Louisiana Population 2013
The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Louisiana is 4,701,893 in the year 2013, which is ranked the 25th largest population in the United States. This estimate shows a 1.5% increase in the population since the last census in 2010, also conducted by the United States Census Bureau. Due to largely populated cities like New Orleans, the population density of the state is 104.9 people per square mile, ranked 24th largest density in the United States.
Louisiana Land Mass
The state is approximately 380 miles and 130 miles wide, with a square area of 51, 843 square miles, making it the 31st largest state in the United States. Of those 51, 843 square miles, only 43,566 square miles are made up of land, while the rest is made up of water. The highest point in Louisiana is Driskill Mountain, which is 535 feet above sea level. In contrast, the lowest point in Louisiana happens to be New Orleans, which is 8 feet below sea level.
Louisiana Parishes
Whereas most other states divide the state into sections called counties, Louisiana divides the state into what are called parishes. Parishes and municipalities serve as the primary unit of government in the state. The center of population of Louisiana is located in the Pointe Coupee Parish in the city of New Roads, which is located slightly northwest of the capital, Baton Rouge, home of the Louisiana State University Tigers.
Louisiana Demographics
Of the approximate 4.5 million people living in the state of Louisiana, about 64% of the population is considered to be white (including Hispanic or Latino). But, 4.5% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino and about 59.5% identify as Caucasian. Those that identify as Black or African American, which represents about 32% of the population, represents the next largest race in the state. The rest of the state is made up of American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian, other Pacific islanders, and those that identify with 2 or more races. These other races only account for about 4% of the population in the state.
Louisiana Culture
All those from the state of Louisiana will always mention the two cultures, Creole and Cajun, when referring to the culture of the state of Louisiana. The culture of Creole comes from the term “creolization”, which refers to the mingling of cultures in South Louisiana. The world “creole” stems from the Portuguese word “crioulo”. This phrase originally referred to the European French and Spanish colonial population that settled in South Louisiana and in the Caribbean region. Before the Civil War, this term even referred to the “free people of color” in Louisiana, which represented those of mixed African European descent. But, today in Southwest Louisiana, Creole refers to those people that are of mingled Black, Spanish, French, and Indian descent. Linguists even apply the term “creole” to refer to the African French language, found in the French West Indies today, as well as in parts of Southern Louisiana.
The culture of Cajuns begins around the early 1600s with French settlers in the area of southeast Canada known as Acadie. Living a life as farmers, trappers, and fishermen, they lived a fairly simple life. The culture of Cajuns began to develop in this settlement in Canada. Due to the French and Indian War during the mid-1700s, the British exiled these French settlers from their homes, causing the community to scatter across North America, the Caribbean, and France. Around 1765, these Acadians began to arrive in Louisiana, where they slowly began to be identified as Cajuns. Continuing the life of trapping, farming, and fishing, they made the best of what they could in the climate and area of Louisiana. As more cultures began to settle in the area, so did the influence of those cultures mix with the already vibrant culture of the Cajuns. German and African settlers brought different instruments that mixed with the violin and ancient French folk dances that had been down through generations to create a new sound that developed into the style of Cajun music. The food of the culture also developed in a similar fashion, mixing different ingredients of African and Indian cultures into the cuisines of the Cajuns.
Louisiana Religion
The population of Louisiana tends to be more religious than the average of the United States. About 61% identify as religious, compared to the national average of 49%. Out of this 61%, about 33% claim to be some form of a Protestant denomination. The largest of these denominations is Southern Baptist at about 20%, with the next largest being solely the title “Christian”. The next largest group of religion in the state is the Roman Catholic population, which is about 27% out of the 61%. Therefore, only about 1% out of the 61% identifies as something other than Christian.
Louisiana Sports Teams
Louisiana has two major league professional sports teams: the Saints of the National Football League and the Hornets of the National Basketball Association, formerly located in Charlotte. Both the Saints and Hornets are located in New Orleans. Even though there are only two professional sports teams, the city draws quite a crowd for sporting events since the Super Bowl has been held in New Orleans six times: 1978, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1997, and 2002. It was played in the Louisiana Superdome, the largest indoor arena in the United States.
Despite having only two professional teams, New Orleans has some minor league teams in baseball and hockey. The two main minor league baseball teams are the New Orleans Zephyrs in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and the Shreveport Captains in the Double-A Texas League. The New Orleans area also has a soccer team known as the Jesters. Established in 2008, they played their first season in 2009.
Lastly, the people of Louisiana tend to love the Louisiana State University Tigers. A loyal fan base, they follow every football game, every baseball game, and never cease to have pride for their Tigers. They won the Sugar Bowl, inaugurated by Tulane University in the city of New Orleans, three times: 1959, 1965, and 1968. The only football National Championship that the Tigers have was in 1958. However, the baseball team has won the College World Series four times: 1991, 1993, 1996, and 1997.