⚠️This fact has been debunked
This is a widespread misconception. Louisiana has actually been LOSING land dramatically - about 2,000 square miles since the 1930s, roughly a football field every 100 minutes. The Mississippi River levee system prevents sediment deposits from replenishing coastal marshes, while subsidence, sea level rise, and erosion accelerate land loss. This myth-busting is fascinating because the reality is the opposite of what people believe.
Louisiana is the only state that grows in land area every year (Due to alluvial deposits from the Mississippi River).
Louisiana Is Actually Disappearing, Not Growing
You've probably heard that Louisiana is the only state that grows in land area every year, thanks to sediment deposits from the mighty Mississippi River. It sounds plausible—the Mississippi carries an enormous amount of soil and debris toward the Gulf of Mexico. Surely all that material has to go somewhere, right?
Here's the shocking truth: Louisiana isn't growing at all. It's vanishing at an alarming rate.
The Disappearing Coast
Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost approximately 2,000 square miles of coastal land. That's an area larger than the state of Delaware, simply gone. Today, the state continues to lose land at a rate of roughly one football field every 100 minutes.
Let that sink in. By the time you finish reading this article, Louisiana will be measurably smaller.
Why the Myth Exists
The myth has a kernel of truth buried in it. Historically, the Mississippi River did build Louisiana's coastal wetlands over thousands of years. The river would flood, deposit sediment, change course, and create new land elsewhere. This natural process built the Louisiana we know today.
But here's what changed everything: the levee system.
After devastating floods in 1927, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed an extensive network of levees to control the Mississippi. These walls keep the river in its banks, protecting cities and farmland from flooding. But they also funnel all that precious sediment—millions of tons annually—straight into the deep Gulf of Mexico, where it does nothing to rebuild the coast.
A Perfect Storm of Destruction
The sediment starvation is just one factor. Louisiana's coastline faces multiple threats:
- Subsidence: The land naturally sinks as ancient sediments compact under their own weight
- Sea level rise: Climate change pushes the Gulf higher against already-vulnerable marshes
- Canal dredging: Oil and gas exploration carved thousands of miles of channels that let saltwater intrude inland
- Storm damage: Hurricanes like Katrina can destroy decades' worth of marsh in hours
Without fresh sediment to counteract these forces, the math is brutally simple: Louisiana is sinking and eroding faster than nature can repair it.
What's at Stake
This isn't just about maps and statistics. Louisiana's coastal wetlands serve as a crucial buffer against hurricanes, protecting New Orleans and other cities from storm surge. They're also nurseries for the Gulf fishing industry and home to unique Cajun communities whose way of life stretches back generations.
Some projections suggest that if current trends continue, another 1,750 square miles could disappear by 2064. Entire communities may need to relocate—and some already have.
Fighting Back
Louisiana has launched ambitious restoration projects, including controlled river diversions that mimic natural flooding to rebuild marshes. But these efforts face an uphill battle against decades of damage and ongoing threats.
The state that people think is growing is actually in a race against time to save what remains.