What do you LIKE about Baton Rouge ? (metro, race)

[Innotech]

I was born there.

[LMDJ]

Originally Posted by mhounit

That's a joke , right ?

No, what do you want him to do? Force people to vote for taxes that increase police pay? Force people to join the police force to have more man power? Force people to stop selling drugs? Force people to stop killing one another? The mayor is only one man. If you want your city to be better, you and all of its citizens should lead the charge. Last I checked the U.S. is still dwindling on the edge of being a democracy. I will admit the mayor is more focused on building BR up, and "hob nobbing" with the rich and elite of the area, but his hands are tied also. Do you have a solution? And this is coming from someone who isn't a Holden fan, but I know he's only one person. If Holden loses someone else will come in and be faced with the same daunting task, and if they don't perform then what?

What do I like about BR: The food, the bars, daiquiri shops, how close everything is to my house, my family and friends

[mhounit]

He's not just " one person " . The Chief of Police and the entire force answers TO HIM . He is also the President of the Metro Council . What I expect is for him to stop paying lip service to the crime problem , and come down hard on the issue . He is afraid of alienating the black community , which is who guarantee's his reelection . Press releases and photo ops do nothing .

[apollothemighty]

I've lived here in B.R. about 6 years. It isn't for everyone, but it is for some, I would say. I'm not a huge football fan, and I need more in my life than the ability to go fishing, so I'll be moving away pretty soon. However, I do love the tree-lined avenues, the frequent rain, and the mild winters. I also love the old, Southern-style houses in the Garden District.

As for the claim "it's easy to meet people here," from my experience I haven't found that to be the case. People are very filial here--if you don't have family roots in Baton Rouge or in the area that go back a few generations, you may find yourself subtly isolated. Oh, sure, people are polite enough, but making friends rather than mere acquaintences is difficult. Maybe that's true everywhere. I don't know. But there's definitely a weird, "born-and-raised" vs. "outsider" dynamic going on. Most of the other "outsiders," like myself, seem to agree with me on this. Especially Pony Boy. <--(literary allusion)

It is also very family-oriented. What I mean by that is if it isn't a bar, then it's fair game to be populated with families that have noisy children. I don't particularly mind children, but it would be nice to be able to go to a collegey coffee shop and read quietly without children stomping around and...well...being children. My only recourse for an adult atmosphere is...well...an "adult" atmosphere. I'm not into strip clubs or sleezy bars, so I guess you could say I spend a lot of nights at home. If you're a family man/woman who needs lots of places to take the kids, then this could be a plus for you. Families LOVE Coffee Call on College Dr, for example.

WARNING: I'm going to get a little political here. This city kind of lacks--how to say--grassroots culture. It has a rich history, but one that is not well-preserved. Anything with character and unique quirks ends up being leveled to make way for monster corporations or ugly, overpriced condos for the out-of-town football fans (which is artificially inflating the home rental market, because they shut down the cheap housing, revamp it, and sell it as condos ). There is a handful of little joints that have shown remarkable resilience in the face of this trend--Louie's Café and Chelsea's, to name a couple--but most things that are not related in some way to family, church, or football are prime candidates to be squashed.

Also, I can't talk about this city without mentioning the crime. It's staggering. In some ways, Baton Rouge resembles an underdeveloped nation. It's a sizeable, crescent-shaped city along the eastern shore of the Mississippi River, with I-10 running straight through it. To middleclass American sensibilities, only the area around I-10 and I-12 is inhabitable. The rest is impoverished ghetto "no man's land."

It leaves only a narrow strip of landmass in the middle that is not characterized as "a rough neighborhood," but there are little patches of ghetto in the center of the city, too. In fact, the area around LSU is pretty sketchy. There are also an awful lot of shootings here, but they are mostly gang or drug-related--mostly. I worked at a restaurant with a lady who was later murdered over some kind of gang vendetta her son got into...heavy stuff. In the time I've lived here (again, 6 years) I've had my car broken into 3 times, a bicycle stolen, and one person has attempted to mug me with a knife. A friend of mine was pistol whipped and mugged as he was leaving his apartment. He told me about it because I asked him why he had a gash on his face. In my neighborhood, many times I have awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of gun shots a block away. The list goes on and on. I'm not making any accusations here. It's an extremely complex social problem with no simple answers. I'm just relating what I've experienced.

So if you love football, drinking lots of beer, and maybe doing some fishing, or if you're looking for a very family-oriented city, and if the crime doesn't bother you all that much, then the pros might just outweigh the cons. People who were born and raised in or around Baton Rouge love it, love it, love it. Maybe you're one those heart-of-gold people who is willing and able to make a difference somewhere. B.R. could definitely use the help! There are a lot of active volunteer programs here.

But for the most part, you'll find people in the 18-30 demographic who come here because of the university leave as soon as they can. Like me. When you think about it, there really aren't any perfect cities. I've had some good times here, and it's built character and taught me a lot--some things I'd rather forget --but mostly good things.

[Caa]

Originally Posted by apollothemighty

I've lived here in B.R. about 6 years. It isn't for everyone, but it is for some, I would say. I'm not a huge football fan, and I need more in my life than the ability to go fishing, so I'll be moving away pretty soon. However, I do love the tree-lined avenues, the frequent rain, and the mild winters. I also love the old, Southern-style houses in the Garden District.

As for the claim "it's easy to meet people here," from my experience I haven't found that to be the case. People are very filial here--if you don't have family roots in Baton Rouge or in the area that go back a few generations, you may find yourself subtly isolated. Oh, sure, people are polite enough, but making friends rather than mere acquaintences is difficult. Maybe that's true everywhere. I don't know. But there's definitely a weird, "born-and-raised" vs. "outsider" dynamic going on. Most of the other "outsiders," like myself, seem to agree with me on this. Especially Pony Boy. <--(literary allusion)

It is also very family-oriented. What I mean by that is if it isn't a bar, then it's fair game to be populated with families that have noisy children. I don't particularly mind children, but it would be nice to be able to go to a collegey coffee shop and read quietly without children stomping around and...well...being children. My only recourse for an adult atmosphere is...well...an "adult" atmosphere. I'm not into strip clubs or sleezy bars, so I guess you could say I spend a lot of nights at home. If you're a family man/woman who needs lots of places to take the kids, then this could be a plus for you. Families LOVE Coffee Call on College Dr, for example.

WARNING: I'm going to get a little political here. This city kind of lacks--how to say--grassroots culture. It has a rich history, but one that is not well-preserved. Anything with character and unique quirks ends up being leveled to make way for monster corporations or ugly, overpriced condos for the out-of-town football fans (which is artificially inflating the home rental market, because they shut down the cheap housing, revamp it, and sell it as condos ). There is a handful of little joints that have shown remarkable resilience in the face of this trend--Louie's Café and Chelsea's, to name a couple--but most things that are not related in some way to family, church, or football are prime candidates to be squashed.

Also, I can't talk about this city without mentioning the crime. It's staggering. In some ways, Baton Rouge resembles an underdeveloped nation. It's a sizeable, crescent-shaped city along the eastern shore of the Mississippi River, with I-10 running straight through it. To middleclass American sensibilities, only the area around I-10 and I-12 is inhabitable. The rest is impoverished ghetto "no man's land."

It leaves only a narrow strip of landmass in the middle that is not characterized as "a rough neighborhood," but there are little patches of ghetto in the center of the city, too. In fact, the area around LSU is pretty sketchy. There are also an awful lot of shootings here, but they are mostly gang or drug-related--mostly. I worked at a restaurant with a lady who was later murdered over some kind of gang vendetta her son got into...heavy stuff. In the time I've lived here (again, 6 years) I've had my car broken into 3 times, a bicycle stolen, and one person has attempted to mug me with a knife. A friend of mine was pistol whipped and mugged as he was leaving his apartment. He told me about it because I asked him why he had a gash on his face. In my neighborhood, many times I have awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of gun shots a block away. The list goes on and on. I'm not making any accusations here. It's an extremely complex social problem with no simple answers. I'm just relating what I've experienced.

So if you love football, drinking lots of beer, and maybe doing some fishing, or if you're looking for a very family-oriented city, and if the crime doesn't bother you all that much, then the pros might just outweigh the cons. People who were born and raised in or around Baton Rouge love it, love it, love it. Maybe you're one those heart-of-gold people who is willing and able to make a difference somewhere. B.R. could definitely use the help! There are a lot of active volunteer programs here.

But for the most part, you'll find people in the 18-30 demographic who come here because of the university leave as soon as they can. Like me. When you think about it, there really aren't any perfect cities. I've had some good times here, and it's built character and taught me a lot--some things I'd rather forget --but mostly good things.

I agree with you on some points, but disagree with you on the "not easy to make friends here" part. I am from south Florida and used to rude and ignorant people becasue that is about all the people in south Florida. Anyway, I was very accepted here with my co workers(from Baton Rouge0, neighbors(almost all from here too) and others. I think people here are sweet as can be! very friendly and many have become my good friends(not just aqaintences). I have even had a key made for my neighbor "just in case". I would never, ever, have done that in Florida! Many people are amazed that I left "paradise" to move here. Paradise...hardly. Nothing but a bunch of rude, selfish people almost all of whom are from the north and hate Florida because "up north they do it better". The only thing I do not like really is how I feel when my neighbors parents come over just ot say hi, or how our friends parents go to the soccer games their grandchild attends. I have no family here and feel kinda envious of families here because they have family here and I don't. That is the only reason I kinda sometimes feel "left out". Also, I don't know what is happening, but Baton Rouge seems back to normal as far as people since Katrina and for that I am thankful!

[laleh]

1. Very easy to make friends here.
2. Very safe and low crime if you are not an idiot and go into bad areas where you have no business being in.
3. Food is amazing.

[mhounit]

Originally Posted by laleh

1. Very easy to make friends here.
2. Very safe and low crime if you are not an idiot and go into bad areas where you have no business being in.
3. Food is amazing.

Correct , for the most part . Addition to #2 -- And if you are very aware of your surroundings .

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by mhounit

He's not just " one person " . The Chief of Police and the entire force answers TO HIM . He is also the President of the Metro Council . What I expect is for him to stop paying lip service to the crime problem , and come down hard on the issue . He is afraid of alienating the black community , which is who guarantee's his reelection . Press releases and photo ops do nothing .

Holden is not a black sympathizer. He is one of the few black politicians I know of who rarely brings race into it. He is in it for everyone, which is less that we can say for Ray Nagin down the road. Holden would not have been able to get elected without the white vote in the parish.

[mhounit]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

Holden is not a black sympathizer. He is one of the few black politicians I know of who rarely brings race into it. He is in it for everyone, which is less that we can say for Ray Nagin down the road. Holden would not have been able to get elected without the white vote in the parish.

I agree to a point . But , he knows where his base is .

[Caa]

Originally Posted by laleh

1. Very easy to make friends here.
2. Very safe and low crime if you are not an idiot and go into bad areas where you have no business being in.
3. Food is amazing.

Love your reasons!!! Thanks for the positive thoughts! All true, true, true!