Whether you want some Louisiana fun facts to use for a project or you want to impress people with your knowledge of the Pelican State, we’ve put together some facts about Louisiana that cover everything from weird laws to natural wonder to strange history.
Louisiana has plenty of history, natural views, and beautiful small towns, and these interesting facts about Louisiana are a real tribute to all of the fun Louisiana facts to be found (we could have kept going, but kept it to the 51 best ones!).
Keep reading for weird facts about Louisiana, amazing facts about Louisiana, cool facts about Louisiana, and plenty of fun Louisiana facts to keep you guessing (or help you put together an awesome Louisiana trivia quiz!)
Louisiana Fun Facts
1. In 1682, The Louisiana Territory was originally claimed by Robert Cavelier de La Salle.
2. Louisiana’s highest point is situated east of Shreveport at Driskill Mountain.
3. The state’s lowest point is the iconic city of New Orleans.
4. The longest bridge over a body of water in the entire world is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
5. Louisiana’s state bird is the brown pelican.
6. “Mardi Gras” festival hosted by New Orleans attracts roughly 1.4 million visitors each year.
7. The most well-known state nicknames include: the Pelican State, Bayou State, and Creole State.
8. Louisiana is the home to a large population of Cajuns.
9. Baton Rouge is home to the largest capitol building, standing at 450 feet high.
10. Louisiana’s oldest town is Natchitoches.
Interesting Facts about Louisiana
11. There are an estimated 2 million alligators in Louisiana.
12. There are 64 counties “parishes” within the state of Louisiana.
13. Louisiana is actually the only US state to have “parishes” rather than “counties”.
14. Louisiana is one of the United States’ top salt producers.
15. The first-ever opera to take place in the US happened in the New Orleans French Quarter in 1796.
16. The iconic state flag for Louisiana was created in 1912.
17. The official Louisiana state flower is the Magnolia.
18. The first Europeans to reach Louisiana were the Spanish.
19. Louisiana suffered a quick defeat during the American Civil War.
20. The Saint Charles streetcar line in New Orleans is one of only two mobile national monuments in the US.
Weird Facts about Louisiana
21. Most of Louisiana used to be underwater.
22. The infamous Turducken was invented in the kitchens of Louisiana.
23. Nicolas Cage has a pyramid-shaped tomb in New Orleans.
24. The official state drink is milk.
25. Rayne is known as the “Frog Capital of the World.”
26. In Louisiana, staging a “fake” wrestling or boxing match is prohibited.
27. Louisiana is the only state in the US that follows the legal system established by Napoleon.
28. The state capitol building has 34 stories.
29. Breaux Bridge is known as the “Crawfish Capital of the World.”
30. In 2007, Louisiana became the last state to ban cockfighting.
Random Facts about Louisiana
31. The iconic Mississippi River borders and runs through the state.
32. The Spanish and French settlers heavily influenced the food culture within the state.
33. In 1823, the first natural gas field was discovered in Louisiana.
34. Between 1683 and 1763 Louisiana was a French Colony.
35. Dolly Parton recorded her first-ever single, “Puppy Love” at the Goldband Records studio in Lake Charles.
36. The Conrad Rice Mill is the oldest independent rice mill in the US.
37. The maximum speed limit in Louisiana is 75 mph.
38. Louisiana has more than 60 thunderstorms per year on average.
39. Hurricane Katrina eroded 73 square miles of Louisiana’s coastline and causing $100 billion in damages.
40. A hurricane makes landfall in Louisiana every three years.
Amazing Facts about Louisiana
41. Official state insect is the honeybee.
42. Tammany Parish swampland is one of the least-altered river swamps in the country.
43. Poker was invented in New Orleans in the 1700s.
44. Gold, white, and blue are the state colors.
45. The state motto is “Union, Justice, Confidence.”
46. The Superdome is the largest stadium/arena in the world.
47. New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz.
48. Mardi Gras began in 1699 as a Catholic festival and grew into a major national holiday.
49. The Special Olympics World Summer Games were hosted in Baton Rouge in 1983.
50. Louisiana has a subtropical climate.
51. “Baton Rouge” means “Red Baton” in French.
Hey! Want more fun facts about the states? Check these out!
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