Baton Rouge, city in the southeastern part of Louisiana, seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, and capital of the state. The city's industrial development has been spurred by its strategic location at the head of deepwater navigation on the Mississippi River. Today its port on the Mississippi has facilities for handling both oceangoing vessels and river barges. Baton Rouge is a major petrochemicals-manufacturing center and also an important distribution point for the large quantities of soybeans and sugarcane produced nearby. The city is served by the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.
Baton Rouge is the seat of Louisiana State University (1853) and Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (1880). Landmarks in the city include the 34-story State Capitol, built under orders of Louisiana governor Huey P. Long in 1932; the Old State Capitol, which dates back to 1849; and the Old Governor's Mansion. Other attractions include the Rural Life Museum, which depicts Louisiana's pre-industrial heritage; and the Nautical Historic Center, which features the USS Kidd, a destroyer that survived many battles, including a kamikaze attack, during World War II (1939-1945).
