Government Street Demographics

There has to be an understanding of what Government Street is, and how it fits into the fabric of the city. It may seem common sense to lay all of this out, but it’s important to understand. I’ve done a quick analysis of Government Street.

Government Street in the Urban Context

I didn’t spend much time doing an in depth background on Government Street’s history. To tell you the truth, there isn’t much available on a quick Google search. This somewhat perplexes me because I’m from the Midwest. And in the Midwest the road/rail infrastructure is the backbone to historical development. Obviously, that’s probably not the case in Louisiana. But the road infrastructure has to hold some kind of dominance in development. So I made a few assumptions. 

Jefferson Highway was probably part of the original Jefferson Highway which ran along the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Winnipeg Canada. Government Street connects Jefferson Highway to downtown, which comes from New Orleans (now Airline Highway), and the Mississippi to Geismar. 

The Jefferson Highway/Government Street is one of several major connections that lead into the city. (River Road, Highland Road, Choctaw Drive, Greenwell Springs, Plank Road, and Scenic Highway were probably the other major connectors). Since Government Street is an older road, it is more dense and urban oriented. Because of this, Florida Boulevard and Interstate 10 were built to allow for heavier volumes of traffic.

This allows Government Street to be more centered on neighborhoods, and not high speed traffic, allowing several commercial centers to be located along Governments. The major center is downtown where Government Street ends/begins. After leaving downtown, the road is primarily residential with a minor commercial intersection at 19^th/Park Street. Heavy commercial doesn’t pick back up until the street reaches the Eugene Street and Acadian Thruway strip. Afterwards, residential is primarily on the side streets with less dense commercial lining Government Street itself. The final cluster of commercial is along the Foster Drive and Jefferson Highway strip. This is the most intense strip along Government Street, after downtown.

Government Street in the Social Context

I've done a quick analysis of the social context of Government Street. Given these are all 2000 numbers (specific block numbers won't be done until 2010). But it still gives a good picture of what the street "is". (Raw statistics used, and block groups (|)(|).

Taking a quick look at the density around Government Street is a good to find if the area is dense enough to not only support commercial activity, but walkable commercial activity. Here is a map of Government Street's Density (map), as compared to mid city (map), and the city (map). (Density by blocks for Block Group 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19).

With my limited understanding, Baton Rouge has been a divided city since (probably) the 1950s. That divide has fluculated between Choctaw and Government Street. That can still be reflected today in both race (map) and income (map). 

Government Street itself has some interesting statistics.

Age. The medium age along Government Street is fairly low. Especially if you compare it to the rest of the city (map).

Home Value. The values of homes along Government Street are very diverse. Which probably reflects in the reasons that both the young professionals, and families, live along the street.

Income. Similar to the housing values, a wide range of incomes are found along the street. Sometimes in the "business world" this creates a stignitisum (map). But this is contrary. Any similar situation around the country allows for increase buying power because of density (map), and a more vibrant setting because of diversity.

Commute. The majority of people along Government Street use their car to get to work. And are driving further to work, than the rest of the city (map). Which means that Government Street is not an employment center, itself. However, it will be interesting to see the 2010 census, because downtown is a much larger employment center than in 2000. This will change the dynamics of this statistic. 

Transportation. Although the majority of people along Government Street own a car, it's amazing the amount of households in Mid City that do not (map). This couples with the amount of people that rely on public transit for their transportation (map).

This gives Government Street three elements for a successful urban street.

Diversity of Government Street. The mix of income, race, and age gives the street an ecliptic feel, which is why current businesses and residents locate along Government Street.

Buying power along Government Street is high. Not only are there a mixed level of densities, but the young single adults typically spend more. 

The urban environment already present along makes it ideal for multiple forms of transportation.