Your Guide to Buying a Home in Baton Rouge, LA

Buying a Home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge is located in East Baton Rouge County

From its origin as the site of an Indian village, through many years as a sleepy river town, to its emergence as a major educational, governmental, and industrial center of the south, Baton Rouge has been a city of change and diversity. Baton Rouge was incorporated in 1817 and became the capital of the state in 1882. Today, with the City of Baton Rouge the dominant center of business, culture, education, and finance, the Parish of East Baton Rouge looks forward to even greater prosperity. Baton Rouge is the parish seat of government, the key industrial city in the area, and the center of an immense chemical and petroleum complex on the Mississippi River. The metropolitan area is the second largest in the state. The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (Ryan Field) is served by three major airlines. Rail service is provided by five railroads. The expanding Port of Greater Baton Rouge ranks fourth among the major ports of the nation and second in Louisiana. Projected population figures show that this progressive city will have a phenomenal growth in future decades. We can only guess what Baton Rouge will be like tomorrow, but from all accounts, it seems certain that the future will be filled with bright promise and a continued dedication to growth and progress.

Climate and Location

Baton Rouge has a subtropical climate free of extreme temperatures. Winters are mild with only occasional cold spells. East Baton Rouge Parish comprises 471.81 square miles along the Mississippi River, in the southeast part of the state. The parish includes three major cities: Baton Rouge, with a population of 231,219 and an area of 75 square miles; Baker, with a population of 13,315 and an area of 4 square miles; and Zachary, with a population of 10,348 and an area of 20 square miles.

Education

The East Baton Rouge Parish school system consists of 101 public and 49 private schools. Baton Rouge supports 35 libraries; 13 of these are public parish libraries. Higher education is provided by two state universities, Louisiana State University, a traditional leader among the nation's institutions; and Southern University, recognized as the largest predominantly African-American institution in the nation.

State Capitol

Baton Rouge is the site of the state capitol. Our capitol, one of America’s most beautiful, is 34 stories, 450 feet in height, erected on the old campus of LSU, surrounded by 27 acres of landscaped grounds. It was constructed in March 1932, at a cost of $5 million. Broad steps of Minnesota granite mark the entrance to the building. The building is efficiently designed and provides 249,000 square feet (nearly six acres) of floor space for use by governmental agencies. From the observation tower, it is possible to see the surrounding country for a distance of 30 miles. Former Governor Huey P. Long, under whose aegis it was built, is buried in front of the building. A 12-foot bronze statue of him stands on front grounds of the capitol facing his dream.

City Flag

The city's flag is a field of crimson representing the great Indian nations that once inhabited the area. The name Baton Rouge in white appears prominently on the field of crimson. The crest on the lower left uses the red, white, and blue, representing the colors of the United States. The upper left of the shield is the 'fleur de lis' of France, the upper right is the 'Castille' of Spain, and the lower portion is the 'Union Flag' of Great Britain. The crest encompasses the emblems of the three foreign countries, whose flags have flown over Baton Rouge.

Today, we proudly use a symbol of our flag in the top right corner of each web page as a dedication to the "History of the City of Baton Rouge".