Where Is Baton Rouge? See Its Map Location and State

There are over 19,000 incorporated cities in the United States of America. That means it can be pretty hard to know where some of them are. Today, we’ll be exploring one southern city and showing you its map location. Let’s go to Baton Rouge, learn about where it is, and dive into some of the population and culture there. We’ll also explore its proximity to other major cities. So, where is Baton Rouge? Let’s find out!

Where is Baton Rouge?

Baton Rouge is a city in Louisiana. Louisiana is a state in the southern United States. The city is located along the banks of the famous Mississippi River. Let’s look at exactly where this city is on a map.

Baton Rouge is the capitol city of Louisiana. It rests east of Lafayette, Louisiana, and northwest of New Orleans, Louisiana. Let’s look at how far New Orleans is from other major cities in Louisiana with the help of a handy table. Our estimated travel times were based on a Google Maps search at the time of writing this article. This means that traffic and road closures at the time of writing factored into these estimates. You may experience difference travel times on these trips.

Population of Baton Rouge

According to statistics from the 2021 census, the population of Baton Rouge is 222,185. The metropolitan area of Baton Rouge is much larger than this, with a population of around 750,000. The population of Baton Rouge is fairly diverse, with a 53.3 percent Black and African American population. The average age in Baton Route is 32 years old. The average income is $24,051. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, the average individual has to make $34,061 to afford the cost of living in the East Baton Rouge Parish.

Major Industries in Baton Rouge

The top industries in the city of Baton Rouge are construction, energy, and industrial services. Major employers in the area include Performance Contractors, Dow Chemical Company, and Exxon Mobil. The city also excels in audio engineering, education, and manufacturing.

It’s helpful that the city is located along key transportation routes, such as the i-10 corridor and the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. This brings a lot of opportunities for economic development to the area.

Education

Baton Rouge prides itself on being a major center for higher education opportunities. The city has several wonderful colleges and universities, which contributes the low median age of residents. These universities include Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Community College, and Southern University. The city prides itself on yearly graduation numbers of 8,000 or more students across its several universities and trade schools. This is a huge factor in economic opportunity, as the schools employ a large number of faculty members. Unfortunately, graduates from these schools often seek career employment in other cities or states.

What is Baton Rouge Known For?

Baton Rouge has a reputation for a number of things. This southern city is the fifth-largest city that rests along the Mississippi River. This is actually a really impressive claim – the Mississippi is the largest watershed in North America and the second-longest river in the nation. It is also the second-largest city in Louisiana. Baton Rouge became the state capitol in 1849, but it has held importance for much longer than that.

Did you know that Baton Rouge translates to “red stick” in French? The rumor goes that a French explorer in the area saw fish and bear head attached to large poles and named the city after this indigenous tradition. What is Baton Rouge most known for? There are a couple of notable things in and from this distinctive city. Let’s check out just a couple of them.

• This capitol city is the home of the country’s tallest state capitol building, which stands at 450 feet tall. This building is 34 stories high.
• Famous former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal began his career at Louisiana State University.
• The Baton Rouge Blues Festival is one of the longest-running blues festivals in the country. It is also free!

Wildlife in Baton Rouge

Louisiana is known for its diverse amount of wildlife, and Baton Rouge is no exception. Common animals include foxes, wolves, and squirrels, along with great blue herons, brown pelicans, and interesting animals such as gopher tortoises and crayfish. Louisiana is especially well-known for the diversity of birds in the state. Over 470 separate species of birds have been recorded in the state, and many of them make their homes in the riparian areas surrounding the Mississippi River.

Birdwatchers will delight in spotting common and rare birds, such as the American goldfinch, the mallard duck, and the great egret. Louisiana used to be home to the incredibly rare whooping crane (Grus americana), but the endangerment of the species led to the extirpation of the species in the state. In 1950, the last whooping crane was transported out of Louisiana. Regardless, this is still a great place to go see wildlife, including local city wildlife.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Real Window Creative/Shutterstock.com