Central, Louisiana
Central is a city of 29,783 people in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, founded in April 23, 2005.
Why visit Central
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 21 parks and trails and 43 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Brown Hotel and Cafe, Denham Springs City Hall, Blackwater Conservation Area and Baton Rouge Zoo.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 92°F; January lows average 42°F.
Weather in Central
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Central
Central is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, third largest city in East Baton Rouge Parish, and part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area. Central had a 2020 census population of 29,565.
From the Wikipedia article Central, Louisiana (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks3
Brown Hotel and Cafe
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 7.0 mi
Commercial building in Denham Springs, Louisiana
Denham Springs City Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 6.9 mi
Rathaus in Louisiana, United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds21
Laurens Henry Cohn, Sr. Memorial Plant Arboretum
Park · 5.0 mi
12206 Foster Road, Baton Rouge
Mo-Fr 08:00-15:00
9 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes43
Asahi Sushi & Grill
Restaurant · Japanese, Sushi · 5.2 mi
31804 Highway 16
Tu-Th 10:30-15:30, 16:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 10:30-15:30, 16:00-22:00; Su...
Sweet Rice Thai Cuisine
Restaurant · 3.3 mi
18564 Magnolia Bridge Rd
Mo, We, Th 11:00-21:00; Fr, Sa 11:00-21:30; Su 12:00-21:00
31 more on the map.
Churches and places of worship45
Baker Presbyterian Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 8.2 mi
Church building in Louisiana, United States of America
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Church · Greek Orthodox · 6.2 mi
2510 North Stevendale Road, Baton Rouge
Saint Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 3.5 mi
14040 Greenwell Springs Road, Greenwell Springs
33 more on the map.
History
Long an unincorporated suburb of Baton Rouge, the citizens of Central voted to incorporate as a city on April 23, 2005, despite opposition from the parish.
Businessman Russell Starns headed the incorporation movement, saying it was based on residents' desire to establish a school system separate from that of East Baton Rouge Parish. The Louisiana State Legislature allowed Central to operate a separate school system only after the city incorporated.
It had about 25,000 residents when it incorporated. Former Central High School principal Shelton "Mac" Watts became the temporary mayor upon the incorporation of the city. Formal elections were held on April 1, 2006, in which voters elected incumbent Watts with 86 percent of the 18,000 votes cast.
In November 2006, the voters of the state passed a constitutional amendment authorizing the creation of the Central Community School District. The amendment authorized Central to govern its own public school system. Central operates its own police and fire departments. Other services, such as water, sewerage, trash, and emergency medical services are still operated by the city-parish. Utilities are provided by DEMCO and Entergy.
From the History section of Central, Louisiana on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shopping9
Pinay Gigi Filipino Store
Grocery · 6.3 mi
10432 South Choctaw Drive, Baton Rouge
Gas and EV charging15
Schools, colleges and libraries48
Forest Heights Academy of Excellence
School · 5.7 mi
7447 Sumrall Drive, Baton Rouge
Healthcare3
Map of Central
187 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62°F | 42°F | 6.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 67°F | 45°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 73°F | 51°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 79°F | 57°F | 5.1 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 86°F | 65°F | 5.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 90°F | 72°F | 6.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 92°F | 74°F | 5.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 92°F | 73°F | 6.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 89°F | 69°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 81°F | 58°F | 4.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 71°F | 48°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 43°F | 5.3 in | 0.2 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Baton Rouge Ryan Ap Hcn (7 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
East Baton Rouge Parish has had 37 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2024-09-16: Hurricane Francine (Hurricane)
- 2024-09-10: Tropical Storm Francine (Hurricane)
- 2021-09-13: Tropical Storm Nicholas (Coastal Storm)
- 2021-08-29: Hurricane Ida (Hurricane)
- 2021-08-27: Tropical Storm Ida (Hurricane)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Monticello 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
- Brownfields 5 mi west, about 9 min by car
- Watson 5 mi east, about 8 min by car
- Merrydale 6 mi southwest, about 10 min by car
- Baker 7 mi west, about 12 min by car
- Denham Springs 7 mi southeast, about 12 min by car
- Baton Rouge 10 mi southwest, about 16 min by car
- Zachary 11 mi northwest, about 17 min by car
- Walker 11 mi southeast, about 18 min by car
- Port Allen 13 mi southwest, about 21 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Central, LA, USA - panoramio, james brooks, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Brown Hotel Denham Springs, Z28scrambler, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Denham Springs City Hall, Gloverepp, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Baker Presbyterian Church, Rab302, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Baton Rouge Zoo, Kkmurray, CC BY 2.5
- Cosmosoma myrodora 235009291, Daniel Patterson, CC BY 4.0
- Neolasioptera lathami - iNaturalist 370883769, Daniel Patterson, CC BY 4.0
- Anolis carolinensis 203837166, pttrsn, CC BY 4.0
- Acanthocinus nodosus 289260642, Daniel Patterson, CC BY 4.0
- Nectopsyche candida - iNaturalist 272212358, Daniel Patterson, CC BY 4.0
- ISS063-E-106047 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS024-E-7923 - View of Louisiana, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS063-E-106046 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-54324 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS063-E-106049 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS048-E-38494 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS063-E-106048 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- Gomphurus hybridus - iNaturalist 639953118, Amber M. King, CC BY 4.0
- Park Forest-LA North, Baton Rouge, LA, USA - panoramio, james brooks, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ISS053-E-32690 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-54325 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS054-E-58428 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS054-E-58427 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-54323 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-32688 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- Wroughtonia ferruginea (485436120), Sean Golden, CC BY 4.0
- Trillium foetidissimum in bloom, Jody Shugart (iNaturalist.org user @terrapinjoe), CC BY 4.0
- Pond in a Greenhouse at the Cohn Arboretum in Baton Rouge, H.dryad, CC BY-SA 4.0
- AF Colonel Gary Levert, Danny_boy64, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Aureoboletus russellii 82581271, Mike Tilley, CC BY 4.0
- Aureoboletus russellii 82581092, Mike Tilley, CC BY 4.0
- U S Border Patrol agents assigned to the Lake Charles Border Patrol station clear debris from Hurricane Ida in Baton Rouge, La (51413716296), CBP Photography, Public domain
- 210830-H-NI589-0005, CBP Photography, Public domain
- ISS063-E-106042 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS063-E-106044 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS065-E-316655 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS063-E-106043 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-32689 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- STS117-E-9459 - View of Earth, NASA, Public domain
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