89 Louisiana Facts And Weird Laws 

Crescent City, popularly known as New Orleans, is one of the best places people visit to feel the Creole culture. 

While New Orleans is packed with fun activities and attractive sites you can visit, it represents just a tip of what you can do in the state. 

Have you ever heard of a city with a resident ghost?  Yes, Baton Rouge is one Of those cities.  Her name is Sarah.  Of all the places, she lives in the Capitol building.  Sarah Morgan lives in the Old Capitol. 

If you want a great meal, take a walk through the French quarter.  Other than the food, this place is rich in the state’s history.  The Mardi Gras festival is one you would want to miss–everything about it is rooted deep in culture.

Here are the interesting facts you probably should know about Louisiana.

Best Fun Facts About Louisiana

1. Louisiana’s state Capitol in Baton Rouge is the nation’s tallest capitol building.
2. New Orleans is the city of opera.  Andre Ernest Gretry’s first documented performance of Silvain was held here.
3. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the world’s longest overwater bridge.  It covers 23.83 miles.
4. Louisiana is the only state that doesn’t have counties; instead, it has Parishes.
5. Louisiana’s legal system doesn’t follow common law.  The Spanish and French-influenced it.

Louisiana Facts —Politics, And Government 

1. Louisiana is a deep red state, especially in the federal elections.  Republican presidential candidates have carried Louisiana 100% since 2000.
2. Louisiana State has eight electoral votes in the electoral college.
3. The Louisiana State Capitol and Governor’s mansion are located in Baton Rouge.
4. The Louisiana Gubernatorial race is a closely contested between Republican and Democratic Party candidates.
5. The current governor is a Democrat, John Bel Edwards.
6. New Orleans remains the headquarters of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
7. Also known as the Pelican State, Louisiana has six seats in the US House of Representatives.  One Democrat and five Republicans take up these seats.
8. Louisiana is the 24th hardest state to vote in, according to a 2020 study.
9. Louisiana State is divided into 64 parishes (counties).  Most of these parishes have an elected government.

10. David Vitter became the first Republican from Louisiana to be elected to the US Senate in 2004.
11. Two of the highest courts in Louisiana are the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Louisiana Circuit Court of Appeals.
12. The Louisiana Supreme Court’s Chief Justice is the overall administrator of the state’s judiciary.

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Louisiana Facts —History

13. Louisiana is the place of origin of the Mound Building Cultures.
14. Poverty Point, an archaic site, is the largest of such places in Louisiana.
15. The Poverty Point Culture is arguably one of the first tribal cultures in the nation.
16. The Tchefuncte people were the first ones to make large quantities of pottery in present-day Louisiana. 
17. Pánfilo de Narváez led the Spanish expedition into Louisiana in 1528.
18. Hernando de Soto, in 1542, also led the Spanish into the western and northern regions of present-day Louisiana.
19. French Robert Cavelier De La Salle gave this region its name (Louisiana) in honor of the king of France, King Louis XIV, in 1682.
20. Fort Maurepas, established in 1699, was the first permanent settlement in this region.
21. Natchitoches settlement located in the Northwest region of Louisiana is the oldest European settlement in the state today.
22. Great Britain acquired most of the French territory east of the Mississippi River after the French and Indian War in 1763.
23. New Orleans and the remaining Louisiana territory went under Spanish rule.
24. The United States bought the Louisiana territory in 1803 in the Louisiana purchase.  The US government paid about 15 million US dollars for the 828,000 square miles region.
25. Did you know that US President Thomas Jefferson did not authorize the Louisiana purchase?  He had approved of the $10 million purchase of a port city but got the entire La Louisiane for an extra $5 million.
26. The French’s Code Noir prohibited interracial marriages in the region.
27. New Orleans was home to the nation’s largest slave market in the 1840s.
28. The nation’s oldest Asian settlement, at St. Malo, Louisiana, was created by free Filipino slaves.
29. Louisiana joined the Union as the 18th state in 1812. 
30. Louisiana territory became the Missouri territory, while the Orleans territory became the State of Louisiana.
31. Louisiana joined the CSA (the Confederates States of America) in 1861.
32. Louisiana is home to US first black governors–P.B.S Pinchback and Oscar Dunn.
33. African Americans left Louisiana during the Great Migration to look for jobs and escape Jim Crow Laws.

Louisiana Facts —Geography

34. Louisiana is the 31st most extensive state in the United States, with 52,069.13 square miles.
35. Louisiana shares its borders with Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico.
36. Avoyelles Parish is the geographic center of the state of Louisiana.
37. The state has two distinct regions: the Uplands of Northern Louisiana and the alluvial regions.
38. The alluvial region comprises coastal beaches, coastal marshlands, swamplands, and barrier islands.
39. The state is home to Lake Pontchartrain with the world’s longest bridge, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
40. The Mississippi River passes through the Pelican State into the Gulf of Mexico.
41. Louisiana is home to the Ouachita River, Red River, and streams.
42. The uplands in the state’s Northern region consist of woodlands and prairie.
43. At 535 feet, Driskill Mountain is the state’s highest point.
44. Soil erosion and the rise in sea level have led to losses of 1,800 square miles of land between 1932 and 2010.
45. Louisiana’s southern coast is one of the nation’s rapidly fading regions. 
46. The nation’s most extensive recurring hypoxic zone is in the Gulf of Mexico, a “dead zone” at the coast of Louisiana.  
47. Kisatchie National Forest is home to some of the state’s oldest rocks.
48. Louisiana is home to several salt domes, including Avery Island.
49. Louisiana experiences a humid climate with summers and mild winters.
50. The wet season in the state of Louisiana runs from April to September.
51. On August 10, 1936, the state’s highest temperature of 46°C (114°F) was recorded in Plain Dealing.  The lowest temperature of -27°C (-16°F) was experienced in Minden on February 13, 1899. The summer can be hotter in the Southern Louisiana region.
52. The Pelican State is vulnerable to tropical cyclones, Hurricanes, thunderstorms, and Tornadoes.
53. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is one of the nation’s most destructive hurricanes.  It caused a loss of over 160 billion dollars.
54. The state receives an annual average of 27 tornadoes.
55. Kisatchie national forest is among the federal lands in Louisiana. Federal government-owned areas include cypress swamps,  a preservation area, 27 state parks, and 17 historic sites.

Louisiana Facts —Animals and Plants

56. Louisiana is home to most animals native to the southern states, including squirrels, shorebirds, wolves, and foxes.
57. Strange animals which live in this state include the Louisiana pine snake, the crayfish, the gopher tortoise, and the southern leopard frog.
58. The white alligator living in Louisiana is one of the world’s rarest animals.
59. A subspecies of the North American black bear, the Louisiana black bear, is native to this state.
60. The official state mammal of Louisiana is the Louisiana black bear. 
61. The Catahoula Leopard dog is the state dog of Louisiana. 
62. While the Catahoula Leopard dog is common in the southeastern United States, particularly Louisiana, it’s rare in other parts of the United States.  The Catahoula Leopard dog is almost non-existent outside America.
63. Louisiana has over 470 bird species, including woodpeckers, American Robin, and American goldfinch.
64. Brown Pelican is the official state bird of Louisiana State. 
65. Louisiana freshwater fish include white crappie, bluegill, sunfish, black crappie, white bass, striped bass, and catfish.
66. The Louisiana saltwater fish include triggerfish, amberjack, grouper, barracuda, yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, Bonita, white marlin, and blue marlin. 
67. Louisiana plants include the Gulf Coast Yucca, Silverbell Tree, Louisiana Phlox, and the bald cypress.
68. Louisiana state symbols for plants include bald cypress (state tree), magnolia (state flower), and Louisiana strawberry (state fruit). 

Louisiana Facts —Demographics

69. With a population of over 4,657,757, Louisiana is the 24th most populous state in the country.
70. The capital city of Louisiana is Baton Rouge.  The Louisiana state capitol building, located in Baton Rouge, is the nation’s tallest capitol building.
71. With over 210,000 people, Baton Rouge Population is only second to New Orleans’ in the state.
72. New Orleans is the largest city in Louisiana by both area and population.
73. With about 105 people per square mile, Louisiana ranks 24th in population density.
74. The East Baton Rouge Parish is home to over 446,000 people.
75. Louisiana’s median age is 36 years, and females make up about 51% of the state’s population.
76. Over 80% of the Louisiana population are Christians.
77. The whites make up over 60% of the state’s population.
78. Louisiana is the only state in the US with parishes instead of counties.
79. Louisiana is the only state in the country with a large population of Cajuns.

Louisiana Facts —Economy

80. Louisiana ranked 42nd in fiscal stability with Economy (47), Healthcare (46) and Infrastructure (47) has its key attributes.
81. Louisiana is the chief producer of sugarcane, rice, and sweet potatoes, thanks to its fertile soils.
82. Other agricultural products include cotton, corn, pecans, hay, soya beans, dairy, and strawberries.
83. Fishing is vital to Louisiana’s economy.  Oysters, menhaden, and shrimp are the primary catches in this state.
84. Louisiana is one of the nation’s leading fur-trapping states, producing most of the United States’ muskrat furs.
85. The state’s mineral resources include salt, sulfur, crude petroleum, and natural gas.
86. The tourism sector has grown to become one of the backbones of Louisiana’s economy.  New Orleans City is famous for its nightlife, history, and charm.
87. Louisiana’s major cities include Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Kenner, Shreveport, and Lake Charles.
88. CenturyLink, headquartered in Louisiana, is one of the leading revenue-generating firms in the state. 
89. Saint Charles Streetcar line is one of the world’s oldest streetcar lines.

Famous Locations in Louisiana 

1. New Orleans’ French Quarter is home to beautiful buildings and other fantastic sceneries.  You can go sightseeing, shopping, or entertainment.

2. The National WWII Museum in New Orleans is rich in war history.
3. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is the state’s biggest event.  It’s usually on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

4. Melrose Plantation, formerly the Yucca plantation, is a remarkable sight to visit.
5. The Old State Capitol building in Baton Rouge features a museum rich in the state’s history. The current Capitol is the tallest state Capitol building in the nation.
6. Laura Plantation, featuring the personal accounts of slaves, is opened for visitors.
7. Vermilionville Museum, in Lafayette, is the place you’d visit, especially when you want to know the history of craft.

Famous People From Louisiana

• Reece Witherspoon, the actress, was born in New Orleans.
• Tyler Perry, the actor & filmmaker, was born in New Orleans.
• Tim McGraw, singer & actor, was born in Delhi, Louisiana.
• Ashley Scott, model & actress, was born in Metairie.
• Bryant Gumbel, journalist & Sportscaster, was born in New Orleans.

Common Misconceptions About Louisiana 

Here are our most common misconceptions about Louisiana state.

New Orleans is the only city in Louisiana

While New Orleans is the state’s largest city, it isn’t the major city in the state.  Lafayette and Baton Rouge are some of the other cities you’ll find in Louisiana.

Everyone living in Louisiana is Cajun

Out of the 64 parishes, Cajuns live in 22.

Weird Laws in Louisiana 

Here are our top weird Louisiana laws. Read the Craziest Laws in the United States, if you want more.

1. It’s illegal to make a call and knowingly fail to hang up.
2. It’s illegal to pay cash for second-hand goods.
3. Feed your hogs with cooked garbage when you are in Jefferson parish.
4. It’s illegal to make false promises in Louisiana.
5. Tying your alligator to a fire hydrant is unlawful.
6. It’s unlawful to throw condoms from parade floats. (Throwing objects at a parade is illegal.)
7. In New Orleans, Louisiana, fortune telling may land you in trouble.

Louisiana Facts And Stats

Capital	Baton Rouge
Population	2020 (4,657,757)
Governor	John Bel-Edwards( Democratic Party)
Date Of Admission	April 30, 1812
U.S. Senators	Bill Cassidy(R) John Kennedy(R)
US House of Representatives	6 (of 435 Seats)
State Nickname	Pelican StateSugar StateCreole StateSportsman’s paradiseBayou State
State Motto	Union, Justice, and Confidence
State Song	“You are My Sunshine” by Gov. Jimmy Davis
State Flower	Magnolia
State Fish	White Crappie
State Bird	Brown Pelican
State Tree	Bald Cypress
State Animal	Louisiana Black Bear
State Amphibian	Green Tree Frog
State Mineral	Agate
State Gem	Eastern Oyster Shell
State Fossil	petrified palm wood
Neighbor States	Texas Arkansas Mississippi

Final Thoughts

Louisiana is undoubtedly the place to visit to enjoy culture and sports while learning. 

The nightlife is one thing you wouldn’t want to miss.  If you are not a fan of sports, you can admire Lake Charles beach–the best in the state.

What do you love about Louisiana?

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the five interesting Louisiana facts?

1. The state got its name from King Louis XIV.
2. Louisiana is home to the world’s longest bridge over water, the Lake Pontchartrain causeway.
3. New Orleans is the Jazz Capital of the world.
4. Louisiana is home to the ” Duck Capital of America,” Gueydan.
5. Rayne, Louisiana, is both the city of murals and the frog capital of the world.

What is Louisiana best known for? 

• Jazz music.
• Cajun culture.
• Food.
• Louisiana State Capitol building –the nation’s tallest state Capitol building.
• Parishes–political subdivisions.
• Mississippi River.
• Louisiana schools.
• Mardi Gras festival.

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Related Content: 

• Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy Bio | Contact | Quotes
• Louisiana Senator John Kennedy Bio | Contact | Quotes
• Louisiana Unemployment Insurance Benefits Guide

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References

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Louisiana

[2] https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings

[3] https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions/louisiana-usla.htm

[4] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana