Moving to Baton Rouge from Savannah, GA (Jefferson, Gardere: apartments, leasing)

[crosby05]

Hey, My fiancee is possibly going to start working in Plaquemine, LA. I was wondering where a nice area around Baton Rouge is to get an apartment or house at. A place that is safe and without a whole lot of crime, and that isn't to far from where he is working would be nice. We live on the southside of Savannah right now and enjoy it there.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by crosby05

Hey, My fiancee is possibly going to start working in Plaquemine, LA. I was wondering where a nice area around Baton Rouge is to get an apartment or house at. A place that is safe and without a whole lot of crime, and that isn't to far from where he is working would be nice. We live on the southside of Savannah right now and enjoy it there.

First off, welcome to BR and "petrochemical Louisiana."

In general, you want to live south of Florida Blvd and, within that zone, there are areas to avoid, like Gardere, Flannery, Valley Park, and Blvd De Provence. In your/your fiancee's situation, you have a broader range of options since working in Plaquemine means your fiancee has to cross the I-10 bridge (also known as the "new bridge", despite being completed in 1968) which can be traffic choked during rush hour, and you don't have good alternatives. Therefore, I'd suggest the following areas (since we don't know what type of house you like, I'm giving you multiple choices based on having a less ornerous commute time to Plaq)

(1) West Baton Rouge parish is up the river from Plaquemine and while most of it is country/full of sugar cane farms, you have some suburban development along LA 1 between LA 1 and the Miss River in the towns of Brusly and Addis. I'd look at these first, since you would not have to deal with the "new bridge." There is one caveat: you don't yet have a lot of retail on that side of the river
(2) On the Baton Rouge side of the river, I'd look at neighborhoods bordered by College/Lee, Highland, Stanford, and I-10. Though this is a more expensive area, if you like Garden District living, this is the place to look, and you can get on I-10 at either Acadian, Perkins, or Dalrymple. I would NOT recommend dealing with College Drive as a commuting route
(3) There are also some subdivisions along Moss Side Lane and Quail Drive (across from the Pennington Biomedical Center) which are worth exploring, with one caveat: you'd have to deal with College Drive at some point
(4) Another area popular with those working across the Miss River would be subdivisions along Brightside near River Road (south of LSU) like Riverbend, Riverbend Landing, Beau Pre, and Lake Beau Pre. This is a popular area because the commute would involve getting on/off the interstate by taking River Road downtown, which is NOT very closgged with traffic. There are two caveats here: (a) when the river gets high in the spring, you get sand boils in your yard if you live near the river, (b) students live along Brightside, and their parents have bought them houses in some of these subdivisions - NOT good for resale value, in other words.

Anyway, lots of information, but this ought to be a good start for you in helping you decide where to live.

[MetroBTR]

I would definitely suggest looking into the subdivisions in Brusly/Addis. But if you do buy in BR and have to cross the bridge, rush hour traffic is no worse than any other spot on I-10/I-12 in BR. But that's just IMO.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

I would definitely suggest looking into the subdivisions in Brusly/Addis. But if you do buy in BR and have to cross the bridge, rush hour traffic is no worse than any other spot on I-10/I-12 in BR. But that's just IMO.

I was guiding the OP to that specific part of town because I personally don't want them dealing with traffic at the 10/12 split, Airline, Sherwood, Jefferson, or similar streets. And working on the Westside I would definitely NOT recommend living in Livingston Parish - the I-110, 10, and 12 commute would not be good for the blood pressure

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by BRMan

I was guiding the OP to that specific part of town because I personally don't want them dealing with traffic at the 10/12 split, Airline, Sherwood, Jefferson, or similar streets. And working on the Westside I would definitely NOT recommend living in Livingston Parish - the I-110, 10, and 12 commute would not be good for the blood pressure

I think we must've misunderstood one another. I thought you were discouraging them from living on the East Bank because of the bridge traffic but I was saying IMO traffic on the bridge isn't worse than traffic in other spots. Certainly not to the point of being a deal breaker.

I still think the West Bank would be your best bet, OP.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

I think we must've misunderstood one another. I thought you were discouraging them from living on the East Bank because of the bridge traffic but I was saying IMO traffic on the bridge isn't worse than traffic in other spots. Certainly not to the point of being a deal breaker.

I still think the West Bank would be your best bet, OP.

Ah. Bridge traffic can be a pain at certain times, which is why I recommended they look at Brusly/Addis first. And as "Plan B", I selected parts of BR which were closest to the bridge, because I didn't want them to deal with bridge traffic + I-10 + I-12 + Airline + Sherwood +.......

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by BRMan

Ah. Bridge traffic can be a pain at certain times, which is why I recommended they look at Brusly/Addis first. And as "Plan B", I selected parts of BR which were closest to the bridge, because I didn't want them to deal with bridge traffic + I-10 + I-12 + Airline + Sherwood +.......

It looks like we're sayint the same thing. lol

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

It looks like we're sayint the same thing. lol

We are. I just like to give a potential Baton Rougean several options if told where they will be working.

[darylwi]

Check out Sugar Mill Plantation, a new development near Addis. You have a few shops and a good grocery in Benedetto's across the hwy. LA 1 traffic can be a real pain though. Traffic is generally fairly heavy most of the day, and it can be very heavy (but always moving) in the morning and evening rush. You have rush hour both ways on that side of the river... people leaving the city heading towards the chem plants, and then people heading towards the city to school or work. Same in the afternoon.
As far as apartments, after Sugar Mill (and I'm not even sure if they're open yet but they are leasing I know) I would suggest you come back over to EBR. There isn't much for apartments on the westbank; rental homes perhaps.