BigDaddyData.Com: Louisiana Baton Rouge

    {bat'-uhn roozh'}

    Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana and the seat of East Baton Rouge Parish. The city has a population of 219,531 (1990 census) and the metropolitan area has a population of 528,264. A port at the head of deepwater navigation on the Mississippi River, it is situated in the southeastern part of the state. The climate is hot and humid, with an average mean temperature of 22 deg C (71 deg F) and ample rainfall. Industrial growth began when an oil refinery was established in 1909. Many industries were attracted to the area because of ocean and river transportation, the proximity of oil fields, and the abundance of natural gas. Dock facilities expanded after the construction of the Port Allen-Morgan City Cutoff Canal.

    Originally settled by the French, the area was ceded to the British in 1763. During the American Revolution, the Spanish wrested the city from the British, but they ceded it to France in 1800. Baton Rouge was sold to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Union forces captured the city in 1862 and held it until the end of the Civil War. The capital, which had been moved during the war, was restored permanently to Baton Rouge in 1882.

    Bibliography: Meyers, Rose, A History of Baton Rouge (1976).