Louisiana (pronounced/lōō-ē'zē-ăn'ə/)[8] is a state in theSouthernUnited States of America. It had apopulation of 4,657,757 people in 2020. The state has a totalarea of about51,885sqmi (134,382km2). Louisiana is the 25th largest state by population and the 31st largest state by area. It is bordered byTexas to the west,Arkansas to the north,Mississippi to the east, and theGulf of Mexico to the south. Louisiana is also known by itsnickname,The Pelican State. The land that would become Louisiana was bought in theLouisiana Purchase in 1803. Louisiana became a state on April 30, 1812. It was the 18th state to become part of the United States. The people who live in the state are known asLouisianans.[9] The state'scapital isBaton Rouge, and its largestcity isNew Orleans.
Louisiana was settled by France and the influence of French culture is still a big part of Louisiana today. The French Quarter in New Orleans is one of the best known attractions in the state. It is known today for its special culture, unique food, as well as the holidayMardi Gras which is most famous in New Orleans.
Louisiana was very badly damaged byHurricane Katrina in 2005. Much of the New Orleans area lies belowsea level makingflooding a serious problem.
InNew Orleans there have been a lot of monuments removed or renamed. The first Confederate monuments removed in 2017 were those of New Orleans, even though it was in 2015 that the City Council ordered their removal. Court challenges were unsuccessful. The workers who moved the monuments were dressed in bullet-proof vests, helmets, and masks to conceal their identities because of concerns about their safety.[11][12] According to Mayor Landrieu, "The original firm we'd hired to remove the monuments backed out after receiving death threats and having one of his cars set ablaze."[13] "Opponents at one point found their way to one of our machines and poured sand in the gas tank. Other protesters flew drones at the contractors to thwart their work."[14] The city said it was weighing where to display the monuments so they could be "placed in their proper historical context from a dark period of American history".[15] On May 19, 2017, the Monumental Task Committee,[16] an organization that maintains monuments and plaques across the city, commented on the removal of the statues: "Mayor Landrieu and the City Council have stripped New Orleans of nationally recognized historic landmarks. With the removal of four of our century-plus aged landmarks, at 299 years old, New Orleans now heads into our Tricentennial more divided and less historic." Landrieu replied on the same day: "These statues are not just stone and metal. They are not just innocent remembrances of a benign history. These monuments purposefully celebrate a fictional, sanitized Confederacy; ignoring the death, ignoring the enslavement, and the terror that it actually stood for."[17] A seven-person Monument Relocation Committee was set up by MayorLaToya Cantrell to advise on what to do with the removed monuments. The statue of Jefferson Davis, if their recommendation is implemented, will be moved toBeauvoir, his former estate inBiloxi, Mississippi, that is now a presidential library and museum.[18] The Committee recommended that the statues of Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard be placed inGreenwood Cemetery, near City Park Avenue and Interstate 10 (where three other Confederate generals are entombed). However, this conflicts with a policy of former mayorMitch Landrieu, who had directed that they never again be on public display in Orleans Parish. TheBattle of Liberty Place Monument will remain in storage.[19]
Battle of Liberty Place Monument – Erected 1891 to commemorate theReconstruction EraBattle of Liberty Place (1874) and celebrate Louisiana'sWhite League. Removed April 24, 2017. The workers were dressed in flak jackets, helmets and scarves to conceal their identities because of concerns about their safety. Police officers watched from a nearby hotel.[20]
Jefferson Davis Monument – Cost $35,000 and was unveiled February 22, 1911, the 50th anniversary of his inauguration as President of the Confederacy, by the Jefferson Davis Monument Association, which was formed in 1898. "The unveiling...was preceded by 'an impressive military parade' led by Major Allison Owen. Veterans of theArmy of Tennessee,Washington Artillery, Camp Henry St. Paul,Army of Northern Virginia, veterans from the Soldiers Home,National Guard and theBoy Scouts all attended. A group of 500 schoolgirls formed a living Confederate flag."[21] Removed May 11, 2017.[22]
Adolph Meyer School, named for a Confederate officer and later a congressman, was renamed for the abolitionistHarriet Tubman.
Benjamin Palmer School, named for a pro-slavery pastor influential in Louisiana's decision to secede and join the Confederacy, was renamedLorraine V. Hansberry Elementary School, after the African-American playwright who wroteA Raisin in the Sun.
Louisiana contains 308 incorporated municipalities, consisting of fourconsolidated city-parishes, and 304 cities, towns, and villages. Louisiana's municipalities cover only 7.9% of the state's land mass but are home to 45.3% of its population.[26] The majority of urban Louisianans live along the coast or in northern Louisiana. The oldest permanent settlement in the state isNachitoches.[27] Baton Rouge, the state capital, is the second-largest city in the state. The most populous city is New Orleans. As defined by theU.S. Census Bureau, Louisiana contains nine metropolitan statistical areas. Major areas includeGreater New Orleans,Greater Baton Rouge,Lafayette, andShreveport–Bossier City.
