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About This File
NHP Baton Rouge Louisiana By blade2k5 & Papab2000
Map Details and Information
Beginnings
Baton Rouge dates back to 1699, when French explorer Sieur d'Iberville leading an exploration party up the Mississippi River saw a reddish cypress pole festooned with bloody animals and fish that marked the boundary between Houma and Bayou Goula tribal hunting grounds. They called the tree "le bâton rouge," or red stick. The native name for the site had been Istrouma. From evidence found along the Mississippi, Comite, and Amite rivers, and in three native mounds remaining in the city, archaeologists have been able to date habitation of the Baton Rouge area to 8000 B.C.
Capital City Progresses
Since European settlement, Baton Rouge has functioned under seven governing bodies: France, England, Spain, Louisiana, the Florida Republic, the Confederate States, and the United States. In the mid-1700s, driven into exile by British forces, many French-speaking settlers from Canada's maritime provinces known then as Acadia, took up residence in rural Louisiana. Popularly known as Cajuns, descendants of the Acadians, (French: Acadiens), maintained a separate culture that immeasurably enriched the Baton Rouge area. Incorporated in 1817, Baton Rouge became Louisiana's state capital in 1849. Architect James Dakin was hired to design the new Capitol building in Baton Rouge, and rather than mimic the federal Capitol Building in Washington, as so many other states had done, he conceived a Neo-Gothic medieval castle overlooking the Mississippi, complete with turrets and crenelations. The edifice was famously lampooned by Mark Twain in his Life on the Mississippi,[2] calling it a "little sham castle" and an "architectural falsehood" among other maledictions of the style which Twain attributed to nefarious influence of Sir Walter Scott. During the first half of the nineteenth century the city grew steadily as the result of steamboat trade and transportation; at the outbreak of the American Civil War the population was 5,500 people. The Civil War halted economic progress but did not actually touch the town until it was occupied by Union forces in 1862.The Confederates gave up Baton Rouge without a fight, deciding to consolidate their forces elsewhere, during which time, the state capital had been moved to Shreveport, but it was returned to Baton Rouge in 1880.
Modernization
Increased civic-mindedness and the arrival of a north-south railroad led to the development of more forward-looking leadership, which included the construction of a new waterworks, widespread electrification of homes and businesses, and the passage of several large bond issues for the construction of public buildings, new schools, paving of streets, drainage and sewer improvements, and the establishment of a scientific municipal public health department.By the beginning of the twentieth century, the town had undergone significant industrial development as a result of its strategic location for the production of petroleum, natural gas, and salt. In 1909 the Standard Oil Company built a facility that proved to be a lure for other petrochemical firms. The New Louisiana State Capitol was built in 1932 by Huey P. Long and signaled the eventual growth of the city. Throughout World War II, these plants increased production for the war effort and contributed to the growth of the city.
Today
In the 1950s and 1960s, Baton Rouge experienced a boom in the petrochemical industry, causing the city to expand away from the original center, resulting in the modern suburban sprawl. In recent years, however, government and business have begun a move back to the central district. A building boom that began in the 1990s continues today, with multi million dollar projects for quality of life improvements and new construction happening all over the city. In the 2000s, Baton Rouge has proven to be one of the fastest growing cities in the South, in terms of technology. Baton Rouge's population exploded after Hurricane Katrina as residents from the New Orleans metropolitan area moved northward following the devastation, estimates in late 2005 put the displaced population at about 200,000 in the Baton Rouge area. However, despite claims from mayor Kip Holden of permanent growth in the region the growth proved to be only temporary as displaced citizens returned to their home regions. Due to the hurricane victims returning home and native Baton Rouge residents fleeing to outlying parishes, the U.S. Census Bureau has designated Baton Rouge the second fastest declining city in it's 2007-2008 estimate. Baton Rouge Metropolitan Area has been cited as one of the faster growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. (under 1 million), with 600,000 in 2000, and 770,000 in 2008, with most of the growth concentrated in Livingston Parish and Ascension Parish. Aside from politics, there is also a vibrant mix of cultures found throughout Louisiana, thus forming the basis of the city motto: "Authentic Louisiana at every turn".
Map Specifics
Map Type: Real World
Region map size: Configured for 25 large city tiles and is 5x5 in size.
config.bmp size: included with zip file
Dependencies: Either SC4 Mapper or SC4 Terraformer for importing.
Maps were created by taking 1/3 Arc USGS DEM elevation data.
Install/Uninstall Instructions: Can be found in the readme provided.
Credits
blade2k5 - Original map creation, scaling, importing. SC4TF modification.
papab2000 - Original map creation, scaling, importing. SC4TF modification.
Check out more maps by blade2k5 and NHP
Any comments and feedback welcomed. Thanks for looking and enjoy.
