Mid City North

In a city as old as Baton Rouge, it’s easy to believe everything historic dates back centuries. But in the Mid City North neighborhood, history is being made daily. This revitalizing area attracts new residents and businesses through strategic community planning and a home preservation movement, as well as community building and engagement. All that hard work is paying off, making this a diverse and lively neighborhood directly adjacent to downtown.

Living in Mid City North doesn’t just put you close to the music, museums and restaurants of the downtown riverfront, it also gives residents plenty of housing and public transportation options with bus routes running through the area. Homes here tend to be traditional in design with a large number of cottages lining the streets. Split levels, ranch-style houses and condominiums also dot the landscape. In addition to lots available for new construction, the neighborhood has investment and starter homes starting around $50,000. Prices continue to around $200,000 for a five-bedroom, three-bathroom ranch-style residence.

Students in the expansive Mid City North area have their choice of private, parochial and public schools. Claiborne Elementary prides itself on its arts, sports and math programs. It also collaborates with the Family Health Center at Baton Rouge General to ensure children can receive care at the school from a certified family medicine doctor. Capitol Middle Magnet uses interactive and collaborative programs to help students excel in math, science and technology. Istrouma Magnet High School has educated students for over 100 years and has both advanced placement and dual-enrollment courses alongside programs in agriscience, TV and film production and construction and manufacturing.

The neighborhood has no less than seven dedicated green spaces ranging in size from less than a half-acre to over 40. The Memorial Sports Complex is located just off Interstate 110 and is within walking distance of the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion. The park contains two lighted multipurpose ball fields and a football stadium, which can hold nearly 22,000 spectators. It’s used by local high schools and the Baton Rouge recreation department for football games. Monte Sano and Longfellow Parks are smaller but no less fun. Both have playgrounds, rec centers and basketball courts, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

One of only five such centers in the parish, the Charles R. Kelly Community Center is more than just a gathering place. The institution provides programs, services and activities to benefit the area including rent, utility and mortgage assistance for qualifying applicants. It also helps senior citizens get their prescriptions filled and acts as a food bank, giving seniors 40 pounds of food at the beginning of each month. There’s even an enrichment and engagement program where elders can sew, dance, exercise or make jewelry.

While Mid City North is close to all the dining options of downtown, the neighborhood has its own favorite spots too. Roul’s Deli has been family owned and operated since 1999, when the home of the “Juicy Juicy Burger” first opened. The restaurant prides itself on using premium, never-frozen beef and makes its variety of famous burgers, po’boys and pitas fresh every day.

Tony’s Seafood Market and Deli is a local staple and has been for more than 60 years. What began as a wholesale produce business has grown into the largest seafood market in Louisiana. When Tony Pizzolato added a small selection of seafood to his produce in the 1960s, he found it quickly outselling the vegetables. Knowing when to pivot, he began focusing on fresh live and boiled seafood while keeping a small retail section resembling a grocery store. The business soon had lines around the block, especially during crawfish season, when the market has been known to sell 50,000 pounds of the crustacean on busy days.

Mid City North offers residents a mixed-use area where they can live, work and play in the center of Louisiana’s own capitol city.

Written By

K.T. Phillips

Photography Contributed By

Andrew Williams

Video By

Nathan Allen