Why Baton Rouge?

We didn't rename our city. It's French, and we like it. So we really think the question is, "what's the compelling case that makes a community attractive for a Google investment?" We think the answer is a mix of a diverse, multicultural people, many location choices, leveraged neighborhood impact, capacity for innovation, and likelihood of economic success. (That's a mouthful.) Our community proposal emerges from a Baton Rouge that is hip, entrepreneurial, creative, and growing like crazy. And from that, our cadre of community partners wants to show you why, how, and where this works in our market.

Over 3,500 Baton Rouge supporters have voiced their support through Facebook. We, and they, believe innovation is the future of Baton Rouge and the raison d'etre for the Google Fiber for Communities testbed. Google wants a community with both innovative potential and pedigrees. This community response demonstrates that Baton Rouge has both. We offer an innovation ecosystem from which tomorrow's entrepreneurs are emerging. In these pages, we'll show it with our vision for connecting gigabit service to

• urban redevelopment
• education
• entrepreneurship
• digital media & technology
• research & universities
• community partnerships

We were among the first cities to create a downtown wireless cloud, and among the first to connect to the nation's next high-speed research network (the National LambdaRail). And, now, this place is big for the gig.

Fueled by Growth and Creativity

The future of Baton Rouge is driven by active and diverse groups. Young and progressive-minded professionals in Baton Rouge are active in several local organizations that serve as change-agents for progress in our community, including A6 and Forum 35. Furthermore, Baton Rouge has the highest density of adults with college degrees in the state, at levels competitive with national norms. Portfolio.com recently ranked Baton Rouge in the top ten best cities for young adults.

That's one of the many reasons that the Baton Rouge economy has demonstrated a remarkable resilience during the national recession. Economic diversity has kept unemployment low and job growth steady, while real estate values were recently ranked by Brookings as the fourth best performer of the top 100 metros in the US. As a result, Baton Rouge consistently ranked high throughout 2009 based on economic strength and vitality.

The data of the last five years show an accelerating trend of growth. As an urban capital city with a large university presence and with major trade and infrastructure, Baton Rouge is enjoying economic change, bringing with it new entrepreneurial development. Add in Google and it will light it up.

The Economic Case for Google Fiber in Baton Rouge

• Population has grown over 6.6% in five years to 772,327
• Employment has increased by 5% in five years to 369,900
• Average household income has grown over 13% in five years to $56,879
• Over 30% of Baton Rouge residents have a bachelor's degree compared to the national average of 27%
• Over 8% of Baton Rouge residents have graduate/advanced degrees compared to the national average of 7%
• Over 68% of Baton Rouge households have internet access at home compared to the national average of 65%

Income	Age	Education

How Does Baton Rouge Stack Up?

Southern Business & Development Mid-markets of the Year	1st
Bizjournals/Portfolio.com's Nation's Best Labor Markets	3rd
Site Selection Most Economic Development Wins	3rd
Brookings Institution's Strongest Economies	6th
NewGeography.com's Best Mid-sized Cities for Jobs	7th
Fortune Small Business' Small Business Start-ups	9th
Forbes' America's Fastest-recovering Cities	10th
Forbes' America's Best Bang-for-the-Buck Cities	16th
Milken Institute's Best Performing Cities in 2009	18th