There’s an undeniable charm that comes with pre-World War II American architecture, characterized by high ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, and ornate details. In fact, 12.8% of all housing units in America were built in 1939 or before, showing the popularity of the preservation of these units.

Owning a piece of history can sometimes come with a cost: Many old homes come with asbestos, lead piping, knob-and-tube wiring, and other outdated building styles that can rack up a hefty price tag to modernize. However, with more and more modernized pre-war homes on the market, generally located just outside bustling downtown metros, investing in property that has withstood the test of time is an attractive prospect.

Stacker compiled a list of the parishes in Louisiana with the oldest homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Parishes are ranked by median year the structure was built according to 2020 5-year estimates. Ties were broken by the highest percentage of homes built before 1939.

Where did Jackson Parish fall among the 64 parishes in the state? According to the list the “Piney Woods” as the parish is fondly referred to ranks 5th in the state of having the average oldest homes with a median year built of 1973. The list further identifies that of the 3,433 homes listed that 12.2% have been built since 2000. 

Not surprisingly, Orleans Parish is shown to have the oldest homes per average by a wide margin with the average build date of 1957 and containing 34.1% or 65, 544 homes built before 1939. Tensas Parish is second on the list having the average home built in 1973, a full 16 years later. The parish that shows the newest average date of home building is Sabine Parish with an average date of 1986.