About Baton Rouge
The satellite view shows Baton Rouge, the seat of East Baton Rouge Parish (county), the capital and second largest city (behind
New Orleans) of the
State of Louisiana in the
United States. The river port city is located in the southeastern part of the state along the Mississippi River, about 80 mi (130 km) northwest of
New Orleans.
Aerial view of Downtown Baton Rouge with state capitol building on the left.
Image: Formulanone
The city began its existence in 1719 as a French military post. The French were forced to cede the fort and settlement to Great Britain in 1762. Spain captured the town in 1779, and it became part of Spanish Florida. In 1803 the United States bought a big chunk of land from
France (Louisiana Purchase), the bargain doubled the size of the United States, but Baton Rouge was not part of the deal. The United States annexed the town in 1815. Two years later in 1817, Baton Rouge was incorporated, it became Louisiana's state capitol in 1849.
During the Civil War, the capital was moved to Shreveport. Baton Rouge was made capital of Louisiana again in 1882.
In the 19th century, the city became a hub for steamboat trade and transportation, and its population grew steadily.
Today, Baton Rouge (from French, meaning Red Stick) has a population of about 225,000 inhabitants (est. 2018).
Louisiana's capital is still an important transportation hub. Baton Rouge's busy port is the furthest inland port on the Mississippi River that can accommodate ocean-going tankers and cargo carriers.
Three major rail lines, Kansas City Southern, Union Pacific, and Canadian National connect the city with the rest of North America.
Horace Wilkinson Bridge, a continuous steel truss bridge at Baton Rouge crossing the Mississippi River.
Image: Billy Metcalf
Baton Rouge is a growing technology center; its economy relies on industrial products, especially from petrochemistry.
The city became a top location for motion picture filming in recent years, with a growing number of movie studios. The largest employer in Baton Rouge is the State of Louisiana.
Baton Rouge is home to LSU, the Louisiana State University (
www.lsu.edu), Louisiana's flagship university.
Baton Rouge points of interest:
Louisiana State Capitol, the 450 feet (137 m) tall seat of Louisiana's government is the tallest building in Baton Rouge.
The
Museum of Political History (
louisianaoldstatecapitol.org/museum/) is housed in Louisiana's castle-like
Old State Capitol, the 165-year-old statehouse.
Horace Wilkinson Bridge, a continuous steel truss bridge at Baton Rouge crossing the Mississippi River.
Image: Clem
The
Old Louisiana Governor's Mansion (
preserve-louisiana.org), is a kind of small version of the
White House in
Washington D.C., today it houses Baton Rouge's history preservation organization, Preserve Louisiana.
The
Louisiana Arts and Science Museum LASM (
www.lasm.org) displays several permanent exhibitions, and a growing permanent collection featuring 4,000 artworks and artifacts. The museum is housed in the former Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Company Depot, a historic train station.
The
Shaw Center for the Arts (
www.shawcenter.org), is a performing art venue and a fine arts museum.
Baton Rouge River Center (
raisingcanesrivercenter.com), now dubbed 'The Raising Cane’s River Center' is an entertainment complex in the downtown area. The center comes with an arena, an exhibition hall, a Grand Ballroom, several meeting rooms, a theater, and a galleria at the entrance.
Churches:
St. Joseph Cathedral, the Gothic Revival church was built in 1855.
Parks:
BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo (
www.brzoo.org), is home to over 800 animals from around the world.
USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum (
www.usskidd.com), the WWII Fletcher-class destroyer USS Kidd (DD-661) houses the Louisiana Veterans Museum; the ship is moored in Downtown Baton Rouge.
Incidents:
The city gained international attention in July 2015, when Afro-American Alton Sterling was shot dead by white police officers. The incident quickly sparked local protests and worldwide coverage by the media and social networks.
Just zoom in (+) to see Louisiana State Capitol building, the seat of the government for the U.S. state of Louisiana.
The Map shows a city map of Baton Rouge with expressways, main roads, and streets, and the location of
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (
www.flybtr.com -
IATA code: BTR) located 7.6 mi (12 km) by road, north of the city center.
To find a location use the form below.