East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Parish
Parish of East Baton Rouge Paroisse de Bâton-Rouge Est  (French) Parroquia del Este de Bastón Rojo  (Spanish)
Nickname(s):  EBR
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Region	Florida Parishes
Metro	Baton Rouge
Founded year	1812
Parish seat (and largest city)	Baton Rouge
Area
• Total	470 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Land	455 sq mi (1,180 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (40 km2)  3.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	456,781
• Rank	LA: 1st
• Density	972/sq mi (375/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Districts	2nd, 6th
Website	Parish of East Baton Rouge

East Baton Rouge Parish is the most populated parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. A parish is like a county in other states. Its name comes from French and Spanish words.

In 2020, about 456,781 people lived here. The main city and parish seat is Baton Rouge. This city is also the capital of Louisiana. East Baton Rouge Parish is part of the larger Greater Baton Rouge area.

Exploring East Baton Rouge Parish

What is the geography like?

East Baton Rouge Parish covers about 470 square miles. Most of this area is land. About 15 square miles (3.2%) are covered by water.

Rivers and waterways

Several important rivers and bayous flow through the parish. These include:

• Amite River
• Bayou Manchac
• Comite River
• Mississippi River
• Thompson Creek

Major roads and highways

Many highways help people travel around the parish and to other places. These include:

Neighboring parishes

East Baton Rouge Parish shares borders with several other parishes:

• East Feliciana Parish (north)
• West Feliciana Parish (northwest)
• West Baton Rouge Parish (west)
• Iberville Parish (south)
• Ascension Parish (southeast)
• Livingston Parish (east)
• St. Helena Parish (northeast)

Cities and towns

East Baton Rouge Parish has several cities and communities.

Cities

• Baker
• Baton Rouge (This is the main city and largest in the parish.)
• Central
• St. George
• Zachary

Other communities

There are also other communities, some of which are called "census-designated places." These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities.

• Brownfields
• Gardere
• Inniswold
• Merrydale
• Monticello
• Oak Hills Place
• Old Jefferson
• Shenandoah
• Village St. George
• Westminster

Some areas are "unincorporated communities." This means they are not part of any city or town.

• Baywood
• Greenwell Springs
• Port Hudson
• Pride

Who lives in East Baton Rouge Parish?

The number of people living in East Baton Rouge Parish has grown a lot over the years.

In 2020, there were 456,781 people living in the parish. There were also over 161,536 households. A household means all the people living together in one home.

The parish is very diverse. Many different groups of people live here. About 5.7% of the people were born in another country. Also, 8.3% of people speak a language other than English at home.

The average age of people in East Baton Rouge Parish was 34 years old in 2019. This means half the people were younger and half were older.

Many people in the parish are employed. In 2019, about 61.2% of the parish's population had jobs. The average income for a household was about $54,948. Many businesses in the parish are owned by minority groups or veterans.

Learning and safety

Education in the parish

East Baton Rouge Parish has many schools for students. Most areas are part of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. However, some cities like Baker, Zachary, and Central have their own school systems.

The State of Louisiana also runs special schools here. These include the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired and the Louisiana School for the Deaf. These schools help students with specific needs.

There are also private schools. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge operates Catholic schools in the area.

Public libraries and colleges

The East Baton Rouge Parish Library system provides public libraries for everyone. If you want to go to college, Baton Rouge Community College serves this area.

Law enforcement and safety

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office helps keep people safe. They have about 850 deputies, making them one of the largest law enforcement groups in Louisiana. Some interesting people have worked as sheriffs, like Philemon Thomas, a politician, and Terry Felton, a former baseball player.

Other police departments and law enforcement agencies in the parish include:

• Baton Rouge Police Department
• Baton Rouge City Constable (Ward 1)
• Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Police Department
• Baker Police Department
• Baker City Marshall
• Zachary Police Department
• City of Central Police Department
• Louisiana State University Police Department
• Baton Rouge Community College Police Department
• Southern University Police Department
• Various East Baton Rouge Parish Constables for different districts.

National Guard presence

The 225th Engineer Brigade has a unit called the 769th Engineer Battalion (Combat) in East Baton Rouge Parish. The National Guard is a group of citizen-soldiers who can help in emergencies at home and also serve the country overseas.

Healthcare services

East Baton Rouge Parish has many hospitals and medical centers. These places help people when they are sick or need medical care. Some of the major hospitals are:

• Baton Rouge General Bluebonnet
• Baton Rouge General Mid-City
• Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge
• Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
• Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital
• Woman's Hospital

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are provided by East Baton Rouge EMS and Acadian Ambulance. They are the people who respond to 911 calls for medical emergencies.

See also

In Spanish: Parroquia de East Baton Rouge para niños