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Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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For the Canadian restaurant, see Baton Rouge (restaurant).
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Image:BRdayline.jpg
Image:Us-labtr.gif
 Official seal of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Flag Seal
Nickname: "Red Stick"
Motto: Authentic Louisiana at every turn
Coordinates: 30°27′29″N, 91°8′25″W
Country United States
State Louisiana
Parish East Baton Rouge Parish
Founded 1699
Incorporated 16 January 1817
Mayor Melvin "Kip" Holden (D)
Area  
 - City 204.8 km²  (79.1 sq mi)
 - Water 5.7 km² (2.2 sq mi)  2.81%
Elevation 14 m  (46 ft)
Population  
 - City (2004) 224,097
 - Density 1,144.7/km² (2,964.7/sq mi)
 - Metro 751,965
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Website: http://www.brgov.com

Baton Rouge, French: Bâton-Rouge (pronounced /ˈbætn ˈɹuːʒ/ in English, and Image:Ltspkr.png/bɑtɔ̃ ʀuʒ/ in French) is the capital of the State of Louisiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 227,818 and as of 2004, the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate puts the city at 224,097. Baton Rouge is historically the second largest city in Louisiana behind New Orleans but the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Katrina have, at least temporarily, reduced the population of New Orleans and inflated the population of Baton Rouge such that Baton Rouge is presently larger than New Orleans. The Greater Baton Rouge area as of 2000 had a population of 602,894, but has grown to over 750,000 since the 2000 census. Despite Hurricane Katrina, the Greater Baton Rouge area is still the second largest in the state behind Greater New Orleans. Baton Rouge is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish. Baton Rouge is home to the main campus of Louisiana State University and to Southern University. Baton Rouge is also home to The Shaw Group, a Fortune 500 Company.<ref>Rankings-The Shaw Group (2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-28.</ref>

Baton Rouge also goes by its English translation, "Red Stick." Like other capital cities, its region is called the "Capital Area."

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] French period (1699-1763)

The French name "Baton Rouge" means "Red Stick" in English. In 1699, French explorer Sieur d'Iberville led an exploration party of about 200 up the Mississippi River. On March 17, on a bluff on the east bank of the river (on what is now the campus of Southern University), they saw a cypress pole festooned with bloody animal and fish heads, which they learned was a boundary marker between the hunting territories of the Bayogoula and the Houma tribes (the Bayogoula village was situated near the present-day town of Bayou Goula, LA; the Houma village was believed to be situated near the site of what is now Angola, LA).

The first settlement at the present site of Baton Rouge took place in 1718, when Frenchman Bernard Diron Dartaguette received a grant from the colonial government at New Orleans. Records indicate two whites and 25 blacks (some of whom may have been slaves) resided on the concession in 1718. By 1722, it was reported that there were about 30 whites, 20 blacks and two Indian slaves.

By 1727, however, the Dartaguette settlement had vanished; the reason for its disappearance is not known, though it probably was a combination of crop failure and the concurrent success of the settlement at Pointe Coupee, across the river and a few miles north.

[edit] British period (1763-1779)

On Feb. 10, 1763, the the Treaty of Paris was signed, whereby France gave all its territory in North America to Britain and Spain. Spain ended up with New Orleans and all land west of the Mississippi. Britain ended up with all land east of the Mississippi, except for New Orleans. Baton Rouge, now part of the newly-created British colony of West Florida, suddenly had strategic significance as the southwest-most corner of British North America.

The British built Fort New Richmond just south of the eventual site of the Pentagon Barracks (in downtown Baton Rouge), and began plans for the development of a town. Land grants were given, resulting in an influx of the first settlers.

When the older British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America rebelled in 1776, the newer colony of West Florida, lacking a history of local government and distrustful of the potentially hostile Spanish nearby, remained loyal to the British crown.

In 1778, France declared war on Britain, and in 1779, Spain followed suit. That same year, Spanish Governor Don Bernardo de Galvez and his militia of about 1,400 men from New Orleans and conquered Fort New Richmond. The fort was renamed Fort San Carlos. Once the Spanish controlled Baton Rouge, they ordered its inhabitants to declare their allegiance to Spain or leave. Most residents reluctantly stayed. Galvez subsequently captured Mobile in 1780 and Pensacola in 1781, thus ending the British presence on the Gulf Coast.

[edit] Spanish period (1779-1810)

English continued to be one of the three official languages in Baton Rouge (with French and Spanish) and the Spanish administration was generally tolerant and diplomatic. By the late 1780s, Baton Rouge had began to transform into a flourishing town, with a population in 1788 of 682 people.

A colony of Pennsylvania German farmers settled to the south of town, having moved north to high ground from their original settlement on Bayou Manchac after a series of floods in the 1780s. They were known locally as "Dutch Highlanders" ("Dutch" being an older word for "German") and today’s Highland Road cuts through their original indigo and cotton plantations. The two major roads off of Highland Road, Essen Lane and Siegen Lane were both named after cities in Germany. The Kleinpeter and Staring families (which Staring Lane is named after) have been prominent in Baton Rouge affairs ever since.

In 1800, the Tessier-Lafayette buildings were built on what is now Lafayette Street. The buildings are still standing today.

In 1805, the Spanish administrator, Don Carlos Louis Boucher de Grand Pré, commissioned a layout for what is today know as Spanish Town.

In 1806, Elias Beauregard led a planning commission for what is today known as Beauregard Town.

[edit] The Republic of West Florida (1810)

As a result of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, Spanish West Florida found itself almost entirely surrounded by the United States and its possessions. Fort San Carlos became the only non-American post on the Mississippi River.

Several of the inhabitants of West Florida began to have conventions to plan a rebellion. At least one of these conventions was held in a house on a street in Baton Rouge that has since been renamed Convention St. (in honor of the rebel conventions). On September 23, 1810, the rebels overcame the Spanish garrison at Baton Rouge, and unfurled the flag of the new Republic of West Florida. The flag had a single white star on a blue field. This flag would later become known as the "Bonnie Blue Flag".

Shortly thereafter, the Republic of West Florida petitioned the United States with the request that West Florida be allowed to become an American territory. President James Madison accepted the request, and the American flag went up in in Baton Rouge on December 10, 1810.

[edit] Since Louisiana statehood (1812-1860)

In 1812, Louisiana was admitted to the Union as a State. Baton Rouge's location continued to be a strategic military outpost. Between 1819 and 1822, the U.S. Army built the Pentagon Barracks, which became a major command post up through the Mexican American War (1846-1848). Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Taylor, supervised construction of the Pentagon Barracks and served as its commander. In the 1830s, what is known today as the "Old Arsenal" was built. The unique structure originally served as a powder magazine for the U.S. Army Post.

In 1825, Baton Rouge was visited by the Marquis de Lafayette as part of his triumphal tour of the United States, and he was the guest of honor at a town ball and banquet. To celebrate the occasion, the town renamed Second Street as Lafayette Street.

The old Louisiana State Capitol Castle.
The old Louisiana State Capitol Castle.

In 1846, the Louisiana state legislature in New Orleans decided to move the seat of government to Baton Rouge. As in many states, representatives from other parts of Louisiana feared a concentration of power in the state's largest city. In 1840, New Orlean's population was around 102,000, fourth largest in the U.S. The 1840 population of Baton Rouge, on the other hand, was only 2,269.

New York architect James Dakin was hired to design the new Capital building in Baton Rouge, and rather than mimic the federal Capitol Building in Washington, as so many other states had done, he conceived a Neo-Gothic medieval castle overlooking the Mississippi, complete with turrets and crenellations. In 1859, the Capitol was featured and favorably described in DeBow's Review, the most prestigious periodical in the antebellum South. Mark Twain, however, as a steamboat pilot in the 1850s, loathed the sight of it, "It is pathetic ... that a whitewashed castle, with turrets and things ... should ever have been built in this otherwise honorable place." (Life on the Mississippi, Chapter 40)

Despite his view of the Capitol, Twain was fond of Baton Rouge, "Baton Rouge was clothed in flowers, like a bride — no, much more so; like a greenhouse. For we were in the absolute South now — no modifications, no compromises, no half-way measures. The magnolia trees in the Capitol grounds were lovely and fragrant, with their dense rich foliage and huge snowball blossoms....We were certainly in the South at last; for here the sugar region begins, and the plantations — vast green levels, with sugar-mill and negro quarters clustered together in the middle distance — were in view." (Life on the Mississippi, Chapter 40)

[edit] Civil War period (1860-1865)

Southern secession was triggered by the 1860 election of Republican Abraham Lincoln because slave states feared that he would make good on his promise to stop the expansion of slavery and would thus put it on a course toward extinction. Many Southerners thought that even if Lincoln did not abolish slavery, sooner or later another Northerner would do so, and that it was thus time to quit the Union.

In January 1861, Louisiana elected delegates to a state convention to decide the state's course of action. The convention voted for secession 112 to 17. Baton Rouge raised a number of volunteer companies for Confederate service, including the Pelican Rifles, the Delta Rifles, the Creole Guards, and the Baton Rouge Fencibles (about one-third of the town's male population eventually volunteered).

The Confederates gave up Baton Rouge (which only had a population of 5,429 in 1860) without a fight, deciding to consolidate their forces elsewhere. In May 1862, Union troops entered the city and began the occupation of Baton Rouge. The Confederates only made one attempt to retake Baton Rouge (see main article: Battle of Baton Rouge). The Confederates lost the battle and the town was severely damaged. However, Baton Rouge escaped the level of devastation faced by cities that were major conflict points during the Civil War, and the city still has many structures that predate the Civil War.

In 1886, a statue of a Confederate soldier was dedicated to the memory of those who fought in the Civil War on the corner of Third Street and North Blvd.

[edit] Late 19th and early 20th centuries

Capitol Building.

The mass migration of ex-slaves into urban areas in the South also affected Baton Rouge. It has been estimated that in 1860, blacks made up just under one-third of the town's population. By the 1880 U.S. census, however, Baton Rouge was 60 percent black. Not until the 1920 census would the white population of Baton Rouge again exceed 50 percent. Nevertheless, after the end of Reconstruction the white population regained control of the state's and the city's institutions, and segregation and "Jim Crow" laws were enforced, though leavened with a dose of paternalism (Radical Republican control in Louisiana had never been strong outside of New Orleans in any case).

By 1880, Baton Rouge was recovering economically and psychologically, though the population that year still was only 7,197 and its boundaries had remained the same. The carpetbaggers and scalawags of Reconstruction politics were replaced by middle-class white Democrats who loathed the Republicans, eulogized the Confederacy, and preached white supremacy. This "Bourbon" era was short-lived in Baton Rouge, however, replaced by a more management-oriented local style of conservatism in the 1890s and on into the early 20th century. Increased civic-mindedness and the arrival of the Louisville, New Orleans, and Texas Railroad led to the development of more forward-looking leadership, which included the construction of a new waterworks, widespread electrification of homes and businesses, and the passage of several large bond issues for the construction of public buildings, new schools, paving of streets, drainage and sewer improvements, and the establishment of a scientific municipal public health department.

At the same time, the state government was constructing in Baton Rouge a new Institute for the Blind and a School for the Deaf. LSU moved from New Orleans to temporary quarters at the old arsenal and barracks and Southern University relocated from New Orleans to Scotlandville (just north of Baton Rouge at the time but now within the city limits). Finally, legal challenges to the Standard Oil Company in Texas led its board of directors to move its refining operations in 1909 to the banks of the Mississippi just above town; Exxon is still the largest private employer in Baton Rouge.

In the 1930s, the new Louisiana State Capitol building was built under the direction of Huey P. Long, and became the tallest capitol building in the United States. The old state capitol is now a museum.

In the late 1940s, Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish became a consolidated city/parish with a mayor/president in its government. It was also one of the first cities in the nation to consolidate, and the parish surrounds three incorporated cities: Baker, Zachary, and Central.

[edit] 2000s

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In the 2000s, Baton Rouge has proven to be one of the fastest growing cities in the South, not so much in population but in technology. Baton Rouge is well wired, and ranks #19 as one of the most wired cities (more wired than New Orleans, and most of the 25 largest cities in the United States) There are now many sky-eye traffic cameras at major intersections and countless other advances. Although, Baton Rouge's city population was not growing fast, it has surpassed Mobile, Alabama, Shreveport, and many other currently declining cities. After the 2000 census, Baton Rouge had a slight decline in population, with 224,000 from recent estimates. This is attributed by some to white flight.

Baton Rouge was rated one of the largest mid-sized business cities, and was also a faster growing metropolitan area than metropolitan New Orleans. It was also one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. (under 1 million), with 600,000 in 2000 and 700,000 since 2000 (although the numbers are shifted since Katrina). It is projected that its metro population could increase far past 1 million in the 2010s.

Aside from politics, there is also a vibrant mix of cultures found throughout Louisiana, thus forming the basis of the city motto: "Authentic Louisiana at every turn".

[edit] Hurricane Katrina

On August 29, 2005, Baton Rouge was heavily impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Although the damage was relatively minor compared to New Orleans (generally light to moderate except for fallen trees), Baton Rouge experienced power outages and service disruptions due to the hurricane. In addition, the city provided refuge for residents from New Orleans. Baton Rouge served as a headquarters for Federal (on site) and State emergency coordination and disaster relief in Louisiana.

The city executed massive rescue efforts for those who evacuated the New Orleans area. Schools and convention centers such as the Baton Rouge River Center opened their doors to evacuees, and churches around the city were sometimes serving two hot meals per day for whoever could come. LSU's basketball arena, the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and the adjacent LSU Field House were converted into emergency hospitals. Victims were flown in by helicopter (landing in the LSU Track Stadium) and brought by the hundreds in buses to be treated. Here patients were triaged and, depending on their status, were either treated immediately or transported further west to Lafayette, Louisiana. As a result of this the LSU football team was forced to play their originally home scheduled game against Arizona State in Arizona, which they won.

As a result, by August 31, TV station WAFB had reported that the city's population had more than doubled from about 228,000 to at least 450,000 since the mandatory evacuation had been issued. That day, Mayor-President Kip Holden was expected to host a conference to discuss how to effectively enroll evacuated children into the East Baton Rouge Parish public school system. Traffic in the city has been more congested than usual since the evacuation of New Orleans. The most heavily traveled roads were I-10, I-12, Florida Boulevard, Bluebonnet Boulevard, Perkins Road, College Drive, Greenwell Springs Road, and Airline Highway. All have experienced traffic levels beyond any conceivable capacity.

Multiple funds erupted in the city for donations, including the Baton Rouge Area Foundation's Katrina funds for evacuees living in Baton Rouge.

As the city is more inland compared to New Orleans, many speculated that the population of the Baton Rouge area would increase dramatically in the near future as many New Orleans residents and businesses will move inland in fear of more hurricanes and possible further consequences. That theory proved to last only temporarily, as Baton Rouge has seen the largest decline in evacuee population and most relocated businesses have returned to the greater New Orleans region.

Immediately after Katrina, the Baton Rouge real-estate market experienced dramatic business; any property placed on the market would sell within hours due to extreme demand.[1] The market has since returned to its pre-Katrina status.

[edit] New Orleans evacuee exodus

Even though Baton Rouge held the most displaced citizens from the New Orleans area following the effects of hurricane Katrina and the levee failures that followed (around 250,000 evacuees resided in Baton Rouge in October 2005). The housing market in Baton Rouge was not stable enough to accommodate the evacuees and the infrastructure could not handle the possible "new residents" and therefore led to between 215,000 to 230,000 evacuees leaving the area. To date (October 2006) Baton Rouge has seen the largest decline of evacuee population out of all cities that had a major number of evacuees with most residents returning to the greater New Orleans area. To date Baton Rouge has between 20,000 to 35,000 evacuees with the majority claiming to be "temporary citizens" showing a "strong desire" to return to their home towns. The exodus of the large amounts of evacuees is the exact opposite of what the Baton Rouge chamber and Mayor-President Kip Holden anticipated. They anticipated most New Orleans evacuees to make Baton Rouge their permanent home but with so many evacuees having left the area it disputes their earlier claims and brings into question the truth about the "growth" in the area.

[edit] Crime

Although crime in Louisiana's capital city reportedly skyrocketed in the immediate aftermath of New Orleans' citizen arrival, the vast majority of such anecdotal reports have been effectively refuted. Nonetheless, the original population of the city, already inured to crime rates at least triple the national average, clamors for more effective police protection in the light of anticipated complaints resulting from the dramatic population increase. However, in light of the information that so many evacuees have left the area critics argue whether it would make sense to spend so much money for services to accommodate "temporary residents" because as even more evacuees will leave the area the city of Baton Rouge will be left with "excessive force" with tax payers stuck paying the bill for them.

In, perhaps, an unrelated vein, during the early stages of the year 2006, there has been a well publicized campaign by local black leaders and citizens to investigate apparently inordinate incidents of excessive force by police officers against black persons. Ironically, this comes just after Baton Rouge's first black mayor was able to deliver raises to the police officers in response to a long campaign by the members of the department.

[edit] Geography and climate

Baton Rouge is located at 30°27′29″N, 91°8′25″W (30.458090, -91.140229)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 204.8 km² (79.1 mi²). 199.0 km² (76.8 mi²) of it is land and 5.7 km² (2.2 mi²) of it (2.81%) is water.

Baton Rouge along with Tallahasee, FL and Austin, TX is one of the southernmost capital cities in the lower 48 U.S

[edit] Climate

Like New Orleans, Baton Rouge is humid-subtropical, with mild, short, wet, and somewhat warm winters and long, hot, humid, even wet summers. Even though snow is almost unheard of, the last snowfall took place in 2004; the snow took only hours to melt.

[edit] Disasters

Baton Rouge rarely suffers from natural disasters. Earthquakes are very rare (unlike further north up the Mississippi River). The Mississippi River poses little threat to the highly populated sections of the city because it is built naturally on bluffs that overlook the river. However, the outlying areas near the Amite and Comite Rivers are very easily flooded if it were soaked by a large amount of rain. Baton Rouge rarely sees tornadoes, and storm surges are impossible because of its distance inland.

Tropical storms (and, occasionally, hurricanes) hit the Baton Rouge area on a regular basis, but massive hurricane damage is usually rare as the city is slightly inland (compared to New Orleans), but a powerful hurricane may cause extensive damage to the area, and bringing storm surge up to I-10 and I-12.

[edit] Demographics

Image:Baton Rouge Governmental Building.JPG
City of Baton Rouge
Population by year [2]
1950 125,629
1960 152,419
1970 165,963
1980 219,419
1990 219,531
2000 227,818
2004 224,097 (estimate)

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 227,818 people, 88,973 households, and 52,672 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,144.7/km² (2,964.7/mi²). There were 97,388 housing units at an average density of 489.4/km² (1,267.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.02% African American, 45.70% White, 0.18% Native American, 2.62% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.

There were 88,973 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 17.5% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,368, and the median income for a family was $40,266. Males had a median income of $34,893 versus $23,115 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,512. About 18.0% of families and 24.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

These figures shifted dramatically in September 2005, in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as reported in the Baton Rouge Advocate of October 5 2005. The mayor's office estimated that the population of the parish just before the hurricane was about 415,000. Two weeks later, it had reached between 800,000 and 1,000,000 based on careful estimates extrapolated from traffic counts. The Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce guessed, based on its own study, that the area had absorbed about 235,000 evacuees from the New Orleans area, of whom about 160,000 stayed in private homes with family and friends, 41,000 in leased apartments or houses, 32,000 in hotels and motels, 20,000 in shelters, and 10,000 in unsold new homes, college dormitories, and other facilities. To date between 215,000 to 230,000 evacuees have left the area. Once again those numbers are significantly lower due to the fact that evacuees have left.

Both the mayor's office and the chamber are expecting permanent growth in the Baton Rouge area, after most New Orleanians return to their homes, to be between 25,000 and 50,000. The growth is expected to be significantly lower becauase so many evacuees have left the area only within one years time with about 20,000 to 35,000 remaining in the area and of those remaining the majority are expected to return to Greater New Orleans which puts the future of growth of the population at a number much smaller than anticipated.

A related figure is the total enrollment in the parish's public schools, which was 46,580 on the day before the hurricane and 52,518 on October 1st. The sudden increase in enrollment has placed great strain on the public school system, with night classes being scheduled for many evacuee students. These figures also do not take into account those private (mostly Catholic) school students from New Orleans who enrolled in the Baton Rouge counterparts of their own schools -- often being taught by evacuated instructors, many of them members of Catholic teaching orders. However, for the fall of 2006 the number of evacuated students was much smaller with about an extra 3600 students remaining in East Baton Rouge Parish which would put the enrollment at 50180 and that number is expected to decline next school year.

The Advocate of February 28 2006 published newly determined official population estimates from several state agencies. David Bowman, assistant director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, who was appointed to coordinate a group of experts working on these estimates, noted that these numbers will play a major role in government funding, both in those parishes that have suffered major losses in population and in those that have gained it. Louisiana Tech University, which has regular responsibility for providing parish population estimates to the State Treasurer’s office, estimated the population of East Baton Rouge Parish in July 2005 at 417,218. Their estimate for the Metro Area (consisting of East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Iberville, Livingston, and West Baton Rouge Parishes) at that time was 662,991. Bowman and Karen Patterson, the Louisiana State Demographer, consider the best current estimates for January 2006 to be those produced by the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health of the Department of Health and Hospitals: 527,709 for East Baton Rouge Parish (November 2006 that number is lower than 450,000 and 807,754 for the Metro Area which in NOvember 2006 is down to 700,000. These represent increases of 26.5% and 21.8%, respectively which by November 2006 are significantly lower than those totals. (They also estimate that the total population of Louisiana declined during the same period from 4,523,628 to 4,137,915, a loss of 8.5%, most of it due to post-hurricane out-migration.)

As new businesses migrate to the Baton Rouge area, office towers may soon be built in the downtown area. One project includes a proposal for a condominum tower on the river, to become a new highrise building in the city. As of November 2006 New Orleans has 95% of its medium and big businesses return to the area and once again a high expected increase for the Baton Rouge area is not the case.

[edit] Tallest buildings

Image:RiverRoad ariel lg.jpg
Image:BR Twin Towers 2.JPG
Name Stories Height
Lafayette Heights (RiverPlace Condominiums) (under construction) 36
Louisiana State Capitol 34 460 ft (140 m)
Riverfront Office Tower (proposed) 25
One American Place 24 310 ft (94 m)
JPMorgan Chase Tower 21 277 ft (84 m)
Riverside Tower North 20 229 ft (70 m)
Marriott Hotel Baton Rouge 22 224 ft (68 m)
Laurel Street Tower (on-hold) 19
Two City Plaza (approved) 17
Catholic-Presbyterian Apartments 14
Dean Tower 14
Galvez Office Building 12
Kirby Smith Hall (LSU) 13
Memorial Tower (LSU) 175 ft (52m)
Saint Joseph's Cathedral 165 ft (50m)
Louisiana State Office Building 12 160 ft (49 m)
Jacobs Plaza 13 144 ft (44 m)
Bluebonnet Towers (3 residential towers) 12
LaSalle Office Building 12
Shaw Plaza 12
Wooddale State Office Building 12
Hilton Capital Center 11 132 ft (40 m)
Sheraton Baton Rouge Convention Center Hotel 10 125 ft (38 m)

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/?id=102363/

[edit] Neighborhoods

  • Downtown - Baton Rouge's central business district.
  • Spanish Town - Located between the Mississippi River and I-110, it is one of the city's trendiest neighborhoods and home to the State Capitol Building and the city's largest Mardi Gras Parade.
  • Beauregard Town - A historic district between the downtown area and Old South Baton Rouge. Many of the homes have been renovated and are used as law offices.
  • Garden District - The Garden District is located in Baton Rouge's Mid-City area where Park Boulevard intersects Government Street. The Garden District is an established historic area with many upscale homes.
  • Old South Baton Rouge - An old section of the city directly south of downtown and Beauregard Town, it stretches south from I-10 and along the river to Brightside Lane. After years of neglect and a crumbling infrastructure, the city is targeting the neighborhood in the city's largest ever revitalization project.
  • LSU/Lakeshore - Home to LSU's main campus, the University Lakes and the City Park lake. It includes neighborhoods like University Hills, University Gardens, College Town, and Arlington. Homes directly on the lakeshore are some of the most expensive within the city limits, and the lakeshore itself is a popular place for jogging, walking and bicycling.
  • Mid-City - Bound by I-110 on the west, College and N. Foster on the east, Choctaw to the north and I-10 to the south. It includes several neighborhoods like Ogden Park, Bernard Terrace, and Capital Heights. Always a socially and economically diverse area, Mid City is quickly regaining popularity due to urban renewal and gentrification.
  • Brookstown - Is bordered by Airline Highway to the east, Hollywood St to the north, McClelland St to the west and Evangeline St to the south.
  • Melrose Place - Melrose Place is home to BRCC and is between N. Ardenwood and N. Foster Rd.
  • Melrose Place East/Mall City - Is bordered by Florida Blvd (US 190) to the south, Greenwell Springs Rd to the north, Airline Highway to the east, and N. Ardenwood Dr to the west. However the border is traditionally between Mall at Cortana and the old Bon Marche Mall.
  • Inniswold - Area around Bluebonnet Rd between Jefferson Hwy and I-10.
  • Scotlandville - Area in north Baton Rouge between Baton Rouge Metro Airport and Southern University.
  • Goodwood - an older subdivision located between Government Street, Jefferson Highway, Airline Highway, and Old Hammond Highway.
  • Southdowns - an older subdivision located between Perkins Road and Bayou Duplantier, also between the University Lake and Pollard Estates. Hosts one of Baton Rouge's Mardi Gras parades, on the Friday night before Mardi Gras.
  • Gardere - an area using Gardere Lane (LA Highway 327 Spur) as its main artery. Found between Nicholson Drive and Highland Road, located near St. Jude the Apostle Church. Dominated by low-rent housing prior to Hurricane Katrina.
  • Westminster - Just north of Inniswold, around the Baton Rouge Country Club.
  • Oak Hills Place -Bordered by Bluebonnet Blvd to the west, Perkins Road to the north, and Highland Road to the south. South of the Mall of Louisiana.
  • Broadmoor - Founded in 1950, Broadmoor is a very nice, well established neighborhood with many fine examples of Mid-Century Modern Architecture. Florida Blvd. is to the north, Airline Hwy. is to the west, Old Hammond Hwy. to the south, and Sharp Rd. is to the west. Broadmoor is host to a dedicated civic association that concentrates on neighborhood preservation as well as beautification. Because of the neighborhoods' geographical location within the center of the City of Baton Rouge, the Broadmoor Resident's Association adopted the slogan: "Broadmoor, The Heart Of Baton Rouge" ©2005 (Used by permission).
  • Shenandoah - A very large subdivision, built in the 1970s and 1980s, located between South Harrell's Ferry and Tiger Bend Roads with its westernmost boundary Jones Creek Road. Schools in this subdivision include: Shenandoah Elementary and St. Michael the Archangel.
  • Sherwood Forest - A large, established neighborhood with large, older homes. Located just east of "Broadmoor." Sherwood Forest Blvd. is to the south, Flannery Rd. is to the west, Florida Blvd. is to the north, and Sharp Rd. is to the east.
  • Village St. George - located off Siegen Lane near the Mall of Louisiana. Named after nearby St. George Catholic Church.
  • Brownfields - located near Baker off Comite Drive and bounded between Foster Road and Plank Road.
  • Zion City - Between Hooper Road and Airline Highway.
  • Monticello - located off Greenwell Springs Road between the Baton Rouge City Limits and Central City, site of Greenbriar Elementary School.
  • Merrydale - located in northern Baton Rouge between Mickens Road and Airline Highway, site of Glen Oaks High School.
  • Old Jefferson -located off Jefferson Highway near Antioch and Tiger Bend Roads. Site of Most Blessed Sacrament School and Woodlawn High School.

[edit] Points of Interest

[edit] Media

Greater Baton Rouge is well served by television and radio. The market is the 93rd largest Designated Market Area (DMA) in the United States, serving 322,540 homes or 0.290% of the U.S. population.

[edit] Television

Major television stations serving the area include WAFB 9 (CBS), WBRZ 2 (ABC), WVLA 33 (NBC), WGMB 44 (FOX), WBRL 21 (The CW), and WBXH 39 (MNTV). PBS station include WLPB 27. KPBN 11, KZUP 19, WBTR 41, also operates as independent stations in the area, and WLFT 30 providing mainly religious programming. Other cable-only stations include: Metro 21, Cox 4, and Catholic Life Channel 15.

[edit] Periodicals

The major daily newspaper is The Advocate, publishing since 1925. Prior to October of 1991, Baton Rouge also had an evening newspaper, The State-Times. Other alternative weekly publications include: 225, LSU Daily Reveille, Tiger Weekly, and Greater Baton Rouge Business Report.

[edit] Radio

[edit] Infrastructure

[edit] Health and medicine

Baton Rouge is served by a number of hospitals:

[edit] Schools

East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools, the city's school district, is one of the area's largest school districts. EBRPS contains approximately 90 individual schools: 56 elementary schools, 16 middle schools, and 18 high schools.

There are also a large number of private schools in Baton Rouge. They include

Several institutions of higher education also exist within the city, including

[edit] Transportation

Baton Rouge is connected by the following major routes: I-10 (via the Horace Wilkinson Bridge), I-12 (Republic of West Florida Parkway), I-110 (Martin Luther King Freeway), Airline Highway (US 61), Florida Boulevard (US 190) (via the Huey P. Long Bridge), Greenwell Springs Road (LA 37), Plank Road/22nd Street (LA 67), Nicholson Drive (LA 30), Jefferson Highway (LA 73), Louisiana Highway 1 (LA 1) and Scotland/Baker/Zachary Highway (LA 19). The business routes of US 61/190 run west along Florida Blvd. from Airline Hwy. to River Road downtown. The routes also run along River Rd., Chippewa Street and Scenic Highway from Chippewa to Airline. US 190 joins US 61 on Airline Hwy from Florida Blvd. to Scenic Hwy, where the two highways split. US 190 continues westward on Airline to the Huey P. Long Bridge while US 61 heads north on Scenic Highway. The city is served by the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.

Public transit is provided by the Capitol Area Transit System (CATS). Due to the increase in population following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, RTA buses from New Orleans are being brought into Baton Rouge to supplement CATS. The funding for the extra New Orleans RTA buses will run out on November 30, 2006, and those buses will return to New Orleans.

There are plans to create a BRT system as well as extending I-110 to a northern loop/bypass for the Baton Rouge area. There are also plans to improve, extend, and add more roads to the area.

[edit] Utilities

Electricity services for Baton Rouge are provided by Entergy, and DEMCO. Waste pickup is provided by Allied Waste Services, formally BFI.

[edit] Notable inhabitants, past and present

[edit] Sports figures

[edit] Entertainers


[edit] Politicians

[edit] Military commanders

[edit] Intellectuals

[edit] Sister cities

After a visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan), Mayor-President Kip Holden unveiled plans to pursue a sister city agreement with a second Taiwanese city, Taipei.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Image:Commons-logo.svg
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
For a list (updated almost daily) of "Disaster Assistance Information & Contact Numbers," go to the East Baton Rouge Parish Library website and click on "Disaster Assistance Information".

[edit] Authorities

[edit] News sources

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