Another new BR resident?!?! (Baton Rouge, Zachary: apartments, rental, condos)

[weezmann]

I will be attending law school this fall with my wife and newborn baby. I am looking for some info on the area. I have read the posts below and have the following questions.

-What are the expected commute times from Denham Springs to the LSU campus?
-same question but from Zachary?
-expected rental rates for 2 or 3 bedroom apartments/condos/single family homes?
-neighborhoods to absolutely avoid? (using crime as an indicator, not race)
-any other advice?

Thanks!

[darylwi]

Originally Posted by weezmann

I will be attending law school this fall with my wife and newborn baby. I am looking for some info on the area. I have read the posts below and have the following questions.

-What are the expected commute times from Denham Springs to the LSU campus?
At about 7:30 in the morning? Probably about 45 minutes to get all the way into LSU, assuming you live close to I-12. Doesn't really calm down until after 9am. Can easily be over an hour on a bad day. It will be about an hour if you're commuting home around 5pm.

-same question but from Zachary?
It's been a while since I've driven this route in rush hour. It's further out, but it's fairly quick unless there's something happening on the way. I-110 moves fairly well, sometimes bunches past 22nd Street. I'd say 30-45 minutes as well, but you'd move a lot fast on this route than coming from Denham.

You might be able to schedule some classes so that maybe you come in around 9:30 and can either head back out at 3pm or after 6pm. But then parking on campus becomes an issue.

-expected rental rates for 2 or 3 bedroom apartments/condos/single family homes?
I can't vouch for everything, but I can say that there are 2 bedroom apartments going for around $700 in the bocage area. They are older but are pretty big, very sturdy and in a good area of town. I usually don't look at 2-3 brs but looking at the 1brs I can say that I've seen prices around $550-$750. If it's cheaper, I tend to be suspicious because it's generally in a worse area or the property itself is bad. They easily climb much higher than that in the nicer/newer properties. 2brs usually aren't much more than 1brs, but I don't know about 3brs.
I know people who have rented homes for that range as well, usually within the city. I don't know about rental home availability outside of the city. Your choices are usually limited.

-neighborhoods to absolutely avoid? (using crime as an indicator, not race)
North Baton Rouge (north of Florida semicircled by Airline). Myrtle Walk (east of I-110) and Old South Baton Rouge (north of LSU up to I-10).
Gardere. Blvd de Province.
These are the absolute worst crime areas and I would avoid. I'm sure the suburbs have their areas too.

-any other advice?

Thanks!

Hope this helps.