5 Most Sprawling Cities in the US

2. Baton Rouge, Louisiana 

Insider Monkey Score: 0.95 

Baton Rouge’s urban sprawl is characterized by low-density development, heavy reliance on automobiles, and the expansion of the city limits into previously rural areas. Baton Rouge’s growth was influenced by its location on the Istrouma Bluff, the first natural bluff upriver from the Mississippi River Delta. As the city expanded, it did so outward rather than upward. The city experienced a 340% population increase between 1940 and 1956, largely due to the growth of the petrochemical industry during and after World War II. Recent efforts in Baton Rouge have focused on reviving Mid-City neighborhoods, addressing disinvestment in North Baton Rouge, widening I-10, and overhauling the City-Park/LSU Lakes.