"Baton Rouge" a Baton Rouge Travel Page by DJMist

It is hard to say what personality is most identifiable in Baton Rouge. It is certainly a state capital although perhaps one of the most infamous in the U.S. Louisiana has consistently been engulfed in political corruption from the earliest days, through the notorious Huey Long era, right up until the incompetence and ineptitude exposed following the hurricanes of 2005. Expectedly, there are many governmental buildings and related businesses in the city.

Hurricane Katrina wildly skewed the population statistics of Baton Rouge. Before the storm, the greater Baton Rogue area population was slightly greater than three quarters of a million. Some estimates following the storm figure that number may be more than million. While the damage from the hurricane was minimal in Baton Rouge the storm made a huge impact. The city served as a massive rescue site and staging area following Katrina. Schools and convention centers housed evacuees and churches around the city were serving as many as two hot meals per day. Baton Rouge served as headquarters for Federal and State emergency coordination and disaster relief in Louisiana. Baton Rouge has the nation’s 10th largest port and is an important industrial and petrochemical center.

‘University Town’ is Baton Rouge’s alternate identity. Louisiana State University is the largest college in Louisiana and the main campus is in Baton Rouge. Over 33,000 students attend the school which is situated on a 2000 acre campus along the Mississippi River. The campus is beautifully situated among massive live oaks and boasts more than 250 principal buildings. Most of the buildings are built in the Italian Renaissance style and are marked by red pantile roofs, overhanging eaves, rolling arches, and honey-colored stucco, and most were built between 1925 and 1940. Southern University, a historically black college is located in Baton Rouge as well as several community and trade schools.