Baton Rouge Toolkit

Named by French explorers as “the Red Stick City,” Baton Rouge is where Louisiana’s capital, flagship university, and unique Cajun and Creole cultures all come together in one nine-parish (county) region. Located in Southeast Louisiana, Baton Rouge is the fifth largest city on the Mississippi River and home to Louisiana’s largest parish.While Baton Rouge residents share a love for all things local, they also enjoy being just over an hour away from “The Big Easy” (New Orleans) and “Cajun Country” (Lafayette) and having the freedom to fly direct to the four largest U.S. hub airports via the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport. And yes, our tailgates outside Tiger Stadium have made Baton Rouge famous as a college town, but Baton Rouge is transforming into so much more—a Southern city that is cultivating innovative companies and Louisiana’s next generation of leaders.

Coca Cola. ExxonMobil. IBM. Electronic Arts—these global players and more have major operations in Baton Rouge—the most cost-friendly mid-sized city for business in the country (KPMG 2016)—and draw talent from the 31,414+ students at Louisiana State University, Southern University and Baton Rouge Community College. Baton Rouge has one of the nation’s lowest costs of doing business, the No. 1 state workforce training program in the U.S. (LED FastStart®) and one of the most productive workforces in the Southeast.

Strategically located at the mouth of the Mississippi River, the Baton Rouge Area’s assets are integral to the nation’s logistics and energy networks. The deepwater Port of Greater Baton Rouge keeps the country connected as a gateway to America’s heartland, the Gulf of Mexico, Latin America and beyond.  Not to mention, the 45-foot shipping channel also provides direct access to ship, barge, truck and rail, and links to other major ports between north Florida and south Texas. This existing infrastructure coupled with the area’s expertise has allowed Baton Rouge to play a leading role in the energy industry in Louisiana – which ranks No. 2 in crude oil and No. 3 in natural gas production in the U.S. In fact, Baton Rouge’s ExxonMobil facility is one of the five largest in the nation.

Whether it’s collaborating on coastal restoration, curing chronic disease, or discovering gravitational waves, scientists are researching the world’s most pressing problems right here in Baton Rouge. Companies and organizations around the globe rely on collaborations with Baton Rouge research institutions with state-of-the-art facilities such as Louisiana State University, the Water Campus and Pennington Biomedical Research Center—all of which attract the best and brightest from around the world and in Louisiana.

Baton Rouge is a place where moonshot ideas become reality. Our perfectly-sized region offers the resources and opportunities typically only found in big cities, all with the support of a connected, close-knit community. Your actions and ambitions can quickly make a difference in Baton Rouge. Whether your dream is to launch a startup or a grassroots art movement, the generosity and passion of the Baton Rouge community will help you see it through.

Louisiana isn’t a state that you just pass through – that’s why we’re home to the second-highest percentage of native born residents in the country.  For those who love Louisiana, or who want to learn more, there’s no better location to live than Baton Rouge. Why? The jobs are here. With 6,000 new jobs added this year and a high median income, Baton Rouge is Louisiana’s leader in job creation. Baton Rouge residents can make the most out of their paycheck due to a low cost of living that’s much lower than neighboring Houston and Atlanta. With housing costs 15.6% below the U.S. average (68.1% lower than Chicago and 20% lower than Atlanta and Houston), residents can choose to live in apartments in lively downtown Baton Rouge overlooking the Mississippi, bungalows in historic neighborhoods such as Beauregard Town or Spanish Town, brand new homes in award-winning planned communities, or serene spaces in the region’s more rural parishes.

Affordability doesn’t come at the sacrifice of amenities—Baton Rouge has a revitalized downtown with live music, dozens of museums, art galleries and the walkable, bikeable Mississippi River Levee Path; some of the best libraries in America, which also offer meeting spaces, children’s storytime and even 3D printing; and 184 parks which offer free activities ranging from rock climbing to paddleboarding lessons. But the most treasured Baton Rouge amenity just might be our food—chefs from Austin, New Orleans, and Chicago are bringing their culinary chops and concepts to Baton Rouge’s 900+ restaurants. Baton Rouge locals then can get active on award-winning bike paths, golf courses and water parks.

While the world may know us for our tailgate traditions (as they should), our passion goes beyond the football field. Baton Rouge residents celebrate throughout the year with unique festivals, many of which are free and open to the public, that showcase our cuisine(there are new food festivals popping up every day), our connection to the river (Ebb and Flow festival) and our culture (Baton Rouge Blues Festival—one of the oldest in the nation, and Art Melt—the largest multi-media, juried art exhibit in the state). But you don’t have to be from here to join the party—as a college town, we have a history of welcoming people from around the world on a regular basis. Plus, we like to think people in Baton Rouge are just as warm and passionate as our subtropical climate and spicy food.