Welcome to Jena ...
The town of Jena is located in La Salle Parish<1> and is the Parish Seat for La Salle Parish.
The location of Jena has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Jena, you might consider that their post office opened in 1871.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Jena has a population of 3,399 people<3> (see below for details).
Jena is 190 feet [58 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Jena lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Jena is located in the (318) area code.
The ZIP code for Jena: 71342<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Jena had an population of 3,399 people (or an increase of 14.41% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Jena had a population of 3,398 people (or 22.79% of the total population of La Salle Parish). This makes Jena the parish's most populous community.
The population of Jena represents 0.07% of the total population of Louisiana (which has 4,533,372 people), making it the state's 87th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 3,398 people, the population of Jena increased 14.37% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 2,971 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Jena.
Communities Also Named Jena ...
While we believe that this Jena is located in La Salle Parish, we know of another 2 Louisiana communities named Jena. Those communities are located in the following parishes: Catahoula and Tangipahoa Parish.
Beyond Louisiana, there are 6 communities that are also named Jena - they are located in Alabama (2), Florida and Tennessee.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Jena.
Communities near Jena ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Jena.
- Jonesville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
- Jonesville is located in Catahoula Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,950 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonesville <6>
- Olla
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olla have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olla
- Olla is located in La Salle Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,371 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olla <6>
- Urania
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Urania have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urania
- Urania is located in La Salle Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,297 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Urania <6>
- Pollock
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollock
- Pollock is located in Grant Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pollock <6>
- Tullos
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tullos
- Tullos is located in La Salle Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tullos <6>
- Georgetown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Georgetown is located in Grant Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Georgetown <6>
- Harrisonburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonburg
- Harrisonburg is located in Catahoula Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrisonburg <6>
- Summerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
- Summerville is located in La Salle Parish
- Sharp Town
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharp Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp Town
- Sharp Town is located in La Salle Parish
- Rhinehart
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhinehart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhinehart
- Rhinehart is located in Catahoula Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rhinehart <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Jena. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Jena.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Jena. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Jena.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Jena. See our Newspapers Page for Jena.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Jena ...
Looking for more information about Jena? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Jena, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Jena.
Adding Jena to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Jena in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Jena was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Jena post office opened in 1871.
We also found Jena on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Louisiana (1911).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Jena.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Jena. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Louisiana: https://www.louisiana.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Louisiana's parishes, including La Salle, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Jena. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Jena - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a town (such as Jena). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Jena or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |