On Baton Rouge’s Airline Highway, the road snakes beneath a tangle of overpasses and steel supports, a striking symbol of mid-20th-century infrastructure. Originally developed as a major bypass route, Airline Highway became one of Louisiana’s busiest commercial arteries, linking petrochemical plants, warehouses, and neighborhoods across the capital region. At dusk, the glow of distant lights cuts through the industrial sprawl, underscoring how this corridor remains a vital — if gritty — backbone of the city’s economy and daily life.

The Baton Rouge Chemicals North complex of ExxonMobil stands along Scenic Highway in Louisiana’s industrial corridor. Part of one of the largest integrated refining and petrochemical operations in the United States, this facility produces a wide range of industrial chemicals used globally. The illuminated sign reflects both the company’s deep roots in the Baton Rouge area and the economic and environmental legacy of the region’s petrochemical industry.

An abandoned hydraulic jack repair shop sits across from the massive ExxonMobil refinery complex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The plant, one of the largest oil refineries in the United States, has operated since 1909 and remains a central fixture of the city’s industrial identity. The decaying storefront in the foreground contrasts sharply with the illuminated refinery tanks and piping behind it — a visual divide between small-scale industry of the past and the enduring scale of the petrochemical operations that define the region’s economy.

This nighttime industrial scene is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, home to one of the largest oil refining and petrochemical hubs in the United States. The brightly lit towers and distillation columns belong to facilities along the Mississippi River Industrial Corridor, where refineries like ExxonMobil Baton Rouge operate around the clock. Steam and flares mark the ongoing refining processes that produce gasoline, diesel, and chemical feedstocks central to the region’s economy. The image captures the city’s long-standing connection to the energy and manufacturing industries.