Baton Rouge is a city in the south of the United States, the capital of Louisiana. Baton Rouge is the second largest city in the state after New Orleans.
Baton Rouge is located on the East Bank of the Mississippi River. The city was founded in an important strategic place, where the first rapids appear on the river. This natural barrier together with the dam protects the territory from floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
The name Baton Rouge was given more than 300 years ago, when on March 17, 1699, Pierre Le Moine led an expedition along the Mississippi River. French researchers found a pole with blood stains of animals, which marked the border between the Indian tribes. The French called this place Baton-Rouge what means red stick in French. In 1719, the French built a Fort and fortified their territory. During the following years, Baton Rouge was under the rule of England, Spain, West Florida, Louisiana, the Confederate States of America, until it was annexed by the United States. Baton Rouge became the capital of the state in 1849.
Baton Rouge is an important industrial center of the American South. The total number of employees in the region is just over 350 thousand people, 60% of them live in East Baton Rouge.
Louisiana's petrochemical industry produces one-quarter of all the oil chemistry produced in the United States, including chemicals, plastics, and fertilizers. The annual output of all Louisiana petrochemical plants, approximately 100, is estimated at $20 billion. In the area of Baton Rouge operates about 65 of them. Among them are ExxonMobil, Shell, BASF, Dow Chemical And others. ExxonMobil complex in Baton Rouge is the second largest oil refinery in the country.
The deep-water river port is capable of receiving ocean tankers and cargo ships of large tonnage. It has recently been expanded and upgraded. In the future, the cargo from Baton-Rouge is sent by barges to the north and rail to the West or East. Baton Rouge airport is about five miles north of the city center.
The largest university in the region is Louisiana State University (LSU), where studies more than 30 thousand students. LSU campus is more than a hundred years old. It is a well-kept and green area. Most of the 250 buildings belonging to the University are geographically located south of downtown near Mississippi River.
University sports is one of the main entertainment in the city. Numerous shops and restaurants throughout the city use the LSU paraphernalia. The most popular of the University sports teams is LSU Tigers (American football), the matches of which gather a huge audience, not infrequently more than 90 thousand fans. A recent study based on the coverage of TV audience and Google search query statistics shows that more than 1.2 million people are permanently sick of Tigers.
The main stadium of Tiger Stadium University is constantly expanding. In 2015, at one of the matches of students, the record of attendance at the stadium was updated - more than 102 thousand spectators.
Baton Rouge offers furnished rooms for students, interns, and working professionals looking for flexible monthly stays.
