Top 10 facts about EBR Parish

• Advocate staff report
• Published: Jun 14, 2009

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Big time

Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish has the second-largest municipal government in the state, with a budget of $700 million. Slightly more than half of the city-parish’s $281 million general fund comes from sales tax revenue.

Levels of leadership

The city-parish government has a mayor-president who represents the entire parish and a Metropolitan Council, whose 12 members represent districts across the parish. All but two current council members were elected to their seats for the first time last fall. Baker, Zachary and Central have their own mayors, city councils and school systems.

Plethora of parks

The East Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Park Commission maintains 184 neighborhood parks in all corners of the parish, including the 147-acre City Park. City Park includes a tennis center, a 9-hole historic golf course, a recreation center, the Baton Rouge Gallery, picnic areas, basketball courts, a labyrinth, a dog park, numerous walking trails, a playground area and two lakes.

Population growth

The U.S. Census Bureau’s latest estimate pegs East Baton Rouge Parish’s population at 428,360, an increase of more than 16,000 over the last official estimate before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

On the horizon

East Baton Rouge Parish adopted the Horizon Plan in 1992 as a comprehensive planning guide, the first of its kind adopted in Louisiana.

Home rules

The city and parish are governed by a Home Rule Charter, which allows some autonomy from state laws.

Animal attractions