″N 92°7′29″W. It is about 167 feet (51 meters) above sea level.
The town covers an area of about 5.4 square miles (14 square kilometers). All of this area is land.
Nearby Communities
Many people from these smaller towns and communities come to Jena for school, work, and shopping:
- Midway
- Olla, Louisiana
- Jonesville, Louisiana
- Trout, Louisiana
- Nebo
- Summerville
- Good Pine
- Possum Point
- Belah
- Fellowship
- White Sulphur Spring
- Searcy
- Whitehall
- Rhinehart
Climate in Jena
Jena has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot summers with rainy days. The average monthly temperatures do not go above 92°F (33°C).
Winters are mild, but they can have heavy rainfall. Summers are hot and rainy, with moderate rain throughout the year. Snow is possible in Jena during the winter months.
On average, Jena gets about 59.4 inches (151 cm) of rain each year. There are about 76 days with measurable rain annually.
| 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) |
| Mean daily maximum °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) |
| Mean daily minimum °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 | |||||||||||||
People in Jena
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 4,155 | 22.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2020, there were 4,155 people living in Jena. They lived in 1,169 households, with 884 of those being families.
Media in Jena
Newspapers
- The Jena Times
Radio Stations
| Frequency | Callsign | Format | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 88.1 | KAYT | Urban/Christian | Black Media Works, Inc. |
| 102.7 | KJNA | Country | Cloessner News & Broadcasting LLC. |
Education in Jena
The main office for the La Salle Parish School Board is in Jena.
Here are the schools that serve Jena:
- Jena High School: Grades 9–12
- Jena Junior High School: Grades 6–8
- Goodpine Middle School: Grades 3–5 (located in Trout/Goodpine)
- Jena Elementary School: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 2
- Fellowship Elementary School: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 8 (located in Belah)
- Nebo Elementary School: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 8 (located in Nebo)
- Temple Christian Academy: Private school for Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 8
Important Facilities in Jena
- LaSalle General Hospital: This hospital has 60 beds and a 24-hour emergency room. It also offers home health services, a nursing home with 101 beds, and physical therapy.
- Universal Plant Services: This company built a large factory in Jena. It makes and repairs equipment for pipelines and chemical plants. This project brought new jobs and investment to the town.
- LaSalle Detention Center: This facility holds people who are waiting for immigration decisions. It can hold over 1,160 people.
Notable People from Jena
- Woodie Flowers: A professor at MIT and a co-founder of FIRST, an organization that promotes science and technology for young people.
- Mike Francis: A successful businessman and former leader of the Republican party in Louisiana. He was born in Jena.
- Jason Hatcher: A former professional football player who played for the Washington Commanders.
- Jay F. Honeycutt: A former director of the Kennedy Space Center, which is a famous space launch site.
- Speedy O. Long: A member of the well-known Long political family.
- Thomas D. "Tommy" Wright: A former state representative from Jena.
See also
In Spanish: Jena (Luisiana) para niños
