NEWS STORIES

Baton Rouge Economy Rated Among Best in U.S.

Baton Rouge has been ranked number 8 among the largest U.S. metro areas for economic performance during the recession.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/48215657.html?index=1&c=y

America's Next Great City: Baton Rouge

An overview of all the recent positive news about Baton Rouge that has captured the attention of the national press and given local leaders a lot of reasons to promote the capital city to the world.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/specialsections/wherewelive/47945347.html

B.R. housing market named as one of nation's best

A real estate forecasting service says the Capital Region is one of the 10 best cities in terms of future home prices.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/48902757.html

Downtown Restaurants Growing Despite Economy

Downtown Baton Rouge continues to have great potential as many new restaurants settle in the area despite the receding economy.

http://www.wafb.com/global/story.asp?s=10497678

New Bus Line Connects University with Downtown

The LSU bus service has added three new bus routes to connect the university with other areas of the city.

http://www.lsureveille.com/news/new-bus-line-connects-university-with-downtown-1.1761850

Plans for New Town Square Innovative

The new town square downtown will incorporate the outdoors with a variety of entertainment to create a fun and inviting atmosphere for the people of Baton Rouge.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/46428197.html

Louisiana to Seek New Orleans-Baton Rouge Passenger Rail Line

Louisiana’s transportation department wants to request federal dollars to build a passenger rail service that runs between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/louisiana_to_seek_new_orleansb.html

Video Game Testing Center Coming to LSU

Electronic Arts (EA) is opening a testing center at LSU’s South Campus that will attract younger people. EA plans to hire 220 people with 200 being students.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/27212424.html

Upscale Downtown Eatery On Third Street

Scott Varnadoe, chef at the former Bluff’s restaurant and the kitchen at the Myrtles plantation, will open Varnadoe’s at Kress at Third & Main in the fall.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/44851877.html

International Animation Festival Returns to Baton Rouge

Red Stick Animation Festival, which turns five this year, is the largest festival of its kind in the United States.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/entertainment/43008782.html

WEBSITE LINKS

Baton Rouge Area Chamber (www.brac.org)

http://brac.org/uploads/BatonRougeAreaEconomicIndicatorsDec2007.pdf: Economic indicators for the Baton Rouge area.

http://brac.org/site21.php: Baton Rouge area statistics for population, labor force, unemployment rates, average annual pay, and average home prices.

http://brac.org/site22.php: Statistics for population, households, employment, business and education.

http://brac.org/site23.php: The page displays graphs and charts pertaining to the labor force. Information is provided about the work force’s education (broken down by parish), area employment (broken down by industry), wage rate (by occupation), opportunities for training, and job availability.

http://brac.org/site13.php: A regional overview of East Baton Rouge Parish, the city of Baton Rouge and other cities in East Baton Rouge Parish such as Baker and Zachary.

Downtown Development District (www.downtownbatonrouge.org)

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/aboutNewsPlanForBr.asp: Explains the next phase of downtown development. Plans are also being made to provide new businesses and residents with financial incentives for moving to the area.

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/devEconomic.asp: Further explains the economic incentives for downtown Baton Rouge.

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/devRiverfront.asp: This is an introductory page to the Riverfront Development Plan and the North Boulevard Town Square. A link to the Riverfront Master Plan Site is available: http://www.batonrougeriverfront.com

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/downloads/pdf/devCompleted.pdf: This is a map of downtown Baton Rouge that highlights projects that have been completed and others that are under construction. It also shows historic downtown neighborhoods that have been renovated.

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/liveHistoric.asp: This page contains information about the historic downtown neighborhoods: Spanish Town and Beauregard Town.

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/workEmployment.asp: Lists job links downtown.

http://www.louisiana.gov/Business/Employment/: Job database, a list of jobs within state agencies, and employment resources.

http://appl003.lsu.edu/hrm/employweb.nsf/$Content/By+Category?OpenDocument: Career opportunities and LSU, frequently asked questions, and a list of top 10 reasons to work at LSU.

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/downloads/pdf/MerchantListing.pdf: A complete list of downtown businesses with addresses and hours of operation.

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/workDba.asp: Information about the Downtown Business Association, a nonprofit organization.

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/stayAccomodations.asp: Downtown hotels and temporary residences.

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/BTRCPHF-Hilton-Baton-Rouge-Capitol-Center-Louisiana/index.do: Hilton Capitol Center; features information about the hotel and guest rooms, as well as accommodations and directions.

http://www.belleofbatonrouge.com/index.php: Home page for the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino, across from the convention center, one of the two casinos located downtown.

www.casinorouge.com: Home page for Hollywood Casino, across from the state capitol complex, one of the two casinos located downtown.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1362: Sheraton Baton Rouge Convention Center Hotel:

http://downtownbatonrouge.org/aroundTrolley.asp: Information about the Capital Trolley Service. A list of stops and the businesses, services, and restaurants in the vicinity of the stops are also provided. A map of the stops is also available: http://downtownbatonrouge.org/downloads/pdf/trolleymap.pdf

http://www.brrivercenter.com/site.php: Baton Rouge River Center (convention center)

Baton Rouge Government: (www.brgov.com)

http://brgov.com/demographics.htm: Links to several pages of statistical information about the Baton Rouge area. All of the information was obtained from the United States Census Bureau. East Baton Rouge Parish Demographics:

Baton Rouge City Demographics: