Baker? (Baton Rouge, Zachary, St. Francisville: apartment complex, movers, houses)

[wmj]

I have a possible job in Baker, LA. Can anyone tell me anything about the area as I currently live in Florida and know absolutely nothing about it. Thanks!

[Rosinante]

Baker is a suburb just north of Baton Rouge. It is near the metro airport, too. Houses are a little cheaper in Baker than they are in Baton Rouge. Not much else to say without knowing more about your circumstances.

[MetroBTR]

Baker is a suburb North of Baton Rouge. It used to be a pretty nice place but it has gone down as more and more poor people move out of North Baton Rouge looking for an affordable place that is a little bit better than what they used to have.

I wouldn't discourage you from taking a job there, but I would suggest you try looking for housing in nearby Zachary. Zachary is almost the same size, but it is nicer.

[vintagelady]

Baker use to be nice but as the previous poster pointed out it has gone down A LOT in the last few years. Zachary and Central are pretty nice. I would take the job in Baker, but move to one of those places that I mentioned. Good Luck!

[darylwi]

Baker has declined in recent years. But you have Zachary and Central close, and even St. Francisville if you want country living.

[jcn1130]

Zachary would be my choice, as I know both towns very well. Baker has many very nice people, although the other poster who said a lot of people lower on the economic scale have moved in. That doesn't mean they brought ugly poverty related problems with them. A lot of Hurricane Katrina victims were relocated there for emergency housing and ended up staying. The town is friendly, but the school system is an independent system and it basically sucks. It is the main reason people don't want to move to Baker. The mayor is really doing his best to bring the standards of living up for everyone and he is very approachable and helpful. Housing is cheap, cheap cheap. There are some extremely nice subdivisions, I can think of two on the southern end of town...mostly professionals and professors who work at Southern University. My friends are probably the only white family in Parkwood Terrace, which is upscale...lots of retired professors, middle to upper middle class black families, safe area, beautiful yards. My friends have never had a problem living there and interact well with their neighbors...while I was there they were invited to a BBQ, another neighbor took my kids fishing, and some ladies in the neighborhood had a Bridge party (where we did everything except play bridge...ate, drank too many margaritas and I learned a couple of line dances). Because so many people are reluctant to move to a black neighborhood, they bought their five bedroom home (with pool), killer landscaping for less than $200k. Across the highway is Chaleur subdivision, which is racially mixed, very lovely, large homes...treed lots. The only thing that would keep me away from Baker is the school system. Really, it is bad. Everyone who can sends their kids to private schools...Bethany Christian School, St. Gerard and Redemptorist, Southern University Lab School are all good bets. Those are just the ones I am familiar with, but I know there are many more.

Zachary is the place to live. It is about 5 or 6 miles north. The schools are the best in the state, there is some shopping, plenty of places to eat (it is, after all, Louisiana), and terrific parks. The library is fairly new, there are new subdivisions popping up everywhere. Everyone seems to know everyone even with all of the new people moving in. They just opened the first large apartment complex, Zachary parkside, and the apartments are pricey for the area, but really nice. There are some chain restaurants, but the locally owned ones are so good you won't go to them. People there were socio-economically diverse, and the races mix pretty well, too (which is important to me). I like Zachary better than Central because of that. You don't get the feeling that Zachary is divided. It is a safe town, with a very responsive and caring police department...how often do you hear that? Housing is affordable if you are coming from out of state, but is pretty steep for local standards and probably the best place to purchase a house, but you have to act fast if you see something you like because everyone is trying to move there because of the school system.

My biggest problem with Baker/Zachary is that you have to drive about 20 miles to the nearest mall and clear across the other side of Baton Rouge just to go to the movies or fine dining or anything touristy. Baton Rouge expanded south, so there is nothing in North Baton Rouge and for some reason, I think the movers and shakers in the city want to keep it that way. You could actually live in Baton Rouge and work in Baker. If you are single, I would definitely go that route since you will not have a social life in Baker or Zachary.

[mhounit]

Do NOT live in Baker . It is declining rapidly . Consider Central or Zachary .

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by wmj

I have a possible job in Baker, LA. Can anyone tell me anything about the area as I currently live in Florida and know absolutely nothing about it. Thanks!

To echo what others have said, I would look in nearby Zachary or Central. If you asked me about living in Baker 20-30 years ago, I would say without hesistation that Baker is a nice place to live.

Baker has been on a steady decline in recent years and when I visited home a couple of months ago, it was just not the same place I remember growing up . Hopefully it will bounce back.

[la24]

Working in Baker is fine.

Don't live there. Zachary or Central.

[Loralcb]

I agree with others; Zachary or Central.