Louisiana State University
- Local Atmosphere

5 Fun Facts about Baton Rouge:
• According to a recent Men’s Health survey, Baton Rouge is the fifth happiest city in the nation.
• Huey P. Long, the famous Louisiana governor and consummate politician, was assassinated in the New State Capitol, and visitors can see the bullet holes from where he was shot in the State Capitol walls. He is buried on the grounds.
• Baton Rouge can be seen in several major motion pictures. The Dukes of Hazard, Glory Road, and All the King’s Men have all been filmed here within the last year, and many other movies film in nearby New Orleans.
• Louisiana is the only state to still use the parish system as opposed to county government.
• Baton Rouge is the fifth largest port city in the U.S.

Famous Baton Rougians:
Cleo Fields (youngest governor at age 28)
Buddy Guy (blues guitarist)
Randy Jackson (American Idol judge and bassist for Journey)
Huey P. Long (governor)
Shaquille O’Neal (basketball player)
Steven Soderbergh (director of Erin Brockovich and Traffic)
Jimmy Swaggert (televangelist)
Shane West (actor in A Walk to Remember)
Lynn Whitfield (actress)

Local Slang:
Bayou (by-you) – Bigger than a creek, but not a river; slow moving and kind of swampy.
Café-au-lait (café-o-lay) – Coffee with milk or cream.
Cher – Cajun term of endearment, as in “Oh cher;” not the famous singer.
Crawfish – Say crawfish not crayfish. They are tiny, crustacean-like miniature lobsters. True Louisianans pinch the tails and suck the heads at crawfish boils.
Coke – Blanket term for any kind of soft drink; someone might ask you if you want a coke and then ask, “what kind?”
Creole – Term for people of “mixed blood” once used to describe French and Spanish descendents; now is used to describe Louisiana cooking and architecture.
Fixing To – About to do something; “I’m fixing to go to school.”
Lagniappe (lan yap) – Creole word for “something extra;” a catch-all term.
Laisez les bons temps rouler – Creole phrase meaning, “Let the good times roll.”
Pirogue (pee-rogue) – A Cajun canoe, originally made from hollowed cypress logs. People don’t take these to class like in The Waterboy.
Y’all – You all.