Is Louisiana Trending? Sea Level, SpaceX and More

The Guardian Announces “Point of No Return,” SpaceX Campus Rumors and More

Louisianians have a strong love for their state, but that love isn’t blind – well, not fully.

We often rank the worst in national lists on topics like health and crime. And even though most of us are aware of the blemishes on our state’s reputation, our pride for the good parts – food, festivals, culture, community – is, arguably, incomparable to any other state. 

We relish in the good and tuck away the bad in the back of our minds behind the gumbo and Mardi Gras, because to us, Louisiana is culturally more significant and even better than most states, despite what the data says.

Louisianians have a “big-state” mentality, even though, by population data, we fall exactly in the middle. However, lately, Louisiana has been receiving that big-state spotlight online – for better or for worse:

1. Tracing the SpaceX Campus Rumors
2. The Guardian Posts “Point of No Return” for Louisiana Coastline
3. Three Louisiana Data Center Announcements
4. Louisiana Named Trendiest State by Tripscout

1. Tracing the SpaceX Campus Rumors

• May 5 – @whatspoppinnola, @bootkrewemedia and Others Post

At 8 a.m. yesterday, I opened Instagram and saw a post from Tuesday by @whatspoppinnola about a potential plan for Elon Musk’s SpaceX to build a 136,000-acre campus in Louisiana. The post says that, “According to a local real estate insider Jim Keaty, no official documents have surfaced yet, but a few sources are quietly confirming the deal.” 

The post shared that the site for the rumored campus is near Pecan Island and Freshwater City in Vermilion Parish.

• April 30 – Acadiana Realtor Posts on Facebook

I found Keaty’s original blog post for Keaty Real Estate, located in Lafayette, where he shares that people have been asking him about SpaceX buying land in the area.

Keaty writes, “I’ve called everyone I could think of who might know–government officials, longtime Pecan Island locals, energy insiders, hunting-lease holders. No one is denying it. A few are quietly confirming it. But not a single official document has surfaced.” 

The main reason Keaty believes the rumor is due to ExxonMobil’s 2025 announcement to develop a 125,000-acre project. Keaty shares that the permitting has stalled, and he believes purchasing the land from ExxonMobil is “exactly the kind of deal Elon Musk’s team would chase.”

• April 18 – The State Treasurer’s Campaign Manager Posts

Before even Keaty’s blog post, Brendon Dubroc, the campaign manager for the Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming, made a Facebook post stating, “The LA legislature is considering a package of bills (HB 1088, HB 1179) designed to provide massive sales and property tax breaks for companies that build, launch and service rockets, specifically aimed at making Louisiana competitive with Texas and Florida.”

• March 31 – Talk of Two Bills to Benefit Aerospace Facilities

The Louisiana State Legislature defines the bills as follows:

• • HB1088 – Authorizes a state and local sales and use tax rebate on the purchase of certain items used in aerospace facilities and activities
    • Signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, awaiting Governor Jeff Landry’s Approval. 
  • HB 1179 – Extends eligibility for the ad valorem tax exemption for certain manufacturing establishments to certain aerospace manufacturing establishments
    • Signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, awaiting Governor Jeff Landry’s Approval.

2. The Guardian Posts “Point of No Return” for Louisiana Coastline

May 4 –  The Guardian posted an article on Facebook with the headline, “Point of no return: New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level, study finds.”

The post, which has 4k likes and 1k shares, was met with a range of feedback. With one user commenting, “You can warn a fool until you’re blue in the face and the fool will laugh until they drown.” Yet, another said, “Sea levels have barely moved for decades.”

One comment reads, “But let’s build AI data centers.” Interestingly, in the SpaceX rumor post the next day, commenters also express concern in what seems to be a reference to the recent AI data center announcements. With one commenter writing, “We really are selling Louisiana off acre by acre.” 

The Guardian article, which pulls the “point of no return” phrase from a perspective in the Nature Sustainability journal rather than any newly released data, heavily encourages relocating the people of New Orleans, referencing points like rising sea levels and upgrades required for levee maintenance.

3. Three Louisiana Data Center Announcements

Concerns about losing land to SpaceX and our coastline feel even more real, knowing three major data centers are coming to Louisiana. Louisiana Economic Development shares the following:

Feb. 23- Amazon selected Louisiana for $12 billion data center campuses across Caddo and Bossier parishes. Operations will launch in phases over the next several years.

Dec. 15, 2025 – Hut 8, an energy infrastructure platform, selected West Feliciana Parish for its River Bend AI data center. Construction is expected to end in the second quarter of 2027.

Dec. 4, 2024 – Meta selected Richland Parish for its 4-million square foot data site. Construction is expected to continue until 2030. 

4. Louisiana Named Trendiest State on Social Media

On April 29, @usa.explores announced Louisiana as the U.S.’s trendiest state on social media via the Tripscout DMO Awards. The post shares the following about Louisiana: 

• Top attractions people are loving in Louisiana:
  •  The iconic French Quarter in New Orleans
  •  Exploring the scenic swamps and bayous
  •  Indulging in world-famous Creole and Cajun cuisine
  • The energetic Mardi Gras celebrations
  • Historic landmarks like Oak Alley Plantation
• Unique things to do in Louisiana:
  •  Groove to live jazz in the birthplace of the genre
  • Take a boat tour through the bayous
  • Sip on classic New Orleans cocktails
  • Experience the magic of Mardi Gras parades
  • Visit vibrant museums and street art