Baton Rouge, LA 1 of 18 Active Retirement Communities Location

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Ivan Gillis

Active Retirement Communities

State: Louisiana

City: Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge is the capital and second-largest city in Louisiana, United States. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and has an estimated population of 227,017. The metropolitan area, known as Greater Baton Rouge, has an estimated population of 774,327. The Baton Rouge-Pierre Part Combined Statistical Area, consisting of the Baton Rouge metropolitan area and Pierre Part micropolitan area, has a population of 797,208, making it the 64th-largest urban area in the United States.

Baton Rouge is located in the southeast portion of the state along the Mississippi River. It owes its historical importance to its site upon Istrouma Bluff, the first bluff upriver from the Mississippi River Delta, which protects the city's residents from flooding and other natural disasters. In addition to this natural barrier, the city has built a levee system stretching from the bluff southward to protect the riverfront and low-lying agricultural areas.

Baton Rouge is a major industrial and petrochemical center of the American South. The Port of Baton Rouge is the ninth largest in the United States in terms of tonnage shipped.

Since European settlement, Baton Rouge has been governed by France, Britain, Spain, Louisiana, the Florida Republic, the Confederate States, and the United States. In 1755, when French-speaking settlers of Acadia in Canada's Maritime were driven into exile by British forces, many took up residence in rural Louisiana. Popularly known as Cajuns, the descendants of the Acadians maintained a separate culture that immeasurably enriched the Baton Rouge area. Incorporated in 1817, Baton Rouge became Louisiana's state capital in 1849.

Baton Rouge is the farthest inland port on the Mississippi River that can accommodate ocean-going tankers and cargo carriers. As such, those ships transfer their cargo (grain, crude, cars, containers) at Baton Rouge onto rails and pipelines (to travel east-west) or barges (to travel north). Deep-draft vessels cannot pass the old Huey Long Bridge because the clearance is insufficient, and the river depth decreases significantly just to the north, near Port Hudson.

As well as being the state capital and parish seat, the city is also the home of Louisiana State University. The largest employer in Baton Rouge is government, which recently consolidated all branches of state government downtown the "Capitol Park" complex.

Thanks to generous state and local tax credits for the film industry, Baton Rouge has followed other Louisiana cities in developing into an important part of the "Hollywood South" initiative. The new Celtic Media Centre is Louisiana's first and so far the only full-service studio/sound stage, and two other studios are being built to meet the needs of this growing industry.

Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2008: $37,869 (it was $30,368 in 2000)

Baton Rouge:

$37,869

Louisiana:

$43,733

Estimated per capita income in 2008: $24,863

Baton Rouge city income, earnings, and wages data

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $150,400 (it was $93,100 in 2000)

Baton Rouge:

$150,400

Louisiana:

$132,400

Mean prices in 2008: All housing units: $200,140; Detached houses: $205,821; Townhouses or other attached units: $171,197; In 2-unit structures: $147,980; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $117,326; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $125,571; Mobile homes: $57,657

Median gross rent in 2008: $744.

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Baton Rouge: 86.5 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

· Climate Charts

1. Average Temperature

2. Precipitation (Rain)

3. Humidity

4. Wind Speed (MPH)

5. Snowfall

6. Sunshine

7. Cloudy Days

· Tornado Activity History

· Hospitals & Medical

· Airports

· Colleges/Universities