Baton Rouge City Profile

[bigbuildings]

Suburb or subdivision? If suburb, I would go with Zachary.. I had a similar question asked to me the other day about which subdivision was best, and did not know what to say.

[byrde]

I'd go with Zachary.

[richyb83]

Exports significant part of Baton Rouge economy

Petrochemicals largest contributor

Exports accounted for a sizable share of the Baton Rouge economy in 2010, ranking the Capital Region at No. 2 out of the 100 largest metros mostly because of the area’s chemical sector, according to a study by the Brookings Institution.

http://theadvocate.com/home/2258245-125/exports-significant-part-of-baton.html

Exports’ share

of Metro GDP

1. Wichita, Kan. 20.4%

2. Baton Rouge 18.3%

3. Portland, Ore. 18.2%

4. San Jose, Calif. 18.0%

5. Greensboro, N.C. 17.3%

6. Indianapolis, Ind. 17.2%

7. Oxnard, Calif. 15.7%

8. Grand Rapids, Mich. 15.3%

9. Toledo, Ohio 15.0%

10. Youngstown, Ohio 15.0%

[richyb83]

BR Ranked #1 Metro's w/ pop. 200,000 to 1 million for # of projects w/ 38....followed by Tulsa & Dayton 34. Shreveport was tied for 9th 23...and Lake Charles ranked tied for 4th Metro's (pop. less than 200,000) w/ 9 projects.

Houston #1 in North America easily defeating #2 Chicago.... is flexing it's muscle among the World's Best

http://www.siteselec...ros-of-2011.cfm

Edited April 24, 2012 by richyb83

[cajun]

Baton Rouge and Lafayette are both in the top 100 places to live according to relocate America.

Relocateamerica.com

[richyb83]

"Where We Live" Special Section 2012

A special guide to East & West Baton Rouge...Livingston, Ascension, Iberville, The Felicianas & Acadiana

http://shop.theadvocate.com/batonrouge/special-section/where-we-live

[cajun]

Has anyone tried Tin Roof blonde?

I had some before they changed it....wasn't impressed. Still cool that they make it in town.

[richyb83]

No...never tried it...that is cool they make it in town.

Urban farming....

Family’s yard houses chickens, bees, veggies, more

Chris Frink and Emily Taylor live in Goodwood Heights in a ’50s-style brick house on a 1.75-acre lot they call Urban Insanity Farm. They have two daughters, five dogs, a large chicken coop with 14 hens, four bee hives, 17 citrus trees, nine raised beds filled with vegetables, a selection of native plants, several large trees and an expansive lawn.

http://theadvocate.com/features/people/3140660-123/urban-farming

[dan326]

Cool! I want to cultivate a hydroponic garden one day.

[cajun]

That has to be some sort of code violation.

[cajun]

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/25/us/one-worker-killed-and-several-hurt-in-blast-at-louisiana-refinery.html

Does anyone remember the Christmas Eve 1989 explosion at Exxon in Baton Rouge?

My parents and I were visiting family in West Baton Rouge about 10 miles from the plant. My cousins and I were playing in the yard when it happened. That was my first time riding a horse....and my aunt had just taken me off the saddle when we heard (and saw) the explosion. It was massive.

My uncle worked at the plant. We were all crying until we found out he was already on his way home. We were sure Baton Rouge was leveled.

I know some homes and businesses in Baton Rouge were damaged. I read in college that the blast was nearly as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb.

Anyone remember this? Sorry if this was discussed on UP already. Didn't feel like searching through the old posts.

I was talking to my cousin earlier about one oil company's horrible safety culture (this particular one was based in London) and how the domestic industry made big changes after this that were not adopted by all firms- which contributed to the Texas City explosion and the Gulf oil spill.

Edited July 21, 2012 by cajun

[richyb83]

Don't think it's ever been mentioned??

Oh yeah....remember that! Happened to be taking a nap...thought it was a giant clap of thunder at first...but said no way! If my memory serves me correctly we had Record-Breaking Low Temps around that time...8 DEGREES! Was this to blame for the explosion?? We lived about 12 miles away...

Edited July 21, 2012 by richyb83

[cajun]

True...the sun was out that day, and when the explosion happened, it was around 40 degrees

It was cooler than usual during the nights leading up to the accident, and I believe unexpectedly cold temperatures over the previous week was a contributing factor to a gas leak . A worker started a truck and the spark plugs pretty much ignited the air near the tunnel. At the time there was a tank farm to the east of the plant that went up.....it was a couple of hundred yards away (to get an idea of how large the explosion was). Apparently the gas settled in the tunnel area and the guy who drove the truck through it set it off.

It's hard to find info on it online....or a picture of the smoke plume. My mom has Polaroids of it. I was very young at the time, but I remember the initial blast produced a mushroom cloud.

I know people in Shenandoah that had wall mounted pictures fall to the floor. Massive initial explosion. There were secondary explosions as the nearby tank farm went up.

A few places in town had looting problems after the power went out. National guard was called out. Some skylights at Cortana Mall shattered.

This accident prompted Exxon to create the "green belt" east of Scenic HWY. If you were around, you'd have sworn half of Baton Rouge was wiped off the face of the earth. It was one of those experiences that I'll never forget. .

Edited July 21, 2012 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

I wasn't even born.

But if it was near the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, surely more than 1 person would have been killed yea?

Any pics Cajun?

[cajun]

I wasn't even born.

But if it was near the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, surely more than 1 person would have been killed yea?

Any pics Cajun?

The plant was at idle for the cold weather. Only a few people were around that day.

Only Internet pics I've seen was a picture hours after the explosion with black smoke and the capital in the foreground d.

[Antrell Williams]

http://www.knowmore.org/wiki/index.php?title=Image:Refine_explos_kittner.jpg

[cajun]

That's the one. Ah...that nasty old insurance building. Glad it's gone today.

[richyb83]

Thanks for the pic Antrel That's some nasty looking smoke!

It would be nice for the proposed Economic Bldg to finally one day go into it's place; instead of the bare concrete slab w/ underground parking...and the failed Capitol Lofts would have looked nice right next to it.

[Antrell Williams]

There was supposed to be a building on top of that garage?

[cajun]

A state building was going there but it was delayed bc of budget cuts.

[itsjustme3]

The ED building will not be going there anytime soon. If ever.

I wouldn't want apts there. What if they went downhill and got trashy over a few years. Wouldn't want that next to the capital.

[all2neat]

I found this article.

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/26/business/company-news-refinery-fire-could-raise-heating-oil-cost.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

[cajun]

The ED building will not be going there anytime soon. If ever.

I wouldn't want apts there. What if they went downhill and got trashy over a few years. Wouldn't want that next to the capital.

Pretty sure condos were proposed for the site adjacent to that one (facing the park).

Edited July 25, 2012 by cajun

[BRPJ]

COMITE RIVER PARK

This park features up to 20 miles of unpaved trail perfect for biking and adventurous hikers. To have something of this scale in Baton Rouge is a blessing. After visiting this week for a bike ride I was so impressed I had to make a post about it. There are lots of hills, ramps, and fun on this trail. Come hydrated and bring lots of water.

Here is a map of the various trail routes throughout.

http://www2.coxservers.com:8181/images/Comite-trail-map-flyer.pdf

Edited July 25, 2012 by BRPJ

[richyb83]

Thanks for the reminder BRPJ...glad you posted this! That's too cool...it is a blessing for BR! Been a long time since i went on some of those trails. The terrain was so tricky it threw front bars out of whack!