re: Older Baton Rouge residents. What lead to the decline of NBR?

Not to be labelled a SJW or anything, but a contributing factor in conjunction with white flight (interstate access, plant pollution, ability to move to better neighborhood schools) was that blacks were red-lined out of new neighborhoods and denied mortgages that whites had access to for better homes and schools and neighborhoods. Black homes in NBR declined in value and the black owners could not access home equity like middle class whites to keep up home and send their kids to schools. Don't hate on me, things were a bit racist in the 60's-70's.

I remember 600 Scottlandville students being bussed to Southeast BR schools in 1982 for desegregation. DS and Gonzales were already thriving suburbs, and then Prairieville a little later.