probably moving to baton rouge. (New Orleans, Baker: fit in, apartments, leasing agent)

[epedamia]

so i'm most likely moving to baton rouge within the month, a good friend of mine lives there and offered me a place to stay. anyway i had a couple questions for people who live there. 1. is it hard to find work? 2. what are the people like there? (i've only been to new orleans and the people there were pretty nice) 3. what is a baton rouge perish? 4. is there a good music scene around? 5. how bad is the racism? (i'm living in wyoming at the moment, moved up here to make money, and there are only white people (me included) and there is a very bad vibe up here when it comes to black or mexican people) 6. how is the crime, like are there more murders, or like car jackings, break-ins? thanks in advance

[BRMan]

(1) Finding work - depends on the type of job.
(2) How people are like - generally laid back. Depending on the part of town, not exactly welcoming of outsiders. Pretty conservative, but not radically so.
(3) Louisiana uses the term "Parish" instead of "County". East Baton Rouge encompasses Baton Rouge, Baker, Zachary, Central, and some unincorporated areas.
(4) Music scene is decent - we are a college town. So bars (in general) around LSU and downtown are where the action is
(5) Some racism, but generally (again, it depends on the part of town) no worse or better than anywhere else. Baton Rouge is about half black (of varying income levels). We also have some Asians due to the petrochemical industry/universities. Very few Hispanics, although that has changed a little due to Katrina.
(6) Crime depends on the part of town. I know those reading posts on this board would cocnclude BR is a place you need to wear bullet proof vests and lock yourself in your apartment/house. But it's not anything like that. Granted, some thefts/robberies, but in most of town, I feel safe day and night.

Originally Posted by epedamia

so i'm most likely moving to baton rouge within the month, a good friend of mine lives there and offered me a place to stay. anyway i had a couple questions for people who live there. 1. is it hard to find work? 2. what are the people like there? (i've only been to new orleans and the people there were pretty nice) 3. what is a baton rouge perish? 4. is there a good music scene around? 5. how bad is the racism? (i'm living in wyoming at the moment, moved up here to make money, and there are only white people (me included) and there is a very bad vibe up here when it comes to black or mexican people) 6. how is the crime, like are there more murders, or like car jackings, break-ins? thanks in advance

[dodger15]

I don't live in BR anymore but grew up there...hs, college, moved 3 yrs after college.

1. Jobs may be hard to come by due to the economy, the influx of people from Katrina swelling the population. But, like BRMan said, it does matter what line of work you're in. And your education, too.

2. BR is full of good, friendly people. Just be outgoing and you shouldn't have trouble meeting people. You just gotta get in where you fit in.

4. The music scene is real good. Local music is everywhere and there are plenty of watering holes that offer up live music just about every night of the week. Plus, New Orleans is so close that a lot of bands and musicians cruise up I-10 and play in and around BR. LSU and downtown are the best but also the east side of town has some decent places too. Every now and then a national act will perform at the River Center.

5. Yea racism isn't anything to be worried about. Ya know mostly whites but the black population has increased and BR has a black mayor and a black university, Southern, and other ethnic groups too...Hispanics, Asians, Indians...but really no different than anywhere else.

6. Crime isn't too bad...I always felt safe while there. Just like anywhere, be aware of your surroundings and try and have someone with you at night.

Overall BR is a fine city with a lot of culture. LSU and Southern are big parts of it as well as the food and southern hospitality. Good luck!

[darylwi]

Originally Posted by epedamia

so i'm most likely moving to baton rouge within the month, a good friend of mine lives there and offered me a place to stay. anyway i had a couple questions for people who live there. 1. is it hard to find work? 2. what are the people like there? (i've only been to new orleans and the people there were pretty nice) 3. what is a baton rouge perish? 4. is there a good music scene around? 5. how bad is the racism? (i'm living in wyoming at the moment, moved up here to make money, and there are only white people (me included) and there is a very bad vibe up here when it comes to black or mexican people) 6. how is the crime, like are there more murders, or like car jackings, break-ins? thanks in advance

My two cents:

1. It will increasingly become harder to find work here I'm afraid, due to the economy catching up with us, but it also depends on your field of work. Pennington is going to continue with an expansion, so there's biomedical work. New higher end apartments and condos are still being built, so there's rental/leasing agents/property managers. The new Woman's Hospital is being built now, possible expansion of healthcare jobs.
So there are jobs to be found here, yes.

2. Baton Rouge itself is pretty moderate, slightly liberal. The suburbs are more conservative. The inner city is typically a little more tolerant, but for the most part everybody is pretty nice here. Don't come in trying to exert your superiority over people who have lived here all their life and you should be fine. As you meet people, you'll notice you'll get invited to events and such. And there avenues to meet people here such as religious organizations, recreational activities, local events, etc.
Baton Rouge is a big city though, so it's more fast paced than the rural areas. People tend to drive a little faster, and they're more prone to honk at you if you don't move on the green light or turn right on red, but you'll get used to it. They'll wave at you and talk with you at the grocery store, but if you get in their way, they may give you an ugly look as well. It's all natural.

3. Perish. Stated earlier, the parish is another word for a county. Baton Rouge is the seat of government for East Baton Rouge Parish. West Baton Rouge is right across the river, Port Allen. You'll see both abbreviated all the time as EBR and WBR. The major suburbs are in Livingston Parish (Denham Springs) and Ascension Parish (Gonzales/Prairieville).

4. There is a very good local and independent artists music scene here. You can go to places such as Chelsea's, The Roux House, The Caterie, Red Star, Spanish Moon, etc. Plenty of places for some live music. As for major artists, they don't stop here as often but then again NOLA is right down the road. You'll find plenty of larger acts making stops at the New Orleans Arena, and other venues around the crescent city.

5. Racism. It's fairly equal white and black here, with a small influx of hispanic and asian. There is racism on both sides here but nothing beyond what I would almost consider normal for the south. I hate to say that, but to say that racism doesn't exist here at all would just be ignorant of me. We don't have race riots or gang shootings, people looking to beat up on one another because of their race. There have been isolated cases of real stupid acts by people (i.e. recently - the white boys shooting at black DPW workers). How stupid do people really need to be.
Like I said, the people within BTR tend to be a little more tolerant, otherwise they would have moved out with most of the other white flight participants.

6. Crime. Don't hear much about car jackings here. Murders are high per capita, but they are localized in what are primarily considered as "bad parts of town". Break-ins, probably the most common crime, especially around the college campuses and student residential areas, and in the bad areas. I don't consider BTR to be a scary place. As long as you practice common sense and protect yourself like you normally would in a large city, you should be fine.

Good luck in your move.

[Caa]

Originally Posted by epedamia

so i'm most likely moving to baton rouge within the month, a good friend of mine lives there and offered me a place to stay. anyway i had a couple questions for people who live there. 1. is it hard to find work? 2. what are the people like there? (i've only been to new orleans and the people there were pretty nice) 3. what is a baton rouge perish? 4. is there a good music scene around? 5. how bad is the racism? (i'm living in wyoming at the moment, moved up here to make money, and there are only white people (me included) and there is a very bad vibe up here when it comes to black or mexican people) 6. how is the crime, like are there more murders, or like car jackings, break-ins? thanks in advance

Hello there. I personally love this town. I was unsure whether to stay or go after katrina as that brought is a lot of undesirables to our town, but traffic has improved and a lot of the undesirables seem to have moved on.
1.Work I would say is not hard to find depending on your line of work. I see almost every grocery store and restaurant here with help wanted signs hanging. Healthcare is always looking for people.
2. People here are pretty nice. They seemed nicer pre Katrina as when more people came here, it was more crowded which breeds impatients jerks on the roads and in the stores. That has also pretty much died out and I think people are returning to niceness again(except at Christmas time, what a bunch of impatient aND stressed people!).
3. BRman said.
4. bar and Music scene. I am married with a child and we go out mostly to Comedy Clubs and Movies, but I work at LSU and the students seem to find fun places all the time.
5. There, to me, is a lot of reverse racism here. I as a white female sometimes get treated as if I owe people something adn get ignored sometimes by certain someones. All in all, I feel racism here is like any other place in this country. Mexcians seemed to kinda take over for awhile, but with the construction slowing down, I do not see nearly as many as a year ago. Most of them, however, are pretty nice.
6. Crime. I feel very safe here in south Baton Rouge, I would not venture to North Naton Rouge if I did not need to, but crime is not bad here IMO.
Best to you and welcome to Louisiana!

[laleh]

I have recently moved to Baton Rouge and the people are extremely nice. As for racism, from what I see it is the black people who don't like the whites and then the white people complain about people from new orleans, which i suspect may be code word for blacks. i have seen old black men get all angry with the white workers at stores and restaurants for no good reason. but everyone here seems to like asians, both blacks and whites so even though there does seem to be some tension between the blacks and whites, if you are asian it is great. the economy is much better here than elsewhere but it is starting to feel it here too. overall this is a fantastic place to live and you will find racism anywhere in america. this is one of the most progressive states with an indian governor and vietnamese congressman. i find the people here to be extremely welcoming and kind. both the blacks and the whites down here are very nice. the food, music and culture is very rich. more so than other parts of america, because this is a diverse area going way back. i can't get over how nice the people are. it is amazing.

[Caa]

Originally Posted by laleh

I have recently moved to Baton Rouge and the people are extremely nice. As for racism, from what I see it is the black people who don't like the whites and then the white people complain about people from new orleans, which i suspect may be code word for blacks. i have seen old black men get all angry with the white workers at stores and restaurants for no good reason. but everyone here seems to like asians, both blacks and whites so even though there does seem to be some tension between the blacks and whites, if you are asian it is great. the economy is much better here than elsewhere but it is starting to feel it here too. overall this is a fantastic place to live and you will find racism anywhere in america. this is one of the most progressive states with an indian governor and vietnamese congressman. i find the people here to be extremely welcoming and kind. both the blacks and the whites down here are very nice. the food, music and culture is very rich. more so than other parts of america, because this is a diverse area going way back. i can't get over how nice the people are. it is amazing.

It is nice to hear that you think we are so nice-I was just thinking that Baton Rouge people were not as nice as they used to be beofre Katrina, but I think I may have been wrong in my assumption. Where dad you move here from? I also agree with your entire post about the blacks and white, and Asians too. You seem like a very respectable person-welcome home!!

[laleh]

Originally Posted by Caa

It is nice to hear that you think we are so nice-I was just thinking that Baton Rouge people were not as nice as they used to be beofre Katrina, but I think I may have been wrong in my assumption. Where dad you move here from? I also agree with your entire post about the blacks and white, and Asians too. You seem like a very respectable person-welcome home!!

Thank you. It is definitely a wonderful city and the people are just amazing. I have lived all over the Northeast so I am not used to such friendly and hospitable people!

[Loralcb]

I too was glad to hear the kind words and thoughts from "laleh". Welcome!!!