Baton Rouge 17th Fastest-Growing City in U.S. (New Orleans, Shreveport: transplants, homes)

[mwhit42]

According to a report by CNN Money entitled "The 258 fastest growing U.S. cities", Baton Rouge ranks as the 17th fastest growing city in the United States. The city gained over 8,400 people from July 1, 2005 to July 1, 2006, registering as a 3.8% population increase. This is extremely significant as up until this recent info came out, Baton Rouge had been in a population decline for a number of years.

However, if you scroll down to the bottom of the report, you will find a city 80 miles to the east that has suffered one of the biggest population declines in U.S. history. The city of New Orleans lost over 228,000 people from July 1, 2005 to July 1, 2006, registering as a 50% population decrease.

Its amazing how one hurricane can reverse a years-long trend in one city, and empty out half the population in another city a mere 80 miles away.

The 258 fastest growing U.S. cities - Jun. 27, 2007

[bproven]

Originally Posted by mwhit42

According to a report by CNN Money entitled "The 258 fastest growing U.S. cities", Baton Rouge ranks as the 17th fastest growing city in the United States. The city gained over 8,400 people from July 1, 2005 to July 1, 2006, registering as a 3.8% population increase. This is extremely significant as up until this recent info came out, Baton Rouge had been in a population decline for a number of years.

However, if you scroll down to the bottom of the report, you will find a city 80 miles to the east that has suffered one of the biggest population declines in U.S. history. The city of New Orleans lost over 228,000 people from July 1, 2005 to July 1, 2006, registering as a 50% population decrease.

Its amazing how one hurricane can reverse a years-long trend in one city, and empty out half the population in another city a mere 80 miles away.

The 258 fastest growing U.S. cities - Jun. 27, 2007

Mmmm...probably because most people from the New Orleans area moved up to the BR area. I would be surprised if it was actually people from out of state moving TO Baton Rouge. Would be interesting to know though...

[zarabeth]

We lived in Louisiana until a year after both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit...I don't know where CNN Money got their figures, but Baton Rouge absorbed considerably more people than 8 thousand.

We were in Lake Charles when Katrina hit, our Civic Center had about 3100 evacuees in it....Burton Coliseum maybe about 1500, and there was easily another 1000 (perhaps more) spread out in shelters/churches/private homes in the city.

Baton Rouge was first in line on the I-10 corridor, and when they could absorb no more, people kept going along the highway, filling up the small towns, Lafayette, and then Lake Charles.....the cops we ran into in LC who talked to the cops in BR told us their estimate was that the size of BR nearly doubled overnight...while it may not have actually been that high, it was absolutely more than 8000, had to be.

My daughter lives in BR, the city is still crammed full of people.....I'd like to know, too, how many are out-of-towners and how many are evacuees who can't or won't go back to NOLA.

[SBCmetroguy]

Census data from 2000-2006 shows Bossier City as the fastest-growing city in Louisiana and Lafayette as the second-fastest. If Baton Rouge were the 17th fastest-growing city in Louisiana it would stand to reason that it would have been the fastest-growing city in Louisiana, when in fact Census estimates contradict this. I wonder why this is?

While some people are definitely moving to Baton Rouge from out-of-state locales, it's plainly obvious that the vast majority of Baton Rouge's new population came from New Orleans. The timelines between Baton Rouge's population surge and New Orleans' Katrina-related population loss match up perfectly, which is not indicative of a major influx of out-of-state transplants. Still, I wonder why the Census Bureau's figures aren't representing this if nearly eight-and-a-half thousand new residents are calling Baton Rouge home.

I want to see that new people are moving into the state, and not just migrating from one city to another. Such as in Bossier City's case, while many people are moving to Bossier City from out-of-state, the vast majority of the city's new residents are fleeing Shreveport and surrounding towns.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by bproven

Mmmm...probably because most people from the New Orleans area moved up to the BR area. I would be surprised if it was actually people from out of state moving TO Baton Rouge. Would be interesting to know though...

We got some of the Orlenians, but not the bulk of them.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by zarabeth

Baton Rouge was first in line on the I-10 corridor, and when they could absorb no more, people kept going along the highway, filling up the small towns, Lafayette, and then Lake Charles.....the cops we ran into in LC who talked to the cops in BR told us their estimate was that the size of BR nearly doubled overnight...while it may not have actually been that high, it was absolutely more than 8000, had to be.

BR doubled overnight after the storm, while Orleans and Jefferson Parish were 'closed." Once they reopened those areas for resettlement, a lot of the people went back. Some, of course, stayed, but we didn't have the business/employment infrastructure that NO did, so the idea that BR couls absorb all of NO's growth was silly.

[imaterry78259]

Why are so many people fleeing Shreveport. I did many years ago for lack of opportunity. What is wrong with the city now?

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

Why are so many people fleeing Shreveport. I did many years ago for lack of opportunity. What is wrong with the city now?

This isn't even a discussion about Shreveport. If you don't know this answer already (and you and I have discussed this on another forum) post your question in a Shreveport discussion, not a Baton Rouge discussion. Lets not steer these peoples' thread in another direction.

[imaterry78259]

what is the current population of Baton Rouge and its MSA

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

what is the current population of Baton Rouge and its MSA

Metro BR (which I call E. Baton Rouge, Livingston, Ascension - you could also make an argument for W. Feliciana and W. Baton Rouge) has about 700K people.

Baton Rouge metropolitan area - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia