Inner-city Baton Rouge -- Neighborhood Characteristics?

[Bartleby]

Originally Posted by provincal b

Those sound really great -- I think I'm just going to need to get down there and look around at some of the 'mom and pop' apartments as well that might not be listed on-line and hang around some of these neighborhoods to evaluate their flavor. But your tips as well as darylwi's and PhilosophyAskew's are really invaluable for getting me started and knowing where to look first... thanks!

Those apartments are The Villa Rose condominiums, and they look kind of gated, that might be what you were asking about?

They fall in your price range, and there's usually a few vacant (and since the units are actually condos, owned by tons of different people, rents and conditions can vary). There's also a few for sale, if that's an option.

My girlfriend lives there now, and I live down the street in a house in Ogden Park. I've lived in that area more or less since college in the late '80s. We just bought a house a little further out (Magnolia Woods) and I'll miss the location but I'm only a few miles further away.

It's definitely my favorite part of town. I don't know how you define "working class," it attracts forward thinking types regardless of background stuff like that and that sensibility is what bonds them, know what I mean? Most of the blue collar types prefer to be isolated a little farther out of town, and they aren't big on diversity. The people who are drawn to mid-city and downtown/south Baton Rouge are probably all like yourself in that they want to interact a little instead of be isolated and left alone.

In all of the areas you mentioned, timing and luck are the keys to getting a place. If you can, just drive or walk around those areas. I pass stuff for rent all the time but never see it listed online or in papers.

Good luck, and welcome to BR.

[muer]

"The Garden District is a great diverse area". The word diverse has certainly become cheap these days. The Garden District is all white.

provincal b, my friends used to live at the gated apartments in the garden district. That gated community is out-of-place in terms of being gated. The gates aren't that secure, The demographic is 100% white, mainly 19-23 years old, with upwards of 34-35 years old. They tend to vote democratic.

I used to live there for about a month with my friends, until the landlord spotted me and threatened to evict my friends. That should be no problem for you though.

The people tend to keep to themselves.

[provincal b]

^^^ thanks for the opinion. I'm curious if I would encounter much hostility if I rented in Old South Baton Rouge... I've read that this area is a focus of redevelopment efforts, but I wonder with the housing crunch if I would be contributing to the crowding out of people of color from the neighborhood in general -- or would most black folks there not mind another white person moving in? I know that in many cities that has been a serious source of tension.

[averre3]

I am a native Baton Rougean and graduated from LSU in 2006. I absolutely love all the areas everyone is talking about in this forum. I also have to mention you shouldn't rule out Southdowns as an option. It may be difficult to find an affordable rental, but they are out there. I lived there for a year before my recent move to Houston, and I loved it. Also, there is a small neighborhood on the edge of the Garden District called Hundred Oaks, which always has rental houses available. And, check out Ogden Park - it is almost across Government Street from Beauregard Town. Those specific neighborhood names may help your search a bit. Good luck!

[muer]

Originally Posted by provincal b

^^^ thanks for the opinion. I'm curious if I would encounter much hostility if I rented in Old South Baton Rouge... ...crowding out of people of color from the neighborhood in general -- or would most black folks there not mind another white person moving in? I know that in many cities that has been a serious source of tension.

No one would mind white people moving to Old South Baton Rouge. Blacks are second class citizens in Baton Rouge. The blacks in the area around the Garden District can't afford to rent or buy housing in the neighborhood. They couldn't even use city park until 1956(?). If you are talking about moving into a black neighborhood, that wouldn't happen, white people don't live next to black people. There is no such thing as encroachment, everyone keeps their place.

There is a clear demarcation line in race in the city. A little past the street Dalrymple turns into in the Garden District, maybe its Park, it is 100% black, back the other way it is 100% white. If you know your history, you know already know it's because after slavery the blacks did house work, were nannies, etc. in the white people's houses in the Garden District.

Hehe, it makes me laugh coming from Oregon, you will notice the difference between cultures.... I will let you experience it, I won't tell you.

Prov. you will enjoy the shady live oak trees in the summer! Ask anyone here.
If you ride a bicycle like other peeps out in Oregon you can cycle around the lake to get to the LSU area. It's about a 12-15min bicycle ride.

[BRnewbie]

I'll be moving to Baton Rouge from out of state over the summer and am interested in looking at rental homes in the Garden District, Spanish Town, and Beauregarde. Is it typical to use a real estate agent or management company to look for rentals in Baton Rouge? Are there other places to search online besides Craigslist?

[provincal b]

Made it to BR a few days ago, and am loving the city so far. I'm hopefully going to sign a lease on a 2-bedroom house on 30th and North Street this afternoon. Thanks so much to all the forum members who have helped me with suggestions and opinions on the neighborhoods.... I'l write more when I'm at a computer (I'm posting from my phone now), but briefly I'm excited about my new house and neighborhood -- it's right down the street from a nice park (Progress Park) and most importantly only 12 blocks from my work, so I won't have to grapple with traffic. It's a different experience for me coming from the West Coast and seeing such segregated neighborhoods, but people in the area seem to be friendly towards me I'm thinking that as long as I'm not a jerk I'll get along fine there, even though it's "north of Florida Blvd." I'll sign the lease this afternoon if all goes well with my application, so I'm spending today getting in some sightseeing downtown Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and suggestions in this thread, I'll let you know how it goes for me in my one-man neighborhood integration inititative, lol

[darylwi]

I've never noticed anything wrong with North Street. There was an incident once at that park across of North past Acadian, but sad to say those type of things could happen anywhere. They have been cleaning parts of the area up, newer infrastructure, new building of properties, rental or to own I don't know. North Street is quiet compared to Florida I would say.

As far as renting homes goes, it's best to check out the local management companies, or drive by and look for signs and phone numbers. Most of those places don't advertise on mainstream apartment websites or in books, or on Craigs List or the paper, although they do advertise sometimes in the campus papers. Word of mouth is always the best ticket. Unfortunately I can't help with that at the moment. Best of luck.

[blume]

to muer. Just a postscript re:

No one would mind white people moving to Old South Baton Rouge. Blacks are second class citizens in Baton Rouge. The blacks in the area around the Garden District can't afford to rent or buy housing in the neighborhood. They couldn't even use city park until 1956(?). If you are talking about moving into a black neighborhood, that wouldn't happen, white people don't live next to black people. There is no such thing as encroachment, everyone keeps their place.

There is a clear demarcation line in race in the city. A little past the street Dalrymple turns into in the Garden District, maybe its Park, it is 100% black, back the other way it is 100% white. If you know your history, you know already know it's because after slavery the blacks did house work, were nannies, etc. in the white people's houses in the Garden District

I wouldn't say right 'after slavery' blacks were nannies in white people's houses in the Garden District, since the Garden District was not begun until around 1910/11. And you are right, there are black neighborhoods, and white neighborhoods, but that is slowly changing. Not all black people are 'down and out' in BR. And several upscale subdivisions (mid town and suburb) are being populated by both races living amongst each other. I think you'd find by and large, BR is much more conducive to diversity than you've indicated. Though we're not perfect, today, I do not think you'd find our area a hotbed of hostility between races.