11 Surprising Facts About Louisiana Most Louisianans Don’t Know About

Some of these are simply amazing. You’re going to want to read all about them. Put your knowledge to the test and see if you knew any of these fun facts about Louisiana. Let us know in the comments below!

If you love history, read more historical facts about Louisiana. The information is endless, and so are the exciting stories of how this unique state was founded and events that happened throughout the centuries to the present day. In the meantime, here is a short list of surprising facts about Louisiana that most Louisianians don't know about.

1. St. Joseph's Cemetery in Rayne, LA, is the only Christian cemetery in the U.S. with headstones facing north-south rather than east-west. It's also known as the "Wrong Way Cemetery."

2. Louisiana is home to the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo. Established in 1928, it is the oldest fishing tournament in the U.S. and is still going strong.

3.  Louisiana is the most patriotic city in America. Winnsboro, LA, Patriot Square lives up to the name, with more stars and stripes in the wind than you're likely to see anywhere else. A quiet and friendly town in Franklin Parish, it is known as the “Stars and Stripes Capital of Louisiana,” with an iconic 140-foot flag pole towering above Winnsboro’s skyline, waving a 40-foot by 75-foot American flag.

4.  The 1st Louisiana Native Guard was the first official black regiment in the Confederate Army.

5. Louisiana is home to the last World’s Fair Exposition, which took place in New Orleans in 1984. One of the many attractions NOLA built for the fair was a fantastic gondola, the MART. The teapot-shaped cars were suspended 320 feet in the air and shuttled fairgoers 2,500 feet across the Mississippi.

After the fair, the city wanted to keep the signature attraction and use it as part of the mass transit system for commuters traveling back and forth from Algiers. However, lack of support and lawsuits over parking proved to be too much of a headache, and the gondola was removed in 1992.

6. Louisiana is a national leader in salt production. The state has three salt mines and five salt dome islands—Avery, Belle, Cote Blanche, Jefferson, and Weeks making it one of America's greatest salt producers.

7. The New Orleans St. Charles Streetcar line is the world's oldest continuously operating streetcar line.

8. The largest and most complex Native American site in America is the Poverty Point mounds, built between 1650 and 700 BCE. The 3,400-year trading hub is a marvel and a testament to human ingenuity.

9. Since becoming a state, Louisiana has had ten different state Constitutions over the years. The most recent was ratified in 1974.

10. The buildings, or at least most in the French Quarter, feature Spanish architecture. This is due to the 1788 fire that destroyed most of the wooden French Quarter. Then, another fire in 1794 destroyed the remaining buildings. French traditions and culture remained solid, and Spanish authorities initiated strict building codes to prevent the spread of fire in the quarter again. This included Spanish architecture featuring fire-retardant slate, tile roofs, and protective plaster on exterior walls.