WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH
Parish Offices
880 N. Alexander Avenue
Port Allen 225-383-4755
https://wbrcouncil.org
Chamber of Commerce
7520 Highway 1 South
Addis 225-383-3140
https://wbrchamber.org
West Baton Rouge Parish, ideally situated along the Mississippi River, features the Port Allen Lock that provides both boat and barge access to the Intracoastal Waterway. The parish is also the location of the Port of Greater Baton Rouge—regionally significant as the most northern port on the Mississippi for deep-drought vessels. These water transportation assets combine with Interstate 10 to make the parish a distribution center that is also ideal for large industrial operations. Distinguished as one of the smallest parishes in Louisiana, the area is experiencing rapid growth, both economically and residentially.
Services
Well-respected schools are part of the attraction for newcomers to West Baton Rouge Parish, where teachers and administrators have worked together to make dramatic improvements in academic performance, earning area schools an outstanding regional reputation. The parish seat of Port Allen is home to a center for Baton Rouge Community College Technical Education, a merger of BRCC and Capital Area Technical College. Adults of all ages can access quality, relevant learning opportunities and skills training with immediate application in business and industry. Nearby Baton Rouge adds a selection of career colleges and the main campus for Baton Rouge Community College, where students can earn two-year transfer degrees or prepare for a wide variety of exciting careers. Baton Rouge also offers the sprawling campus for Louisiana State University, Louisiana’s largest institution of higher education and the flagship institution for the Louisiana State University System. Fourteen schools and colleges include several that are nationally recognized such as the E.J. Ourso College of Business, the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, and the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture—the leading program of its kind in the nation. Another highly respected public college in Baton Rouge is Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, covering 512 acres on Scott’s Bluff above the Mississippi River.
West Baton Rouge Parish is fortunate to be minutes away from some of Louisiana’s most highly respected teaching and research hospitals. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center provides a full range of exceptional, award-winning services in its 800-bed hospital in Baton Rouge, combining compassionate care with innovative techniques and technologies and clinical expertise. Our Lady of the Lake is a primary teaching site for graduate medical education and is recognized in a variety of areas including trauma and emergency care, stroke, heart and vascular, cancer care, and minimally-invasive procedures. Consistently named Hospital of the Year by the Louisiana State Nurses Association, Our Lady of the Lake also operates a 95-bed Children’s Hospital encompassed within the medical center. Ochsner Medical Center at Baton Rouge is another nationally recognized health organization with all private rooms and a state-of-the-art Birthing Center. The two-campus, 527-bed Baton Rouge General Medical Center has been providing quality healthcare to the capital region since 1900. Skilled professionals deliver primary and specialty care in private practice or group clinics, complemented by after-hours emergency care centers.
Lifestyle
West Baton Rouge continues to welcome new residents who are attracted to the parish by expansive employment opportunities but also commuters to the big city who want to return to a tranquil small town each evening. The parish provides an attractive and diverse selection of residential settings and housing, from handsome new construction in vibrant subdivisions to older Acadian and Victorian homes that excel in character and charm. Millions of dollars have been invested in recreational improvements and new facilities throughout the parish, from additional sports fields and courts to splash parks and the Louis Mouch Multi-purpose Facility. Quiet neighborhoods and convenient commercial development are complemented by major assets like a multi-purpose area, the state-of-the-art West Baton Rouge Conference Center, and the State Capitol Raceway. Residents of all ages appreciate the West Baton Rouge Parish Library with computer access, state-of-the-art technology, classes and community programs. The towns in West Baton Rouge Parish are some of the fastest-growing in the capital region, with Addis and Brusly recently receiving Beautification & Improvement Awards from the Keep Louisiana Beautiful program. Colorful festivals and celebrations draw enthusiastic crowds, with the brilliantly lit holiday extravaganza, Reflections of the Season, attracting visitors from far and wide including other states. Another popular family event is the annual Kite Fest.
Although the parish is ideally located near the cosmopolitan amenities in Baton Rouge, the area is justly proud of its own attractions. Providing breathtaking views of the magnificent Mississippi River and stunning Baton Rouge, the West Baton Rouge Parish Riverfront development has been reinvented as a premier place to relax, picnic, or stroll along the pedestrian promenade with unique architecturally designed paving, a gazebo, viewing benches, an instructive view finder, and ornamental street lighting. A magnet for visitors, the Riverfront also provides a picturesque backdrop for community events and activities. The Port Allen Lock is a regional economic asset but also features a visitor’s center with an interactive model of the lock and other presentations. One of the points of pride in the parish is the West Baton Rouge Museum, distinguished as the only historic venue in the nation that features the history of sugar agriculture from slavery times through the Civil Rights era. A cluster of structures on the four-acre campus serve to illustrate plantation life from 1830 through the 1960s. The museum itself is located in the historic Greek Revival courthouse, showcasing displays of South Louisiana history and art exhibitions. From every perspective, West Baton Rouge Parish is a community on the move, combining a robust local economy with growing small towns and government that is both progressive and responsive.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
Addis
Town Offices
225-687-4844
https://www.addisla.org
Chamber of Commerce
225-383-3140
https://wbrchamber.org
The small, welcoming Town of Addis is ideally located along the scenic Mississippi River and Louisiana Highway 1, just minutes from Louisiana’s State Capitol. In the face of rapid growth and development, civic planners are committed to protecting the town’s outstanding quality of life and country feeling. The historic Bank of Addis now houses the Addis Museum, where the community’s rich history as a railroad town is preserved and interpreted. Close-knit neighborhoods feature a growing selection of attractive homes in a variety of styles, price ranges, and residential settings from the West River Subdivision to Sugarmill Plantation. Friendly residents, excellent schools, active churches, locally owned shops, and beautiful parks are making Addis a popular choice for newcomers. Residents enjoy easy access to Interstate 10 and Baton Rouge, with its world-class cultural enrichment, entertainment centers, leading universities, and nationally recognized healthcare.
Brusly
Town Offices
225-749-2909
https://www.bruslyla.com
Chamber of Commerce
225-383-3140
https://wbrchamber.org
The small Town of Brusly is another growth center for West Baton Rouge Parish, welcoming newcomers to an expanding community that offers the serenity and openness of rural living in close proximity to cosmopolitan urban amenities. The homes in this area blend the historical richness of Acadian and Victorian architectural styles with handsome new construction that includes magnificent manors set on sweeping lots or generous acreage. Alexander Park serves as a focal point of outdoor recreation and community gatherings in this proud community that recently invested eight years in planning its centennial celebration. Churches, schools, and civic and social groups play important roles in the quality of life. Commercial development is on the rise, adding local conveniences and dining options to traditional family living in close proximity to the world-class amenities in Baton Rouge.
Erwinville
Parish Offices
225-383-4755
Chamber of Commerce
225-383-3140
https://wbrchamber.org
The unincorporated rural community of Erwinville offers abundant opportunities for those who are interested in beautiful new construction or even building a custom home on generous acreage near the City of Port Allen. The Erwinville Community Center is owned and operated by the West Baton Route Parish Parks & Recreation Department, providing a 10,000 square foot facility and expansive parking for a wide range of events and gatherings. Residents enjoy a walking trail around the center as well as a playground for the younger set and a tennis court on the grounds. The majority of residents commute less than 30 minutes to employment centers in West Baton Rouge Parish or in the City of Baton Rouge. One of the region’s popular attractions is located in the Erwinville area, the State Capitol Dragway. Distinguished as one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating quarter-mile dragstrips, the track has previously been sanctioned by the NHRA and the HRA but currently retains HRA sanctioning.
Port Allen
City Offices
225-346-5670
https://www.portallen.org
Chamber of Commerce
225-383-3140
https://wbrchamber.org
Taking for its slogan, “City living with river charm,” the intimate community of Port Allen serves as the parish seat of government and a vital link in the region’s robust economy as the site of the Port of Baton Rouge. The Port Allen Lock provides river barges and other vessel access to the Intracoastal Waterway. Jobs tend to be plentiful in this area, where business and industry take advantage of Interstate, rail, and water transportation efficiencies. Strategically located between Interstate 10 and US Highway 190 on the west bank of the Mississippi River, Port Allen is a small but well-developed city that provides commercial conveniences and services to the rural population that surrounds it. Just across the river, residents can literally see the bright lights of downtown Baton Rouge. At the same time, Port Allen offers country pleasures, the friendliness of a close-knit small community, fine schools, a growing selection of beautiful homes, and a wonderful place to raise a family and develop lifelong friendships.
