THE hargis FAMILY By Lauren Loeb Ungar
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ome neighborhoods are chosen for their beautiful homes. Others are chosen for convenience. But every so often, a place becomes something much more. It’s a setting where family traditions continue, grandchildren grow up together, and everyday moments become lifelong memories. For Jamie and Carl Hargis, TerraBella Village is exactly that. Finding a New Village Originally from Meraux in St. Bernard Parish, the Hargises built their lives in a community where family was never far away. Parents, siblings, cousins, and lifelong friends all lived within minutes of one another. That sense of closeness shaped how they viewed home, not simply as a house, but as the people who filled it. When Hurricane Katrina forced the family to leave St. Bernard Parish in 2005, they relocated to Hammond, grateful for a fresh start but still carrying the traditions of the place they had always known. Just three years later, while driving through St. Tammany Parish, Jamie and Carl stumbled upon TerraBella Village. “It was love at first sight,” Jamie recalls. 8 | TerraBella Living
The charming streets, welcoming porches, and walkable village reminded them of the community they had always cherished. Although they immediately fell in love with both the neighborhood and its concept, life had other plans. It simply wasn’t the right time to make the move. But TerraBella never left their minds. Years later, the timing finally aligned. Highland Homes built the couple’s first TerraBella home in 2018, beginning what would become an unexpected journey through the village itself. Carl’s work as an ERP Senior Consultant required extensive travel, and the couple realized they were spending more time away than in their new home. In 2020, they made the practical decision to sell their house and move into the Elan Apartments at TerraBella. By 2023, Carl’s travel schedule had slowed just in time to welcome the first of their four grandchildren. So when a newly built townhouse by Malkemus Builders became available on the village square, it felt like fate. “Living on the square was our dream from the beginning,” Jamie admits, and Summer 2026