Louisiana Residents Win Fight to Create New City

Residents who live in a wealthy enclave near Baton Rouge have won the right to carve out their own city in Louisiana. The state's highest court has approved the creation of the city of St. George after years of court fighting, reports the Advocate. The new city of about 60 square miles will have roughly 86,000 residents, per BRProud, which would make it the state's sixth-largest, about on par with Lake Charles. The fight over its incorporation has split largely along racial lines. As the New York Times explains, St. George will be made up mostly of wealthy white people who currently reside in southeastern East Baton Rouge Parish.

The Advocate notes that only 12% of its residents are Black, compared to 47% in the parish. Residents originally tried to form their own school district, but they shifted to the idea of creating their own city in 2015 when the school effort failed. A ballot measure passed in 2019, but the matter had been hung up in the courts ever since. Baton Rouge leaders have said the loss of tax revenue would be a severe blow. St. George will have its own mayor and council but will share some services with the government that oversees the parish and Baton Rouge itself. (More Lousiana stories.)