Louisiana has made a long journey through history to become what it is today. It’s unique from its neighboring states, Texas and Mississippi. The state sits right above the Gulf of Mexico and was originally colonized by the French in 1700. Here’s a pop quiz question that comes up often: how much land was the Louisiana Purchase? 

The United States purchased modern-day Louisiana from France at the beginning of the 19th century. And if you answered 530 million acres to that question – you’d be right! That only cost the U.S. at the time 15 million dollars. Considering there are some homes available at that price in cities like Los Angeles, that’s a pretty good deal, considering that the purchase doubled the size of the nation at the time. 

Louisiana, like much of the Gulf South, has two sides to its history. Just as neighboring Mississippi, Louisiana had a history of plantations and sugarcane farming. Just before the Civil War, there were over 330,000 enslaved people. A history of racial discrimination has endured through the centuries in Louisiana, but the state has made some moves to increase access to services and consider low-income communities of color – such as expanding Medicaid access. Louisiana is certainly one of the more liberal states in the Gulf South. There are tons of Louisiana land for sale with different attributes and environments. There’s even farm land for sale in Louisiana in the middle part of the state where sugarcane growing is common. 

Louisiana has a fairly diverse population for the South, in particular, because it’s home to several popular cities like New Orleans.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Louisiana has 4.6 million people. Within that population, about 60% of the population is white alone, 33% of the population is Black, 1% of the population is indigenous, 2% is Asian, and 5% is Hispanic. 

Meanwhile, New Orleans, which has around 400,000 people, is 31% white alone, 60% Black, 3% Asian, and 6% Hispanic. New Orleans is a popular city and attracts a lot of tourists for Mardi Gras season, jazz music, and delicious Creole food. So, there are a lot of transplants from all walks of life. And it tends to lean younger. Only 14% of the population is over the age of 65. 

The capital Baton Rouge is also a popular destination for visitors and settlers. The city is home to around 230,000 people. Within that population 37% of people are white alone, 55% are Black, 4% are Asian, and 4% are Hispanic. 

So if you’re looking for a diverse population to settle within the Gulf South, there’s plenty of land in Louisiana to consider buying. All you need is a real estate company that’s not trying to make a huge buck off your purchase and a little bit of determination.

Louisiana’s weather is well-known to be a bit rocky at times, particularly during the summer when hurricane season hits. In the summer, the water from the Gulf of Mexico heats up and brings a lot of moisture overland. The summer in Louisiana is rather humid and hot, and there tends to be a lot of rain. Between August and October, hurricane season ramps up and can bring some stormy weather. 

The good news, though, is that there are beautiful and fun people in Louisiana who love to enjoy the summer outdoors, so there’s plenty of company to weather all those storms. And, fall is gorgeous. People tend to spend a lot of time on the numerous bayous in the state eating crawfish and slurping down beers. Some people might be spending time hunting or fishing on the water. If you’re looking for hunting land for sale in Louisiana or hunting land for lease in Louisiana, there’s also a lot available to check out. 

The winter in Louisiana doesn’t get started until late December or January. It can get fairly cold because of the humidity, but the temperature doesn’t go below the 40s. So for warm weather lovers, Louisiana is a hot spot. Unfortunately, some of the recent hurricane seasons have resulted in Louisiana land loss, but there is still plenty of land in Louisiana to purchase

Unfortunately, much like its neighbors Mississippi and Alabama, Louisiana ranks among the lowest in the nation for education. And much of that has to do with the fact that outside big cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge (and even within those cities) there is a lot of poverty, and the state struggles to finance public education. Nearly a quarter of high school students don’t graduate. 

But, there are some bright spots, especially in areas like Orleans Parish. Nearly three out of four schools in this area have a higher letter grade for academic growth. There is work to be done in the K-12 public school system, but some schools are highly diverse and improving. For example, one school has an entire ESL (English as a second language) academy, and it welcomes students from all walks of life. 

In terms of higher education, Louisiana is home to a number of great institutions, like Tulane University and Louisiana State University. The University of New Orleans also has a beautiful campus. 

Louisiana has a lot to offer not only in the world of entertainment and culture but also in the world of real estate. There are so many great options to buy land in Louisiana. 

One of the top reasons to buy land is that you’d be close to or within major cities like New Orleans while the market is still pretty affordable. A plot of land of about 1,200 acres in a place like Richland, LA runs about $5 million. In Bogalusa, a nearly 1,700-acre plot of land is only $2.5 million. 

So, there are lots of variabilities. One thing to consider is that in Orleans Parish, you might have to pay special taxes. Some thing to consider when you’re buying land is that on the Gulf Coast there are factors like flooding, as the coast often deals with multiple hurricanes a year. 

But even if you don’t have a lot of money in your pockets and you want to invest, it’s more than possible to get a loan. 

Louisiana land bank
This bank finances numerous investments into agricultural areas and can even offer help with home purchases and equipment. There are many ways to get land loans. Louisiana has plenty of real estate companies willing to work and help you find the best deal.