West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofLouisiana | |
 Louisiana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:30°28′N91°19′W / 30.46°N 91.31°W /30.46; -91.31 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Louisiana |
| Founded | March 31, 1807 |
| Named after | bâton rouge, French forred stick |
| Seat | Port Allen |
| Largest city | Port Allen |
| Area | |
• Total | 204 sq mi (530 km2) |
| • Land | 192 sq mi (500 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2) 5.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 27,199 |
| • Density | 142/sq mi (54.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 2nd,6th |
| Website | www |
West Baton Rouge Parish (French:Paroisse de Bâton Rouge Ouest,Spanish:Parroquia del Oeste de Baton Rouge) is one of thesixty-four parishes in theU.S. state ofLouisiana. Established in 1807,[1] its parish seat isPort Allen.[2] With a 2020 census population of 27,199 residents,[3] West Baton Rouge Parish is part of theBaton Rougemetropolitan statistical area.
The parish has a highly rated school system[4][better source needed], and is oneof the few in Louisiana[citation needed] that has privatized school bus services.[5] West Baton Rouge saw a very small percentage of growth afterHurricane Katrina. According to an estimate of July 2018, the parish's population was 26,427.
TheMedora site, aPlaquemine culture mound site located adjacent toBayou Bourbeaux on the flood plain ofManchac Point, a hair-pin bend of the Mississippi River in the southeast corner of the parish, was instrumental in defining the Plaquemine culture and period.[6] The site was excavated in the winter of 1939–40 byJames A. Ford andGeorge I. Quimby, for theLouisiana State Archaeological Survey, a joint project ofLouisiana State University and theWork Projects Administration.[7]
West Baton Rouge Parish was formed in 1807; it was namedBaton Rouge Parish until 1812.
The Baton Rouge, Gross-Tete and Opelousas Railroad was chartered in 1853.[8] The company had an eastern terminus on the west bank of the Mississippi River across from Baton Rouge in what later became the City of Port Allen. A steam ferry boat, theSunny South, made three trips a day to connect the railroad to Baton Rouge. The railroad ran westward into neighboring Iberville Parish passing the village ofRosedale. After reaching Bayou Grosse-Tete near the village ofGrosse Tete, the line turned to the northwest and ran toLivonia inPointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, a total distance of twenty-six miles. The roadbed westward from Livonia to the Atchafalaya River had been prepared by 1861.
The advent of the Civil War prevented the railroad from getting the necessary rails to complete the line. The tracks toOpelousas were never built.
After Louisiana seceded, two companies of militia were organized in West Baton Rouge, the Delta Rifles, headed by Captain Favrot and the Tirailleurs of Brusly Landing, a French-speaking company of creoles headed by Captain Williams. The two West Baton Rouge companies were included in the4th Louisiana Regiment, commanded by Colonel Robert J. Barrow, assisted by Lieutenant ColonelHenry Watkins Allen. The regiment participated in theBattle of Shiloh, theBattle of Baton Rouge and other actions.[9]
The railroad operated up until May 1862 carrying sugar cane, cotton, and Confederate troops, including the Delta Rifles headed by Captain H. M. Favrot.[10] When Union force occupied Baton Rouge in May 1862, all rolling stock was sent to the extreme western end of the railroad for safety where it remained for the duration of the war.[11] Mr. J. V. Duralde was the president of the company during the Civil War period.
ManyBaton Rouge residents took refuge in West Baton Rouge Parish during the Union occupation of Baton Rouge in 1862.[12]Sarah Morgan saw theCSSArkansas, a Confederate ram, tied to the bank below the levee in West Baton Rouge Parish prior to theBattle of Baton Rouge. Morgan observed the Battle of Baton Rouge from West Baton Rouge Parish.[12]
TheArkansas suffered failure of its port engine while proceeding upriver during the battle to get into position to attack theUSSEssex. This caused it to veer into the West Baton Rouge bank about 600 feet south of mile marker 223, where it ran hard aground. The crew of theArkansas then set the vessel afire and scuttled it to avoid it falling into enemy hands.[13]
The defeated Union army under the command of Major GeneralNathaniel P. Banks passed through West Baton Rouge Parish on Rosedale Road on its return to New Orleans in May 1864, after the failure of theRed River Campaign.[14]
The American Civil War devastated thesugar industry that had flourished in the southern part of Louisiana, including West Baton Rouge Parish, prior to the war. The control of the Mississippi River by the Union prevented the sugar crop from going to market, Horses and mules were seized by the Union forces, and crops were left unharvested in the fields, so the sugar industry was bankrupt at the end of the Civil War. Many sugar plantations were taken over by northern interests.[15] West Baton Rouge Parish was no exception. The conveyance records on file with the Clerk-of-Court of West Baton Rouge Parish show that many plantation properties were sold at sheriff's sale to satisfy debts in the years immediately after the end of the Civil War.
The Baton Rouge, Grosse Tete, and Opelousas Railroad resumed operation after the end of hostilities, but found the economy adverse, because of the devastation in agriculture. Moreover, its sixty-nine slaves had been emancipated and had to be replaced with hired labor. Furthermore, the "Great Crevasse", which occurred in the north end of West Baton Rouge Parish in 1867, caused flooding that greatly damaged the track in a low section about six miles west of the Mississippi River. The now unprofitable rail company eventually ceased operations in 1883.[11] The assets of the railroad were acquired by the Louisiana Central Railroad and operated until 1902.
TheTexas and Pacific Railway was chartered by theUnited States Congress in 1871 to build a southern transcontinental railroad. The route started inWestwego (on the west bank of the Mississippi near New Orleans) and ran northwestward on the west bank of the Mississippi and on toAlexandria,Shreveport, thence westward toFort Worth, andEl Paso where it joined theSouthern Pacific Railroad. The route passes through the southwestern part of West Baton Rouge Parish. A junction was established in the southern part of the parish from which a spur line ran twelve miles northward to the west bank of the Mississippi river across fromBaton Rouge at a location which was already called "Port Allen". The junction was called "Baton Rouge Junction".[16] The town of Addis grew up around Baton Rouge Junction. The Texas and Pacific acquired additional right-of-way in 1899 to extend the spur from Port Allen toNew Roads, Louisiana and beyond toAlexandria, Louisiana.[17]
A crevasse in northern Point Coupeé Parish near Torras in May 1912 caused flooding that spread into northern West Baton Rouge Parish and southward to Addis west of the Texas and Pacific Railroad.[18]
The Texas and Pacific was merged into theMissouri Pacific Railroad in 1976. A further merger of the Missouri Pacific and the Union Pacific occurred in 1997, making the Texas and Pacific part of theUnion Pacific Railroad.
The Southern Pacific Railroad built a spur line fromLafayette, Louisiana to Anchorage in West Baton Rouge very early in the twentieth century. The line ran in a straight line and is notable for crossing theAtchafalaya Basin. The line was never financially successful and was abandoned in the 1920s. Southern Pacific Road occupies the former right-of-way of a small portion of the line.
Starting in 1906, the Missouri Pacific Railroad operated theGeorge H. Walker, a rail ferry, called a "transfer boat", from Anchorage (immediately north of the Sunrise Community) in West Baton Rouge Parish across the Mississippi River to Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish.[19] The transfer boat was steam-powered and equipped with rails on its deck that allowed passenger and freight railcars to be rolled on and off. It ceased operation September 2, 1947, after the construction of the Huey P. Long Bridge, which included a railway, made its continued operation unnecessary.
West Baton Rouge Parish was the location of Prisoner of War Sub-Camp 7 from 1943 until mid-1946. The camp housed German prisoners who were deployed as plantation labor. The camp was located on West Baton Rouge Parish property fronting on Sixth Street in Port Allen.[20]
TheCinclare Sugar Mill Historic District is located in West Baton Rouge Parish near Brusly.[21]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 204 square miles (530 km2), of which 192 square miles (500 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (5.6%) is water.[22] It is the second-smallest parish in Louisiana by land area and smallest by total area.
The southwestern portion of the parish is uninhabited timberland. The most prominent geographic feature is theMississippi River which forms the east border of the parish. Levees along the river protect the parish from flooding by the Mississippi River in times of high water.
The parish is contained within the Two Rivers Region of theAtchafalaya National Heritage Area.[23]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 1,463 | — | |
| 1820 | 2,335 | 59.6% | |
| 1830 | 3,084 | 32.1% | |
| 1840 | 4,638 | 50.4% | |
| 1850 | 6,270 | 35.2% | |
| 1860 | 7,312 | 16.6% | |
| 1870 | 5,114 | −30.1% | |
| 1880 | 7,667 | 49.9% | |
| 1890 | 8,363 | 9.1% | |
| 1900 | 10,285 | 23.0% | |
| 1910 | 12,636 | 22.9% | |
| 1920 | 11,092 | −12.2% | |
| 1930 | 9,716 | −12.4% | |
| 1940 | 11,263 | 15.9% | |
| 1950 | 11,738 | 4.2% | |
| 1960 | 14,796 | 26.1% | |
| 1970 | 16,864 | 14.0% | |
| 1980 | 19,086 | 13.2% | |
| 1990 | 19,419 | 1.7% | |
| 2000 | 21,601 | 11.2% | |
| 2010 | 23,788 | 10.1% | |
| 2020 | 27,199 | 14.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[24] 1790-1960[25] 1900-1990[26] 1990-2000[27] 2010[28] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[29] | Pop 1990[30] | Pop 2000[31] | Pop 2010[32] | Pop 2020[33] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 11,150 | 12,170 | 13,394 | 13,931 | 14,114 | 58.42% | 62.67% | 62.01% | 58.56% | 51.89% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,525 | 6,972 | 7,649 | 8,953 | 10,714 | 39.43% | 35.90% | 35.41% | 37.64% | 39.39% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 18 | 29 | 44 | 27 | 59 | 0.09% | 0.15% | 0.20% | 0.11% | 0.22% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 21 | 25 | 39 | 72 | 219 | 0.11% | 0.13% | 0.18% | 0.30% | 0.81% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[34] | x[35] | 4 | 1 | 8 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.00% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 18 | 17 | 10 | 26 | 70 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.05% | 0.11% | 0.26% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[36] | x[37] | 148 | 234 | 771 | x | x | 0.69% | 0.98% | 2.83% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 354 | 206 | 313 | 544 | 1,244 | 1.85% | 1.06% | 1.45% | 2.29% | 4.57% |
| Total | 19,086 | 19,419 | 21,601 | 23,788 | 27,199 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 27,199 people, 9,643 households, and 7,194 families residing in the parish. As of thecensus of 2000, there were 21,601 people, 7,663 households, and 5,739 families residing in the parish. The population density was 113 inhabitants per square mile (44/km2). There were 8,370 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile (17/km2). The racial makeup of the parish was 62.78%White, 35.49%Black orAfrican American, 0.20%Native American, 0.19%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.53% fromother races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.45% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 8,386 households, out of which 37.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.50% weremarried couples living together, 18.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.10% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the parish the population was spread out, with 28.10% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $47,298 and the per capita income was $22.101. Males had a median income of $35,618 versus $22,960 for females. About 13.20% of families and 16.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those age 65 or over.
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West Baton Rouge's location on the Mississippi River plus railroad transportation has made it attractive to heavy industry. Notable industry includes Placid Refining Company near Port Allen andDow Chemical Company and ShinTech near Addis.
The docks and other property of the Port of Greater Baton Rouge are located in West Baton Rouge Parish.[38]
Interstate 10 makes West Baton Rouge attractive as a distribution center. A number of warehouses have been built near I-10. Many trucking firms have located near the Huey P. Long Bridge.
West Baton Rouge Parish School Board operates area public schools.
Holy Family School (of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge) is a local private Catholic school for grades pre-K through Eight.[39]
It is in the service area ofBaton Rouge Community College.[40]
The West Baton Rouge Museum, located in Port Allen, maintains historical information on West Baton Rouge Parish.[41] The Town of Addis operates a museum that keeps historical information about the Town of Addis.[42]
The Parish of West Baton Rouge maintains a library in Port Allen, and in Brusly.[43]
West Baton Rouge Parish is served by two weekly newspapers. TheWest Side Journal, published every Thursday, provides hard news and is the official journal of the parish. TheRiverside Reader, published every Monday, focuses on items of historical interest and human interest stories.
West Baton Rouge Parish is governed by a parish council that is made up of seven elected officials and one elected parish president.
West Baton Rouge Parish has three incorporated areas (Port Allen, Brusly, and Addis) with local police departments. The West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Department is responsible for law enforcement in all of the unincorporated areas.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 19 | 9.31% | 170 | 83.33% | 15 | 7.35% |
| 1916 | 28 | 10.37% | 237 | 87.78% | 5 | 1.85% |
| 1920 | 175 | 33.21% | 352 | 66.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 92 | 28.40% | 191 | 58.95% | 41 | 12.65% |
| 1928 | 78 | 11.37% | 608 | 88.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 96 | 13.93% | 593 | 86.07% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 80 | 8.43% | 868 | 91.46% | 1 | 0.11% |
| 1940 | 141 | 10.63% | 1,185 | 89.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 87 | 7.69% | 1,045 | 92.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 141 | 12.08% | 557 | 47.73% | 469 | 40.19% |
| 1952 | 704 | 35.48% | 1,280 | 64.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,035 | 44.73% | 1,208 | 52.20% | 71 | 3.07% |
| 1960 | 390 | 12.42% | 2,315 | 73.70% | 436 | 13.88% |
| 1964 | 1,835 | 49.24% | 1,892 | 50.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 669 | 12.73% | 2,016 | 38.37% | 2,569 | 48.90% |
| 1972 | 2,626 | 53.14% | 1,849 | 37.41% | 467 | 9.45% |
| 1976 | 1,913 | 32.51% | 3,809 | 64.73% | 162 | 2.75% |
| 1980 | 2,828 | 36.48% | 4,739 | 61.12% | 186 | 2.40% |
| 1984 | 4,189 | 47.16% | 4,631 | 52.13% | 63 | 0.71% |
| 1988 | 3,972 | 45.13% | 4,686 | 53.24% | 143 | 1.62% |
| 1992 | 3,522 | 35.30% | 5,131 | 51.43% | 1,323 | 13.26% |
| 1996 | 3,254 | 33.21% | 5,697 | 58.14% | 847 | 8.64% |
| 2000 | 4,924 | 48.42% | 5,058 | 49.74% | 187 | 1.84% |
| 2004 | 5,822 | 53.73% | 4,932 | 45.52% | 81 | 0.75% |
| 2008 | 6,654 | 56.08% | 5,043 | 42.50% | 169 | 1.42% |
| 2012 | 6,922 | 54.19% | 5,692 | 44.56% | 160 | 1.25% |
| 2016 | 6,927 | 54.49% | 5,383 | 42.35% | 402 | 3.16% |
| 2020 | 7,684 | 54.51% | 6,200 | 43.98% | 213 | 1.51% |
| 2024 | 7,627 | 55.12% | 6,008 | 43.42% | 201 | 1.45% |
Interstate 10
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Louisiana Highway 3237West Baton Rouge Parish is connected to East Baton Rouge Parish by theHuey P. Long Bridge (U.S. Highway 190) and theHorace Wilkinson Bridge (Interstate 10).
West Baton Rouge is served by theKansas City Southern Railroad and theUnion Pacific Railroad.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Geology
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Municipalities and communities ofWest Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana,United States | ||
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