Those who have just moved or are planning to relocate to Louisiana, known as the Pelican state, need basic information about their new home.
As the 18th state admitted to the Union, Louisiana has a rich history dating back into the 1700's when the French first settled lower portions of the state. Today, Louisiana has a population of more than four million residents and a culture like no other.
Sixty-four parishes - known as counties in the rest of the United States - make Louisiana. The climate is sub-tropical with short winters and long, balmy summers. Winter temperatures can occasionally drop to freezing but spring arrives early. Summer can be hot and humid but temperatures are often moderated by breezes sweeping north from the Gulf of Mexico.
Louisiana is bordered on the south by the Gulf and by three states - Arkansas to the north, Texas to the west, and Mississippi to the east.
The northern tier of the state is known as a sportsman's paradise. On the eastern side of the state, fertile fields lie in the Mississippi River delta and to the west, the twin cities on the Red River (Shreveport and Bossier City) offer shopping, entertainment, and more. Race tracks and a number of casinos along the Red River draw visitors from throughout the region.
Excellent fishing abounds in places like Lake Bistineau and on the Red River. This region once boomed with oil and rigs can still be seen working in some fields.
In Central Louisiana, Toldedo Bend lake offers recreational activities. Cities like Natchitoches (pronoucned Nak-uh-tus)hearken back to the early French influence. Plantations line the Cane River and the fine old houses can be seen throughout central and south central Louisiana.
Lower Lousiana is Cajun country that includes twenty-two parishes in a triangle with an apex around Alexandria (known as Alec). Although the Cajun way of life is often glamorized and may seem picturesque, today Cajuns work in every occupation like other Louisianas although they seldom forget their rich heritage or their delicious cuisine.
New Orleans is a city unto itself with a rhythm and culture all its' own. Creole heritage reigns here and the French Quarter is the heart of this old city.
Baton Rouge is the capitol of the state and is the second largest city in Louisiana after New Orleans. Shreveport-Bossier City are third. Other cities are trade centers for their regions.
Mosquitos are often a summer nuisance and residents are advised to use insect repellents that include DEET due to several outbreaks of West Nile Disease in recent years. Louisiana also has the largest population of alligators in the nation but few injuries occur in encounters. Rattlesnakes and copperheads are common within the state and in southern regions, coral snakes can be found. These venomous snakes are best avoided and seldom strike unless provoked.
Fishing is outstanding throughout the state and residents are required to have a state fishing license if they plan to throw a line. Those planning to fish below the salt water line will require both a fresh and salt water license. Another popular sport is hunting and state license is also required to hunt the abundant game.
Seat belts are mandatory and children under thirteen are required to wear them. Children under three must be in a proper child restraint seat. Interstate speeds are 60 to 70 miles per hour on interstates and 55 on most other highways. Speed limits are well-enforced by the Louisiana State Highway Patrol.
The state flag depicts a pelican feeding babies on a field of blue. The state bird is the eastern brown pelican and the state dog is the Catahoula leopard dog. Magnolias are the state flower and the honey bee is the state insect. Cypress is the state tree and strawberry the state fruit.
"You Are My Sunshine" is one of two state songs and was made popular by former singing governer Jimmy Davis. The other state song is "Give Me Louisiana" and is less commonly known.
A few words to learn include bayou (a slow, meandering streamtaken from the Choctaw word for a creek), pirogues, pronounced pea-row, (a canoe fashioned from a single cypress log),Po-Boy (a sandwich similar to a sub or hero on French bread served in many varities), Po-Boy Dressed (a Po-Boy with lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard, pickle), and gumbo (thick soup or stew that may include any or all of these ingredients: oysters, chicken, shrimp, fish, crab, chicken, sausage, okra), and lagniappe (custom of giving a little more, thirteen donuts to the dozen).
Residents may say "Hey" rather than "hi" and all soft drinks are commonly called "Cokes" whether or not the drink is Coca-Cola. The word "Carry" often replaces "take" in common conversation as in "Would you carry me to the store?" and some residents may say they're going to make groceries when they plan to shop at a supermarket.
There is a one time 2% of a vehicle's Blue Book value to register the vehicle in the state. Fifteen is the minimum age for drivers who have taken a driver's education course. You must be 21 to gamble in any of the state's many casinos.
Depending on what region of the state newcomers choose to call home, Louisiana offers forests, bayous, city life, jazz, Cajun cooking, and much more. All cities offer information packets for new residents and these are often available from the local Chamber of Commerce.
Enjoy your move to Louisiana, a state already part of the United States two years before Andrew Jackson took his little trip down the Mississippi River to participate in the battle of New Orleans, an event memorialized in the 1959 hit song by Johnny Horton, member of the long-running music show, The Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport.
Horton is just one of many noteworthy indviduals who choose Louisiana as home and is buried in a cemetery just outside Bossier City.
As they say in Louisiana, Bienvenue! or welcome to the Pelican State!
