WhiteWater Express

Named by French explorers as "the Red Stick City," Baton Rouge is where Louisiana's capital, flagship university, and distinctive Cajun and Creole cultures all come together. Located in Southeast Louisiana, Baton Rouge is the fifth largest city on the Mississippi River and home to Louisiana's largest parish. Strategically seated at the mouth of the Mississippi River, the Baton Rouge area's assets are integral to the nation's logistics and energy networks. The city is about 79 miles from New Orleans, 126 miles from Alexandria, 56 miles from Lafayette and 250 miles from Shreveport. It is also 173 miles from Jackson, Mississippi and 272 miles from Houston, Texas. Since 2020, it has been the second-largest city in Louisiana after New Orleans; Baton Rouge is the 18th-most-populous state capital. Baton Rouge is the heart and soul of the state’s eclectic culture. With over 300 years of history, Baton Rouge has a colorful story to tell, which can be tasted through our culinary offerings, seen through the picturesque views of the Mississippi River and historical landmarks and experienced through the vibrant arts and culture scene. In the “Red Stick,” every day is worth celebrating, even more so through our festivals and events held throughout the year. Baton Rouge enjoys a strong economy that has helped the city be ranked as one of the "Top 10 Places for Young Adults" in 2010 by portfolio.com and one of the top 20 cities in North America for economic strength by the Brookings Institution. In 2009, the city was ranked by CNN as the 9th-best place in the country to start a new business. Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, research, motion picture, and growing technology center of the American South. It is the location of Louisiana State University—the LSU system's flagship university and the state's largest institution of higher education. It is also the location of Southern University, the flagship institution of the Southern University System—the nation's only historically black college system. The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is the tenth-largest in the U.S. by tonnage shipped, and is the farthest upstream Mississippi River port capable of handling Panamax ships. Major corporations participating in the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area's economy include Amazon, Lamar Advertising Company, BBQGuys, Marucci Sports, Piccadilly Restaurants, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, ExxonMobil, Brown & Root, Shell, and Dow Chemical Company. In addition to being the state capital and parish seat, the city is the home of Louisiana State University, which employs over 5,000 academic staff. One of the largest single employers in Baton Rouge is the state government, which consolidated all branches of state government downtown at the Capitol Park complex. Baton Rouge's largest industry is petrochemical production and manufacturing. ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge Refinery complex is the fifth-largest oil refinery in the country; it is the world's tenth largest. Baton Rouge also has rail, highway, pipeline, and deep-water access. Dow Chemical Company has a large plant in Iberville Parish near Plaquemine, 17 miles south of Baton Rouge. Shaw Construction, Turner, and Harmony all started with performing construction work at these plants.