St. George is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana, USA. With a population of 86,316, it is the second most populous city in the parish (after Baton Rouge) and fifth most populous in the state.
St. George is the newest incorporated city in Louisiana and was approved through a ballot initiative on October 12, 2019. The city originated from previously unincorporated areas located southeast of Baton Rouge.
A legal action of St. George was filed in 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish on November 4, 2019. After rulings by the district court and the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals, the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the incorporation in a 4–3 decision.
History
Native American presence After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, Bayou Manchac (originally known as Rivière d'Iberville or the Iberville River) became an international border between the British (West Florida) and Spanish (Isle of Orleans) colonial territories. This bayou (which now forms the southern border of the City of St. George) runs from the Mississippi River on the west to the Amite River on the east.
Native Americans, specifically the Choctaw, were known to have lived in southeast Louisiana when Europeans first arrived. In 1764, after encroachment by European settlers, the Alabama-Coushatta and Pakana Muscogee Indians migrated into Louisiana, just north of Bayou Manchac.
American Revolution In 1765, the British built Fort Bute on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River at Bayou Manchac, not far from the present-day University Club Golf Course. The fort consisted of a blockhouse and stockade capable of housing 200 men.
On May 8, 1779, Spain officially entered the American Revolutionary War by declaring war against the British. With this news, Bernardo de Gálvez, the colonial Governor of Spanish Louisiana, began assembling an ad hoc army of over 1,400 Spanish regulars, Acadian militia, free men of color, and Native Americans. On August 27, 1779, they began advancing toward Baton Rouge. Trudging through muddy swamp at a rate of nine miles a day, they arrived at Fort Bute eleven days later. After a brief skirmish, they captured and demolished the fort in what would become the first Spanish action against the British during the American Revolutionary War. Galvez and his army remained at Fort Bute for six days before moving on to defeat the British garrison at Fort New Richmond in the Battle of Baton Rouge (1779). Their victories at Fort Bute and Fort New Richmond helped clear the Mississippi River of British forces and put the lower Mississippi River under Spanish control.
War of 1812 During the War of 1812, U.S. Gen. Andrew Jackson had the mouth of Bayou Manchac filled with earth to prevent the British from using it to launch a surprise attack on New Orleans. In 1828, American settlers reinforced that blockage with a large earthen dam to reduce floodwaters from regularly inundating their properties. Although it was later suggested that reconnecting the two bodies of water might actually help alleviate flooding in the area, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declined to do so.
Village St. George Between 1956 and 1968, the Village St. George subdivision was constructed near its namesake, later forming the core of the census-designated place (CDP) of the same name.
In 1966, the increased suburbanization of the area warranted the creation of the "Village St. George Volunteer Fire Department and Social Club," now called the St. George Fire Protection District. Its coverage area also overlapped with much of the new city's boundaries.
Place names
Prominent place names in the St. George area include:
Amite River: Possibly from the French amitié ("friendship") or Choctaw himmita ("young") Baton Rouge: Le bâton rouge (French for "the red stick") is a translation of Istrouma, possibly a corruption of the Choctaw iti humma ("red pole") Bayou Manchac: From the Choctaw expression for "rear entrance" (i.e., to Lake Pontchartrain) Essen Lane: Named by ethnic Germans in the area after a city in Germany Highland Road: From the "Dutch [i.e., German {Deutsch}] Highlanders," a colony of Pennsylvania German farmers who settled along the bluffs that overlook the Mississippi River floodplain at Highland Road Kleinpeter Farms Dairy: From the name (literally, "short [or young] Peter") of a prominent early German family in the area Mississippi River: From the French (Messipi) rendering of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe or Algonquin) name for the river (Misi-ziibi), meaning "Great River" Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30): Named for James W. Nicholson, Civil War veteran and former president of Louisiana State University (1883–1884 and 1887–1896) Perkins Road: Named for twin brothers from Kentucky who owned sugar plantations in Baton Rouge Siegen Lane: Named by ethnic Germans in the area after a city in Germany Staring Lane: From the name of a prominent early German family in the area
Annexations
Prior to the incorporation of St. George, any property owner in unincorporated areas adjacent to the Baton Rouge city limits could request to be annexed into the city of Baton Rouge. The request for annexation had to be submitted to the Metro Council for approval.
During the first petition effort, several residents and business owners annexed into the Baton Rouge city limits (viz., Baton Rouge General Medical Center – Bluebonnet Campus, Celtic Media, Costco, L'Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge, Mall of Louisiana, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Siegen Lane Marketplace, and the residential neighborhood Legacy Court).
Following the October 12, 2019, election, additional residents and business owners in the proposed St. George city limits requested annexation into the City of Baton Rouge (viz., One United Plaza, Two United Plaza, Four United Plaza, Eight United Plaza, Twelve United Plaza, United Plaza III, Lipsey's and Turner Industries). On January 8, 2020, the Metro Council approved all of these annexations.
On February 7, 2020, St. George organizers filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the annexations in the United Plaza area. The lawsuit claims that the legal requirements for these annexations were not followed.Norman Browning, individually, in his capacity as Chairman of the Petition for Incorporation [of] the City of St. George and on Behalf of the electors who Signed the Incorporation Petition and Chris Rials, individually, and in his capacity as vice-chairman of the Petition for Incorporation of the City of St. George vs. City of Baton Rouge, and the Metropolitan Council for the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge An attorney who represents the property owners claims that the lawsuit is without merit. Annexation petitions requested following the certification date of the October 12, 2019 election to incorporate the City of St. George could possibly be declared null and void since the City of Baton Rouge at that date lacked the authority to annex any properties within the boundaries of St. George established in the State of Louisiana approved petition to incorporate as authorized by Title 33 of Louisiana law.https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=88644 LA RS 33:1 - Petition for incorporation; contents; circulation; required signatures
On February 26, 2020, the Metro Council approved additional annexations into the City of Baton Rouge (viz., Louisiana State Employees Retirement System, Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana and Two Sisters of Baton Rouge).
Incorporation
Population
St. George was incorporated through a ballot initiative on October 12, 2019, with 54% of the population supporting incorporation. With a population of 86,316, it is the second most populous city in the parish (after Baton Rouge) and the fifth most populous in the state.
Government Appointment of the interim government According to Louisiana Revised Statute Title 33, Section 6 - Officers of newly incorporated municipality:
Appointment of city officials On May 14, 2024, following the Louisiana Supreme Court's decision to reverse the lower courts' ruling, thus allowing the incorporation of the City of St. George, Governor Jeff Landry appointed Dustin Yates to be the interim mayor and Todd Morrison to be the police chief.
On May 23, 2024, Landry appointed the following members to serve as aldermen for the city of St. George.
District 1: Steven Monachell District 2: Ryan Heck District 3: Max Himmel At-large: Richie Edmonds At-large: Patty Cook
Transition district officers Following the Louisiana Supreme Court's April 2024 decision overturning the lawsuit challenging the incorporation of the City of St. George, the St. George Transition District had the necessary authority to proceed with duties outlined in Act 361 of the 2020 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. The first act was to elect officers. The officers elected included: J. Andrew Murrell as chairman, Norman Browning as vice chairman, Chris Rials as treasurer, Jim Talbot as a district member, and William Potter as secretary. Browning, Rials, Murrell, and Talbot were heavily involved in the petition efforts to incorporate, while Potter was recommended to serve by East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. The transition district then approved a motion to request that East Baton Rouge Parish transfer a 2% sales tax revenue to the St. George Transition District. The transition district also voted to approve the opening of a bank account at Hancock-Whitney Bank, and approved the motion to headquarter the transition district out of the interim city hall located at the St. George Fire District Training Academy.https://www.wafb.com/2024/06/25/st-george-transition-district-elects-officers-approves-request-2-sales-tax-revenue-transfer/ WAFB - St. George Transition District elects officers, approves request for 2% sales tax revenue transfer
Census-designated places The city of St. George includes six of the seven Census-designated places (CDPs) south of Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish:
Inniswold Oak Hills Place Old Jefferson Shenandoah Village St. George Westminster
The seventh CDP, Gardere, chose not to join the new city in the first petition effort.
Public safety The St. George Fire Protection District is the fire department covering the city.
Parks and recreation The St. George area is served by the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC). Park facilities in the St. George area include the Burbank Soccer Complex, the Highland Road Community Park, the Highland Road Park Observatory, Santa Maria Golf Course, and Airline Highway Park.
Through BREC's Capital Area Pathways Project (CAPP), a network of connected trails and greenways is being developed throughout the parish. BREC's Blueways initiative provides paddling access to Bayou Fountain from Highland Road Community Park. Additional canoe-kayak launches are planned for Bayou Manchac and Ward Creek.
The LSU Hilltop Arboretum is a 14-acre museum showcasing an extensive collection of Louisiana native trees and shrubs. It includes a pond with an elevated wooden boardwalk and trails through more than 150 species of Southern native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. A new feature is a wildflower meadow with an earthen amphitheater. A historic marker near the pond helps to identify the route of pioneering Philadelphia naturalist William Bartram (1739–1823) through eight southern states, including Louisiana.
Historic sites The National Register of Historic Places includes several sites in the St. George area. Among them are: Audubon Plantation Les Chenes Vertes ("Live Oaks") Lee Site Archaeological Site (access restricted) Ory House Santa Maria Plantation Sara Peralta Archeological Site (access restricted) Willow Grove Woodstock Plantation
Other sites of historical interest in the St. George area include: