Central

There’s no doubt that the name Brownsfield/Central is quite a mouthful. The area it describes is just as expansive, and, luckily, rests less than 20 miles from Louisiana’s capital city of Baton Rouge. This rural area is both city and not. Central, a large unincorporated area for well over a century, became the Bayou state’s newest city in 2005. Today’s Brownsfield/Central is considered a rural suburb of Baton Rouge. It’s situated between the Amite and Comite Rivers, and while the town is centered around Louisiana Highway 408, the area continues to stretch far beyond the city itself. This part of Brownsfield/Central is used for farming and industrial purposes as well as for residences. Many people choosing this part of the region prefer to have several acres for their homes, allowing for gardens and wooded backyards. With the area being so large, there are both swathes of land ready to be developed as well as ready-to-build-on lots closer to Highway 408. Those lots can be as large or small as you like, although most homes are built to have large front or back yards. There’s no one housing style to be found here. Instead, you’ll find everything from established cottages and ranch-style residences to eclectic custom buildings to manufactured houses. Acadian cottages are popular as are estate houses. Prices range from $200,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bath ranch to nearly $3 million for a multi-story estate home with four bedrooms and bathrooms. Students in the Brownsfield/Central area might attend schools in either the East Baton Rouge Parish school system or the dedicated Central school district. At Northeast Elementary, the facility has teamed up with the Southern University Agricultural Center and several master gardeners to create innovative nature clubs for the children. Central Middle has been named one of the overall top 50 public middle schools in Louisiana by the education ranking website Niche. Northeast High offers dual enrollment courses in conjunction with Louisiana State University and Baton Rouge Community College. With so many wooded areas, it might seem like you’re living in a kind of park already. But in Brownsfield/Central, you’ll find numerous dedicated green spaces for the community’s use. Palomino Drive Park covers 150 acres and has a stocked lake for fishing in addition to tennis courts and public Wi-Fi. Central Sports Park consists of seven baseball and softball diamonds as well as four multi-purpose fields. Jackson Community Park has a walking track, spray pad, playground and recreation center to engage the entire family. One thing you’ll notice while exploring the area is the mix of farmland and industry around Brownsfield/Central. Construction companies mix with growers of Christmas trees, and smaller operations include wedding venues and specialized taxidermy services. Cattle graze over spacious pastureland, and acre upon acre is planted with crops like cotton and soybeans. But there are plenty of produce growers as well. Luckett Farms is a family-run business owned by a third-generation agriculturalist. The company takes part in community-supported agriculture where individuals can prepay for a share of the crops. Each week during the summer or fall a box of produce is prepared for the subscriber with whatever fruits and vegetables are ripe. This creates a wonderful mixture of the freshest products possible. Selections can include offerings of blueberries, corn, peas, greens, potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes or any of dozens of other crops. Living in Brownsfield/Central allows residents to choose the comforts of a small town or the rural countryside just a half-hour from the shopping and restaurants of Baton Rouge.

Central is a bedroom community on the eastern edge of Baton Rouge, tucked between the Comite and Amite Rivers. Central’s nearly 30,000 residents enjoy one of the best park systems in the nation. BREC is a local park agency that has connected East Baton Rouge Parish residents to the outdoors since its establishment in 1946. In 2022, BREC won the Gold Medal Award from the National Recreation and Park Association and was deemed the best park system in the nation. The park agency comprises conservation areas, community parks and greenways. Central additionally features 21st century subdivisions, highly regarded schools and proximity to Baton Rouge. Several BREC-operated facilities, like Lovett Road Park, are within reach of Central residents. Spanning over 60 acres, Lovett Road Park features an indoor basketball court, a lighted multi-use athletic field, pickleball courts and a tennis court. The park also features a playground and a recreation center. Another popular BREC park is Greenwell Springs Park, which offers locals more playground and tennis options. Greenwell Springs is a popular spot to ride horses and features a small equestrian center. Dog owners leash up their pups and head to the Blackwater Conservation Area, a once-abandoned gravel mine transitioned to a protected natural area. The conservation area has a central lake, ample nature trails and a small pavilion for visitors to explore and enjoy. Hunting is prohibited, but licensed anglers are welcome to fish. Local flora includes Tupelo Gum, Bald Cypress, River Birch and Persimmon trees. Central has a diverse blend of new and established subdivisions among large estates on sprawling properties. Acadian homes from the 1970s offer at least 1,600 square feet on an acre of land for prices between $150,000 and $250,000. Costs scale from $300,000 to $500,000 for porch-lined ranch styles or contemporary cottages from the ‘90s and early 2000s. Buyers will find newly constructed subdivisions like the development at Magnolia Square, featuring modern single-family homes and luxury townhomes adjacent to Stab’s Steakhouse and Seafood. Many Central residents have large plots of land, some well over 20 acres. A few residents have million-dollar estates with 50 acres of land. Sidewalks line subdivisions and locals often enjoy an evening stroll. Community streets wind by wide-open, grassy areas and woodsy plots of land. For a night out of the house, locals enjoy a steak dinner at Central City Steak and Seafood. The restaurant has the vibe of a country saloon decorated with wood paneling and hay bales. The menu includes steak cuts like ribeye, filet and porterhouse, among seafood options like a bayou dinner and cajun spud. Stab’s Steak and Seafood offers upscale New Orleans-style dining. Locals can order Wagyu steak and prime filet with a martini or glass of wine. Following Sullivan Road, residents can find daily essentials in Central Plaza and neighboring commercial pockets. Central Plaza features stores like Cato and Dollar Tree and restaurants like Wing Stop and Smoothie King. For groceries, locals browse the aisles of the Walmart Supercenter and Aldi. Public institutions are served by the highly regarded Central Community School System, which Niche ranked among the top 10 best school districts in Louisiana. Students attend five schools, starting with Bellingrath Hills Elementary School for pre-K and kindergarten. Students advance to Tanglewood Elementary School for first and second grade and then Central Intermediate School for third, fourth and fifth grade. Bellingrath Hills earned a B-plus on Niche, while Tanglewood and Central earned an A. Students head to Central Middle School next, which received an A-minus from Niche. High schoolers earn their diplomas at Central High School. The high school features various career pathways, including health sciences, pre-engineering and information technology. The high school earned an overall B on Niche. Central is a car-dependent community with no access to public transportation. Louisiana Highway 408 cuts directly through Central’s heart, leading 14 miles west into Baton Rouge. Residents headed into New Orleans hop on Route 10, about 17 miles from Central.

Monticello is a lowkey suburban community on the eastern outskirts of Baton Rouge, just north of the hundreds of acres of Bottomland Hardwoods Forest. The community comprises several subdivisions between the Amite River to its east and the Comite River to its west. Residents have direct access to Baton Rouge while enjoying its outer natural world, operated by the highly regarded, Gold Medal-winning BREC park system. Most homes in Monticello are in subdivisions built in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Developments Forest Green Estates and Bellingrath feature diverse housing styles, including spacious cape cods and ranch styles with at least three bedrooms and price tags between $200,000 and $400,000. Buyers will also find 21st-century developments featuring contemporary single-family homes with brick facades and attached garages on sidewalk-lined streets with light posts. Residents living off streets like Misty Court enjoy 3,000-square-foot custom estates on an acre to two acres of land. Larger homes are often valued between $500,000 and $700,000. BREC serves parks and natural areas surrounding Monticello. Lovett Street Park is a BREC-operated park where local athletes enjoy pickleball, tennis and soccer, among other sports. The park also has a playground for the kids, plus a recreation center with an indoor basketball court. Locals also head across Greenwell Springs Road to Greenwell Springs Park, another BREC facility. Greenwell Springs features a small equestrian area where locals like to ride horses, a few tennis courts and a playground. Nature lovers enjoy the 500-acre Frenchtown Conservation Area just south of Monticello. The conservation area is known for its three-plus miles of hiking trails that weave through the Bottomland Hardwoods Forest. Local vegetation and wildlife include Cypress and Tupelo Gum trees and a flock of migratory birds. Kids growing up in the area attend schools in the top-rated Central Community School System, which Niche ranked among the top 10 best school districts in Louisiana and gave an overall A-minus. Children attend three elementary schools: Bellingrath Hills Elementary for pre-K and kindergarten, Tanglewood Elementary for first and second grade and Central Intermediate for third, fourth and fifth grade. Bellingrath Hills earned a B-plus on Niche, while Tanglewood and Central earned an A. Students advance to Central Middle School, which received an A-minus from Niche. High schoolers earn their diplomas at Central High School. The high school features various career pathways, including health sciences, pre-engineering and multimedia productions. The high school earned an overall B on Niche. Shoppers commonly head to the Louisiana-based Oak Point Fresh Market to grab groceries. The market features fresh produce, butcher-cut meats, pre-made meals, sushi and a salad bar. Big box grocery store options like Walmart Supercenter and Aldi are 2 miles up the road. Central Plaza is another popular spot for shopping and restaurants. The shopping center features a Dollar Tree and Cato, plus restaurants like Nagoya Sushi House and Fratelli’s Italian Grill. Monticello is a car-dependent community with no access to public transportation. Drivers commonly use Highway 190 and 37 when entering and exiting the area. Downtown Baton Rouge is a 13-mile trip westbound on 37.