ZIP Code 70814

Baton Rouge (BAT-n ROOZH; from French Bâton-Rouge'red stick') is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 United States census, the city-proper had a population of 227,470; its consolidated population was 456,781 in 2020. The city is the center of the Greater Baton Rouge area, which is Louisiana's second-largest metropolitan area. It is the location of Louisiana State University, the state's flagship university and the nation's only historically black college system. Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, research, motion picture, and growing technology center. 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. It was ruled by seven different governments: French, British, and Spanish in the colonial era; the Republic of West Florida; as a United States territory and state; Confederate, and United States again since the end of the American Civil War. The area has also become home to a sizeable lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and elected the first open LGBT politician for the Louisiana Public Service Commission. The Port of Greater Baton Rogue is the tenth-largest in the U.-S. by tonnage shipped, and the farthest upstream Mississippi River port capable of handling Panamax ships.

History

Baton Rouge is the primary city name, but also Scotlandville are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Baton Rouge. Human habitation in the Baton Rouge area has been dated to 1200-06500 BC, based on evidence found along the Mississippi, Comite, and Amite rivers. Earthwork mounds were built by hunter-gatherer societies in the Middle Archaic period, from roughly the fourth millennium BC. The early Muskogean societies were the bearers of the Mississippian culture, which formed around 800 AD and extended in a vast network across the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. In 1755, when French-speaking settlers of Acadia in Canada's Maritime provinces were expelled by British forces, many took up residence in rural Louisiana. Popularly known as Cajuns, the descendants of the Acadians maintained a separate culture. Baton Rouge was incorporated in 1817. In 1822, the Pentagon Barracks complex of buildings was completed. The site has been used by the Spanish, French, British, Confederate States Army, and United States Army and was part of the short-lived Republic of West Florida. In 1951, ownership of the barracks was transferred to the state of Louisiana. In 1976, the complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been described as the "most distinguished example of Gothic Revival" architecture in the state. By the outbreak of the American Civil War, nearly 5,500 people were living in Baton Rouge, nearly half of the population of the state's capital city. In the state legislature in 1846, Baton Rouge as new capital to replace "sinful" New Orleans.

Geography

Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana and the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish. It is the third-southernmost capital city in the continental United States, after Austin, Texas, and Tallahassee, Florida. The city has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with mild winters, hot and humid summers, moderate to heavy rainfall, and the possibility of damaging winds and tornadoes yearlong. On September 1, 2008, Hurricane Gustav struck the city and became the worst hurricane ever to hit the Baton Rouge area. The area is usually free from extremes in temperature, with some cold winter fronts, but those are usually brief. The yearly average temperature for Baton Rouge is 68.4 °F (20.2 °C) while the average temperature in January is 51.7°F (10.9°C) and July is 83.0 °F [28.3 °C] The city is on the first set of bluffs north of the Mississippi River Delta's coastal plains. Because of its prominent location along the river and on the bluffs, which prevents flooding, the French built a fort in the city in 1719. Baton Rouge lies on a low elevation of 56 to a little over 62 feet above sea level. It has an area of 79.15 square miles (205.0 km²), of which 76.95 sq miles (199.3 km²) are land and 2.2sq miles (5.7km²) (2.81%) are covered by water.

Demographics

Baton Rouge's population reached its first historic high of 220,394 residents at the 1980 U.S. census. The city's population has expanded and contracted twice: from 219,531 in 1990, to 227,818 in 2000the second historic highand 229,493, the city-proper's third historic high in 2010. The remaining racial and ethnic makeup for the city in 2020 was 34.22% non-Hispanic white, 0.17% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.21% Asian, 0.03% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 2.89% two or more races, and 5.95% Hispanic and Latino American of any race. Christianity has remained the most-practiced religion for the Baton Rouge area, being influenced by Catholicism and Protestantism. In 2020, ARDA reported there were 61 congregations and 174,410 Catholics within the metropolitan area; its Catholic population is primarily served by the Latin Church's Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rougea suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans. Non-denominational Protestants were spread out in 25 churches numbering 102,500 to separate to separate. Notable Christian bodies in the area have included Anglicans, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Latter-Day Saints, Lutherans, and the Eastern Orthodox among others collectively make up 14% of the Sperling's other Christian demographic demographic. The metropolitan population increased to 3.6% as a result of suburbanization in 2019, to an estimated 854,884.

Economy

Baton Rouge is the farthest inland port on the Mississippi River that can accommodate ocean-going tankers and cargo carriers. ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge Refinery complex is the fifth-largest oil refinery in the country; it is the world's tenth largest. The city is the home of Louisiana State University, which employs over 5,000 academic staff. The film industry in Louisiana has increased dramatically since the beginning of the 21st century, aided by generous tax incentives adopted by the state in 2002. In September 2013, the Baton Rouge Film Commission reported that the industry had brought more than $90 million into the local economy in 2013. Baton Rouge's largest production facility is the Celtic Media Centre, opened in 2006 by a local group in collaboration with Raleigh Studios of Los Angeles. Other notable companies headquartered in the city include BBQGuys, Marucci Sports, Piccadilly Restaurants, and Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers. Notable corporations which have established offices or distribution centers in the Baton Baton Rouge area have included Amazon in 2021, and Microsoft. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company had an office in Baton Rouge before being sold in 2017. In 2009, the city was ranked by CNN as the 9th-best place in the nation to start a new business. The state government consolidated all branches of state government downtown at the Capitol Park complex. The Baton Rouge medical district is developing a medical district expected to be similar to the Texas Medical Center. LSU and Tulane University have both announced plans to construct satellite medical campuses in Baton Baton.

Culture and arts

Baton Rouge is a culturally distinct area of Louisiana. Cajun and Creole Catholic culture from Greater New Orleans and Acadiana is syncretized with the African American Baptist culture of the Florida Parishes and South Mississippi. The city has an expanding visual arts scene, which is centered downtown. Professional performing arts organizations include Theatre Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, Opera Louisiane and Playmakersa professional Children's Theatre. Baton Rouge hosted the Miss USA Pageant again on July 12, 2015, which was won by actress and Miss Oklahoma Brittany Rancic. It was chosen to host the 2014 Pageant by Miss Nevada, Nia Sanchez, with Miss Louisiana USA Brittany Roberts coming home in the fourth semifinal. It is home to the Louisiana Art and Science Museum, which contains the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, traveling art exhibits, space displays, and an ancient Egyptian section. The Baton Rouge Gallery, offering a range of local art, is scattered throughout the city. It has several designated arts and cultural districts, the most prominent of which are the Mid-City Cultural District and the Perkins Road Arts District. It includes almost 180 musicians under the age of 20, including the Louisiana Youth Orchestra, which performs more than 60 concerts annually. It also has a youth writing organization, Forward Arts, which won the international youth poetry slam, Brave New Voices in 2017, and was the first team from the Southern United States to ever win the competition.

Sports

Baton Rouge has had multiple minor-league baseball teams, soccer teams, indoor football teams, a basketball team, and a hockey team. The city also has an Australian rules football team, the Baton Rouge Tigers, which began playing in 2004 and competes in the USAFL. Baton Rouge is home to Red Stick Roller Derby, a WFTDA Division 3 roller derby league. In 2022, it was announced USL League Two would establish a team in Baton Rouge named LA Parish AC, following the establishment of other teams in Lafayette and Shreveport. The LSU Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars are NCAA Division I athletic programs with the LSU Tigers football and Southern Jaguars football teams being the local college American football teams. College baseball, basketball, and gymnastics are also popular. The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club or Baton Rouge Redfish 7, which started playing in 1977, has won numerous conference championships. It is also home to Baton Rouge Soccer Club in the Gulf Coast Premier League and the LSU Rougarou, a college summer league baseball team and member of the Texas Collegiate League. It was announced in 2012 that Baton Rouge would become the home of the Louisiana Saints in the NFL's New Orleans Saints. The Louisiana Saints are a professional football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The team plays in the National Football League (NFL) and the National Rugby Football Union (NRF). The team is currently playing in the Deep South rugby Football Union. The club is known as the "Redfish 7" because of the team's nickname.

Parks and recreation

Baton Rouge has an extensive park collection presided over by the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) The city is home to 7 national protected areas, and at least 15 places on the National Register of Historic Places. The Baton Rouge Zoo is also run through BREC and includes over 1,800 species. The largest park is City Park near the Louisiana State University flagship campus. Another notable park is Highland Road Community Park, spanning over 144 acres (58 ha). The city also has a national cemetery, a botanic garden, and an arboretum. The city's parks are overseen by BREC, which is also responsible for the city's Zoo and City Park. The parks are run through the parish, which has its own recreation and park commission, and is run by the parish. The zoo is also overseen by the Parish, which also runs the Baton Rouge National Cemetery and a national botanic gardens. The park system is overseen by a parish-based recreation and parks commission, which includes the parish's parks and recreation director. The state park system has a park system that is run through its parish, and includes a park that is part of the National Park Service. It is also the home of the Louisiana National Cemetery. The national cemetery has over 2,000 acres of land, and the city has a number of other national parks, including the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area and Independence Park Botanic Gardens. Baton Rouge is also home to a national historic site, the Louisiana Agricultural and Mechanical Museum.

Government

The city of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge have been run by a consolidated government since 1947. Under this system, Baton Rouge has the uncommon office of "mayor-president" The mayor-president's duties include setting the agenda for the government and managing the government's day-to-day functions. The mayor does not set the city's public policy because that is the Metropolitan Council's role, but the mayor does have some influence on the policy through appointments and relationships with Council members. The Metro Council is the legislative branch of the Baton Rouge government. Its 12 district council members are elected from single-member districts. The Mayor-President Pro Tempore presides over the council's meetings and assumes the role of the mayor-President if the Mayor- president is unable to serve. The council members serve four-year terms and can hold office for three terms. In the late 1960s, Joe Delpit, a local African-American businessman who owns the successful and still operating Chicken Shack, was elected as the first black council member in Baton Rouge. As in other cities of Louisiana and the South, African Americans had been largely disenfranchised for decades into the 20th century. In 2015, the Chicken Shack was reported as the oldest continually operating business in the city. The city and parish councils consolidated to form the East Baton Baton Rouge Parish Metropolitan Council. The Council makes policies for the following: the City and Parish General Funds, all districts created by the council, the Greater Baton Rouge Airport District, the Public Transportation Commission.

Education

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College is the flagship campus of the Louisiana State University System. Southern University and A&M College, generally known as Southern University or SU, is the nation's only historically black land-grant university system. Baton Rouge Community College is an open-admission, two-year post-secondary public community college, established on June 28, 1995. The East Baton Rouge Parish School System is the second-largest public school system in the state and contains nine U.S. Blue Ribbon schools and a nationally renowned Magnet program. The State Library of Louisiana provides Louisiana residents with millions of items with its collections, electronic resources, and the statewide network for lending. The library also has a computerized database of more than two million names that has various information about these people including census, marriage, and social security filing information. The city of Baton Rouge is also home to 27 charter schools with a total enrollment of an estimated 11,000 students as of 2020. The school system serves more than 42,850 students and with the help of 6,250 teachers and faculty, the district has shown growth and increase in its District Performance Score. The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council appoints the seven-member board and then the board appoints a director. According to its website, all branches are open seven days a week to assist the public with reference and information and computer access. The main library at Goodwood houses genealogy and local history archives. The state Archives' Main Research Library is located in Baton Rouge, as well.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana = 16.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 13. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 30. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Baton Rouge = 5.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 227,470 individuals with a median age of 32.3 age the population dropped by -1.29% in Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,635.32 residents per square mile of area (1,017.50/km²). There are average 2.36 people per household in the 90,471 households with an average household income of $34,604 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.10% of the available work force and has dropped -5.46% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.98%. The number of physicians in Baton Rouge per 100,000 population = 282.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Baton Rouge = 67.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 116. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 214. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 41.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 26, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana which are owned by the occupant = 46.37%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 37 years with median home cost = $126,920 and home appreciation of -3.64%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $2.12 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,941 per student. There are 16.1 students for each teacher in the school, 442 students for each Librarian and 195 students for each Counselor. 2.58% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 19.45% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 13.20% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).