Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge (/ˌbætən ˈruːʒ/ ⓘ BAT-ən ROOZH; French: Bâton-Rouge, pronounced [bɑtɔ̃ ʁuʒ]) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it had a population of 227,470 as of 2020;[4] it is the seat of Louisiana's most populous parish (county-equivalent),[5][6] East Baton Rouge Parish,[7] and the center of Louisiana's second-largest metropolitan area, Greater Baton Rouge.[5]
"Baton Rouge" redirects here. For other uses, see Baton Rouge (disambiguation).
Baton Rouge
Bâton-Rouge (French)
1699
1721
January 16, 1817
88.52 sq mi (229.27 km2)
86.32 sq mi (223.56 km2)
2.20 sq mi (5.71 km2)
79.11 sq mi (204.89 km2)
46 ft (14 m)
227,470
US: 99th
2,635.32/sq mi (1,017.50/km2)
631,326 (US: 67th)
1,592.9/sq mi (615.0/km2)
870,569 (US: 66th)
Baton Rougean
UTC−5 (CDT)
22-05000
The Baton Rouge area owes its historical importance to its strategic site upon the Istrouma Bluff, the first natural bluff upriver from the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. This allowed development of a business quarter safe from seasonal flooding. In addition, it built a levee system stretching from the bluff southward to protect the riverfront and low-lying agricultural areas.[8]
Baton Rouge has developed as a culturally rich center, with settlement by immigrants from numerous European nations and African peoples brought to North America as slaves or indentured servants. It was ruled by seven different governments: French, British, and Spanish in the colonial era; the Republic of West Florida; the United States as a territory and a state; the Confederate States of America; and the United States again since the end of the American Civil War. Throughout the governance of these various occupying national governments of Baton Rouge, the city and its metropolitan area have developed as a multicultural region practicing many religious traditions from Catholicism to Protestantism and Louisiana Voodoo. The area has also become home to a sizeable lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community,[9] and it elected the first open LGBT politician for the Louisiana Public Service Commission.[10]
Baton Rouge is a major, growing industrial, petrochemical, medical, research, motion picture,[11] and technology center of the American South.[12] It is the location of Louisiana State University—the LSU system's flagship university and the state's largest institution of higher education.[13] It is also the location of Southern University, the flagship institution of the Southern University System—the nation's only historically black college system.[14]
The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is the tenth-largest in the U.S. by tonnage shipped, and it is the farthest upstream Mississippi River port capable of handling Panamax ships.[15][16] Major corporations participating in the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area's economy include Amazon, Lamar Advertising Company, BBQGuys, Marucci Sports, Piccadilly Restaurants, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, ExxonMobil, Brown & Root, Shell, and Dow Chemical Company.
Crime[edit]
Since the 21st century, Baton Rouge has had one of the worst crime rates in the nation. Baton Rouge has approximately 54 crimes per 1,000 residents which is higher than the national average of 23 and the Louisiana average of 34.[84] In 2021, Baton Rouge set a homicide record with 149 homicides. In 2022, Forbes ranked Baton Rouge the 8th most dangerous city in the U.S.[85] For the first time in Baton Rouge's history, the homicide count has reached at least 100 for four consecutive years (2020 - 2023).[86] Historically Baton Rouge is not known for much gang activity, but since the 2020s gang activity has become a major concern. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff Office estimated 80% of crime in the city is committed by gang members so the office established a gang task unit in 2024 that focuses on dismantling local gangs.[87][88] City leaders frequently discuss new strategies to hopefully lower crime around the city.[89]
Military installations[edit]
Baton Rouge is home station to the Louisiana Army National Guard 769th Engineer Battalion,[159] which had units deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The armory near LSU has three company-sized units: 769th HSC (headquarters support company); 769th FSC (forward support company); and the 927th Sapper Company. Other units of the battalion are located at Napoleonville (928th Sapper Company); Baker, Louisiana (926th MAC mobility augmentation company); and Gonzales, Louisiana (922nd Horizontal Construction Company).
The 769th Engineer Battalion is part of the 225th Engineer Brigade, headquartered in Pineville, Louisiana, at Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville. Four engineer battalions and an independent bridging company are in the 225th Engineer Brigade, making it the largest engineer group in the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Baton Rouge is also home to 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment (3/23),[160] a reserve infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps located throughout the Midwestern United States consisting of about 800 marines and sailors. The battalion was first formed in 1943 for service in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II, taking part in a number of significant battles including those at Saipan and Iwo Jima before being deactivated at the end of the war. In the early 1960s, the unit was reactivated as a reserve battalion. The battalion is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri, with outlying units throughout the Midwestern United States. 3/23 falls under the command of the 23rd Marine Regiment and the 4th Marine Division.
