Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge (/ˌbætən ˈruːʒ/ ⓘ BAT-ən ROOZH; from French Bâton-Rouge 'red stick', .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}pronounced [bɑtɔ̃ ʁuʒ]) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it had a population of 227,470 as of 2020[update];[4] it is the seat of Louisiana's most populous parish (county-equivalent),[5][6] East Baton Rouge Parish,[7] and the center of Louisiana's second-largest metropolitan area, Greater Baton Rouge.[5] The Baton Rouge area owes its historical importance to its strategic site upon the Istrouma Bluff, the first natural bluff upriver from the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. This allowed development of a business quarter safe from seasonal flooding. In addition, it built a levee system stretching from the bluff southward to protect the riverfront and low-lying agricultural areas.[8]