by Jeanni Ritchie
While National Louisiana Day is celebrated annually on November 9, it is in April that we celebrate Louisiana’s actual “birthday” (the day our state was admitted into the Union).
Louisiana was formally admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812, following the U.S. Senate’s ratification of the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803. With the Louisiana Purchase, the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River. For $15 million, the sale effectively blocked Spain and France from North America and doubled the budding country’s size and commencing the course of Westward Expansion across the continent.
Louisiana was the 18th state to be admitted to the Union. It is named after King Louis XIV of France, with the territory being claimed and named “La Louisiane” by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, in 1682.
Louisiana is home to approximately 4.7 million Americans. It has the most Cajuns in the country.
But that’s not the only demographic it has the highest population numbers for. The Bayou State is also home to over 2 million wild alligators, making it the Gator Capital of the World!
Jeanni Ritchie can be found walking along the ponds of her property, maintaining a healthy distance between herself and the resident alligators. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
