East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Seal
Location in the state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1812
Named for	bâton rouge, French for red stick
Seat	Baton Rouge
Largest city	Baton Rouge
Area
• Total	470 sq mi (1,217 km2)
• Land	455 sq mi (1,178 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (39 km2), 3.2%
Population
• (2010)	440,171
• Density	967/sq mi (373/km²)
Congressional districts	2nd, 6th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.brgov.com

East Baton Rouge Parish (French: Paroisse de Bâton-Rouge Est) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 440,171, making it the most populous parish in the state.^[1] The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital.^[2]

East Baton Rouge Parish is part of the Baton Rouge, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 470 square miles (1,200 km²), of which 455 square miles (1,180 km²) is land and 15 square miles (39 km²) (3.2%) is water.^[3]

Bodies of water

• Amite River
• Bayou Manchac
• Mississippi River
• Thompson Creek

Major highways

Adjacent parishes

• East Feliciana Parish (north)
• West Feliciana Parish (northwest)
• West Baton Rouge Parish (west)
• Iberville Parish (south)
• Ascension Parish (southeast)
• Livingston Parish (east)
• St. Helena Parish (northeast)

Government

The City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge has been run by a consolidated government since 1947, which combined the City of Baton Rouge government with the rural areas of the parish. The City and Parish are served by the Metropolitan Council and the Mayor-President. BRgov.com is the official government website for the City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge Governmental Building & former Courthouse (St. Louis Street)

The parish courthouse in Baton Rouge is one of twenty-six public buildings constructed by the contractor George A. Caldwell^[4] In the 1930s.

In 2010 the 19th Judicial District Court moved into the new Courthouse on North Blvd.^[5]

Demographics

As of the census^[11] of 2010, there were over 440,000 people, making it the largest parish in Louisiana.^[12] There are also 156,365 households and 102,575 families residing in the parish. The population density was 906 people per square mile (350/km²). There were 169,073 housing units at an average density of 371 per square mile (143/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 49.5% White, 45.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 3.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 156,365 households out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.70% were married couples living together, 16.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the parish the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 14.40% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 9.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $37,224, and the median income for a family was $47,480. Males had a median income of $38,334 versus $25,073 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $19,790. About 13.20% of families and 17.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.70% of those under age 18 and 11.50% of those age 65 or over.

East Baton Rouge Parish has both the highest high school graduation rate, at 82.2%, and the highest percentage of residents holding at least a bachelor's degree, 33.3%, in the state of Louisiana.^[13]

Politics

Since 1980, East Baton Rouge Parish has been a bellwether in presidential elections, voting for the winner of the presidency in all but one election (it voted for George H.W. Bush in 1992) but not necessarily the winner of Louisiana. The 2008 presidential election helped keep the parish's status as a bellwether because Democrat Barack Obama won 51% of the vote and 99,652 votes. Republican John McCain won 48% of the votes and 95,390 votes. In the 2008 Senate election, Democrat Mary Landrieu who kept her job as a U.S Senator won 57% of the vote and 110,694 votes in East Baton Rouge Parish. Republican John Neely Kennedy won 41% of the vote and 80,222 votes. In the 2004 presidential election, East Baton Rouge Parish cast the majority of its votes to Republican George W. Bush who won 54% of the votes and 99,943 votes. Democrat John F. Kerry won 45% of the votes and 82,298 votes.^[14]

Education

Sections of the parish not in Baker, Zachary, or the City of Central are zoned to schools in East Baton Rouge Parish School System.^[15]

Baker residents attend the City of Baker School System.^[16]

Zachary residents attend the Zachary Community School Board.^[17]

Central residents attend the Central Community School System^[18] schools.

Law enforcement

• East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office
• Baton Rouge Police Department
• Baton Rouge City Constable (Ward 1)
• Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Police Department
• Baker Police Department
• Baker City Marshall
• Zachary Police Department
• City of Central Police Department
• Louisiana State University Police Department
• Baton Rouge Community College Police Department
• Southern University Police Department
• East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 2, District 1
• East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 2, District 2
• East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 2, District 3
• East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 3, District 1
• East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 3, District 2
• East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 3, District 3

National Guard

The 769th Engineer Battalion (Combat) a unit of the 225th Engineer Brigade is located in East Baton Rouge Parish. Two companies of this battalion deployed to Iraq in 2007-2008. Another company sized unit, the 927TH Sapper Company deployed to Afghanistan in 2008-2009. As of 2011 yet another company, the 926TH MAC (Mobility Augmentation Company) located in Baker, Louisiana has been alerted for overseas deployment. The 769th Engineers has two other companies, the 922nd Horizontal Engineer Company located in Gonzales, Louisiana and the 928th Sapper Company located in Napoleonville, Louisiana.

Cities within East Baton Rouge Parish

• Baton Rouge Incorporated 1817
• Baker Established 1888
• Zachary Incorporated 1889
• Central City Incorporated 2005

Communities

See also

• East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office
• National Register of Historic Places listings in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

References

External links

• Baton Rouge City and Parish government's website
• Visit Baton Rouge
• Explore the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary

Geology and Geological Hazards

• Heinrich, P. V., and W. J. Autin, 2000, Baton Rouge 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle. Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• McCulloh, R. P., 2001, Active Faults in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Public Information Series, no. 8, Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• McCulloh, R. P., 2008a, The Scotlandville, Denham Springs, and Baton Rouge Faults — A Map Guide for Real Estate Buyers, Sellers, and Developers in the Greater Baton Rouge Area. Public Information Series, no. 13, Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• McCulloh, R. P., 2008b, Field Trip Guide to Selected Locations Along the Baton Rouge Fault Trace Spanning the Pleistocene–Holocene Transition in Western East Baton Rouge Parish. Public Information Series, no. 8, Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

	West Feliciana Parish	East Feliciana Parish	St. Helena Parish
	West Baton Rouge Parish		Livingston Parish
		East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
		Iberville Parish	Ascension Parish

Municipalities and communities of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States Parish seat: Baton Rouge Cities Baker Baton Rouge Central Zachary CDPs Brownfields Gardere Inniswold Merrydale Monticello Oak Hills Place Old Jefferson Shenandoah Village St. George Westminster Unincorporated communities Baywood Greenwell Springs Port Hudson Pride

Parishes of Louisiana Acadia Allen Ascension Assumption Avoyelles Beauregard Bienville Bossier Caddo Calcasieu Caldwell Cameron Catahoula Claiborne Concordia DeSoto East Baton Rouge East Carroll East Feliciana Evangeline Franklin Grant Iberia Iberville Jackson Jefferson Jefferson Davis La Salle Lafayette Lafourche Lincoln Livingston Madison Morehouse Natchitoches Orleans Ouachita Plaquemines Pointe Coupee Rapides Red River Richland Sabine St. Bernard St. Charles St. Helena St. James St. John the Baptist St. Landry St. Martin St. Mary St. Tammany Tangipahoa Tensas Terrebonne Union Vermilion Vernon Washington Webster West Baton Rouge West Carroll West Feliciana Winn

Coordinates: 30°32′N 91°05′W / 30.54°N 91.09°W / 30.54; -91.09