Enforcement Fire Department |
The Tensas Parish Sheriff’s main office is located in the Parish Court House in St. Joseph and handles all of the criminal, civil and tax division operations, as well as police protection, throughout the parish. There are 13 full-time deputies, 6 of them providing 24-hour patrol throughout the parish. Tensas Parish has several volunteer fire departments with 3 stations and over 100 volunteer firemen located throughout the parish. |
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The parish has no hospital but the medical field is comprised of 2 clinics, 3 doctors, one dentist and the Parish health unit. Natchez, only 33 miles away has a full service emergency room. One nursing home with 30 beds also serves the community. Enforcement of public health and sanitation regulations is administered by the Tensas Parish Health Unit in St. Joseph. The local unit is staffed with two registered nurses. Services include immunization, location, prevention and control of communicable diseases; instruction on prevention of accidents in the home and chronic illnesses; pre-school and school health programs; laboratory analysis; and chest X-rays; and inspection for sanitation of food and water supplies and inspection of public facilities. Residents also have access to the large number of medical facilities located in the regional area, including regional medical centers in Monroe and Alexandria. . |
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and Recreation |
Tensas Parish has a private country club with a golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts. Swimming, boating, tubing, and fishing on local rivers and lakes are also major activities for visitors and residents of the parish. The parish has over 20,000 acres of scenic bayous and rivers, as well as large lakes. Organized programs for youth include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts 4-H Clubs and Little League Baseball. Historical and cultural treasures in the area include historic homes in Natchez and Vicksburg as well as the Civil War Battle site in Vicksburg. |
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Regional shopping centers can be found in Vicksburg, only an hour away or in Monroe or Alexandria, both within an hour and a half. |
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Communications in the area include a local weekly newspaper (The Tensas Gazette‹St. Joseph). Metropolitan daily newspapers from Monroe and Vicksburg are also circulated in Tensas Parish. Radio stations from Vicksburg, Tallulah and Monroe are available in Tensas Parish. Television stations can be received from Jackson, Miss. or Monroe including all three networks (ABC, CBS, NBC). Cable service is also available in the parish and provides up to 21 stations. |
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| Tensas Parish enjoys a complete seasonal cycle with pleasant spring and fall seasons. Winter months are usually mild with cold spells of short duration. Snowfall is less than 2" per year. The summer months are quite warm, with an average daily maximum temperature in July and August of 93 degrees. |
| Tensas Parish is located in the northeastern part of Louisiana. It is bounded on the north by Madison Parish, on the east the Mississippi River forms its entire irregular boundary, separating it from the State of Mississippi; on the south it is bounded by Concordia Parish, and on the west by Catahoula and Franklin Parishes. From Tensas Parish, a manufacturer can realistically expect third-day truckload service to major markets in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Within this 31-state area are 69 percent of the nationós population and 70 percent of its manufacturing plants. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highways |
From Tensas Parish, a manufacturer can realistically expect third-day truckload service to major markets in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Within this 31-state area are 69 percent of the nationós population and 70 percent of its manufacturing plants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This road is on the Federal Aid Primary program (FAP, 50ft. ROW with 24 ft. paved surface). To the south of Tensas Parish this highway continues along the Mississippi River to U.S. Highway 84 at Vidalia, La. and Natchez, Miss. To the north it connects with I-20 and moves on through Arkansas along the Mississippi all the way to Minneapolis, Minn. This highway is well used and maintained for commercial traffic toward I-20 and the northern states. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This road is on the Federal Aid Secondary program (FAS, 50ft. ROW with 24 ft. paved surface). It extends from a point on U. S. 65 in Newellton all the way to the western border of the state. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This road is on the Federal Aid Secondary program (FAS, 50ft. ROW with 24 ft. paved surface). Cuts diagonally through the parish from State Highway 4 to the southeast where it intersects with U. S. Highway 65 near St. Joseph. | The main transportation arteries through Tensas Parish are U. S. Highway 65 and State Highways 2, 15 and 33. Numerous parish roads also serve local markets. Interstate Highway 20, which runs a few miles south of the border of the parish, allows easy access to the east or west coast of the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Pacific Transportation Co. and Union Pacific Railroad tracks run north from the parish toward Shreveport and the western United States. Rail rates in Louisiana for many commodities tend to be lower than those in the other states because of the competition from barge carriers. These transportation companies handle a significant volume of containers, TOFC and carload traffic between Louisiana and most of western and mid-America. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Facilities |
Although Tensas Parish has no port yet its location on the Mississippi River has great potential. In the past this location served as a port for parishes west of St. Joseph which had no other access to the river. Presently the Bunge Corporation and Goldman Grain operate facilities along the Mississippi in Tensas Parish. Cargo can be delivered by barge from Louisiana to all of mid-America via the 19,000 mile Mississippi River System. Louisiana also sits at the center of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway system that rims the northern Gulf of Mexico. Further, the state itself has 4,500 miles of navigable waterways served by 25 harbor and terminal districts, many of which can issue low-interest industrial revenue bonds to finance manufacturing and storage facilities. Also through the state there is a port construction and priority program that may assist in funding port facilities. |
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| The Port of South Louisiana, is located only xx miles away on the Mississippi River. Imported materials may be processed or repackaged in this port without paying United States Customs duties or certain taxes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Both St. Joseph and Newellton have small airports with a 3,000 foot paved, lighted runways. Fuel, storage and maintenance are available on premises.
The nearest commercial airport is Monroe Regional Airport only 55 miles away. It has a 7,000 foot runway and is served by LóExpress, American Eagle, Northwest Airlink and Delta Airlines. Sixty-eight Louisiana cities have hard-surfaced public airports, most with night landing capability. Another 250 private airports can accommodate light aircraft. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Delivery |
Nationwide passenger and parcel service are provided by Greyhound Bus Lines. Airborne, Emery, United Parcel Service and Federal Express are available. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Carriers |
The following freight carriers service the area: SAIA Motor Freight Line, Roadway Express, Red Ball, Consolidated, Jones Truck Lines and Yellow Freight Lines.
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