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Baton Rouge, Louisiana

"Red Stick"
Louisiana's capital where Southern politics, LSU football, and petrochemical industry collide on the Mississippi bluffs.
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Founded 1699 | Population 218,223 | Peak 229,553 (2010) | County East Baton Rouge Parish

Top 10 Most Important Events for Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1
1935Huey Long Assassinated: Shot in the 450-foot capitol he built. Died two days later at 42.
2
2016Thousand-Year Flood: 110,000 homes damaged, 13 killed — worst U.S. disaster since Sandy, with little media coverage.
3
1860Permanent Capital: Legislature moved from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.
4
1958LSU Wins National Title: First of multiple national championships.
5
1699French Name Site: Iberville named the bluffs after a red cypress boundary pole.
6
1953Petrochemical Corridor: ExxonMobil operates one of the Western Hemisphere's largest refineries.
7
1953Bus Boycott: Predated Montgomery boycott by two years.
8
2016Alton Sterling Shooting: Police shooting and officer ambush traumatized the city.
9
2019LSU Third Title: Joe Burrow led one of the greatest seasons in college football.
10
1932Capitol Built: Huey Long's 34-story Art Deco monument to his power.
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Population Over Time

0 57,373 114,747 172,120 229,493 1870 1900 1920 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024

Latest News in Baton Rouge

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Complete Historical Timeline

1699 Government
French name site
1817 Government
Incorporated
1860 Government
Permanent capital
1932 Architecture
Huey Long builds capitol
1935 Politics
Long assassinated
1953 Civil Rights
Bus boycott predates Montgomery
1958 Sports
LSU first championship
2005 Disaster
Katrina evacuees arrive
2016 Disaster
Thousand-year flood
2019 Sports
LSU third title

Did You Know?

1
Baton Rouge's 1953 bus boycott predated Montgomery by two years.
2
The Capitol at 450 feet is the tallest state capitol — where Huey Long was assassinated.
3
The 2016 flood damaged 110,000 homes yet received little national coverage.
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