Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge (/ˌbætən ˈruːʒ/), french for "Red Stick," (French:
Bâton-Rouge ( listen)) is the capital city of the American State of Louisiana. Located on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River in East Baton Rouge Parish, it is a city full of history, sophistication, and spirit. As the "Capital City," Baton Rouge is the political hub for Louisiana, and is the second largest metropolitan city in the state with a growing population of 230,058 people as of 2012. The metropolitan area surrounding the city, known as Greater Baton Rouge, has a population of 815,298 people as of 2012. The urban area has around 594,309 inhabitants. Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, research, motion picture, and growing technology center of the American South. The Port of Baton Rouge is the ninth largest in the United States in terms of tonnage shipped, and is the farthest upstream Mississippi River port capable of handling Panamax ships.