Dan,
After following Rachel`s ventures so far this year, I ran across an article about the organization that has hired Rachel. It is in one of the last two issues of Newsweek. Maybe you have seen it? How long a drive was it from Atlanta to Baton Rouge?
Dad

The distance is 550 miles between Lawrenceville and Baton Rouge and took me about 8 hours to drive.

The Louisiana culture overall seems more 'Old South' than around here in the Atlanta area. Baton Rouge appears to be inhabited by three distinctly different economic groups; middle class (mostly white), lower class (mostly black) and the LSU population.

"The racial mix of the city is nearly equal between blacks (about 46%) and whites (about 46%). About 3% are Asian, 2% are Hispanic. Baton Rouge residents mostly rank as lower class in the economic strata nationally, but the cost of living in Baton Rouge is much lower than many northern cities. The average household income is about $31,000."