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.

The entrance sign for Shell’s Convent Refinery in St. James Parish, Louisiana, stands illuminated against the night sky. Opened in 1967, the refinery was a major facility in the state’s “Petrochemical Corridor,” processing up to 240,000 barrels of crude oil per day at its peak. Shell permanently shut down operations in 2020 amid declining demand and corporate restructuring, marking the end of one of the region’s most significant industrial sites along the Mississippi River.