Baton Rouge : Lousiana
Baton Rouge (pronounced /?bętn ??u??/ in English, and /bat?? ?u?/ in French) is the capital of Louisiana, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, its population is 227,818. It is the seat of East Baton Rouge Parish. Baton Rouge is home to the main campus of Louisiana State University and to Southern University.
Baton Rouge is served by the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.
History
The name Baton Rouge means Red Stick in French. The name comes from a cypress pole dyed red marking the boundary of hunting territory of native tribes when the French first established a settlement here in 1699. Baton Rouge remained a small town throughout the French and Spanish colonial periods. After the United States purchase of Louisiana it grew more rapidly, and was incorporated as a city in 1817, at which time it was the second largest town in Louisiana.
The capital of the State of Louisiana was moved from New Orleans to Baton Rouge in 1849. It was moved back to New Orleans during the American Civil War, and then returned to Baton Rouge in 1882.
The old Louisiana State Capitol Castle
In the 1930s a new skyscraper state capitol building was built under the direction of Huey P. Long. The old state capitol is now a museum.
