Please Correct My Misconceptions About BTR and Tell Me About Zachary (Baton Rouge: real estate, houses)

[Jamaica Manila]

With a heavy heart, we are having to assess a relo to the Zachary area, north of Baton Rouge as early as this Christmas and as late as next Summer. Coming from the Ventura County suburbs of Los Angeles and the ocean side of San Diego County, California AND now from the excellent public school system of Fairfax, Northern Virginia (Metro D.C. area) that's rated in the TOP 10 in the country, I am really dreading the relocation into a state like Louisiana for my 8-yr old child. We can always try to have my spouse look for another job being in Northern VA with lots of job possibilities...but we are loyal to the company and there is a slight chance it can result in a job promotion. Notwithstanding that despite enjoying a great school system, we still find VA to be too cold in the Fall, Winter and Spring months, coming from Southern Cali. So perhaps a move south will make our bones warmer again... but we never dreamnt of Louisiana (BTR or NOLA) - maybe Texas and New Mexico - but not the bayou. OK Okay so, like I said, I probably have misconceptions about this state as a whole. I NEED HELP from the perspective of a family-oriented, suburbian, mid to upper middle class, diverse culture and Hollywood-centric type of person living in the Baton Rouge area - preferrably in Zachary or vicinity. Need help about the schools in Zachary (all I have found is that some elementary or middle school there has been rated No.1 in the State -- but what is the State's standards? And where do they rate in the country?). Next, why would the houses cost more than where we are in Metro D.C. where median household income is $85k to $125k? (check it out Loudoun County and Fairfax County VIRGINIA) I mean, less sq footage and yet they are in the mid-$300s to $400s? What kind of jobs are there that warrant this housing prices in a deperate market and hurricane-target area? I need some feedback and maybe get more excited about relocating there - or - put more pressure on the spouse to find another job and stay put where we are.... THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR UNBIASED AND not-so-harsh FEEDBACK/reply.

[LSU Tiger Z71]

Originally Posted by Jamaica Manila

I NEED HELP from the perspective of a family-oriented, suburbian, mid to upper middle class, diverse culture and Hollywood-centric type of person living in the Baton Rouge area - preferrably in Zachary or vicinity. Need help about the schools in Zachary (all I have found is that some elementary or middle school there has been rated No.1 in the State -- but what is the State's standards? And where do they rate in the country?). Next, why would the houses cost more than where we are in Metro D.C. where median household income is $85k to $125k? (check it out Loudoun County and Fairfax County VIRGINIA) I mean, less sq footage and yet they are in the mid-$300s to $400s? What kind of jobs are there that warrant this housing prices in a deperate market and hurricane-target area? I need some feedback and maybe get more excited about relocating there - or - put more pressure on the spouse to find another job and stay put where we are.... THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR UNBIASED AND not-so-harsh FEEDBACK/reply.

All I have to say is.. WOW. To begin, you enter the forum with a very conceited attitude:

What kind of jobs are there that warrant this housing prices in a deperate market and hurricane-target area?

Baton Rouge is one of the best places to ride out a recession with many diverse people and jobs including education, petrochemicals, and healthcare.

schools

Look, the schools in Zachary are OK. You must understand that Louisiana is not the place to put your kids in public schools! (I am a graduate of a top-ranked Louisiana public school) Please consider private.

If you want to have some connection the life you had before, don't even think about Zachary. You seem to be suited for South Baton Rouge. Try some upscale subdisions south of the city. Send your kids to a private school.

Try: University Club, Prarieville, Bocage area, CCLA/Santa Maria, etc.

My suggestion: Find the house you want. Google/Streetview the area. Ask here for a specific area. I'm just trying to steer you away as you may find Zachary to be a little "down-to-earth" for someone coming from NOVA.

Do ask your husband to reconsider. I can tell you're not going to happy at all with this attitude.

[Innotech]

Not sure what to say. I visited relatives in Fairfax and though it is pretty, its not really all that. Aside from NRA museum and some asian stores, it was a boring suburb. Anyway, coming from places like Cali and NOVa you will feel like you entered another country. Im really not kidding here. We do things very different in Louisiana and we prefer it that way. There are great schools to be found in Louisiana, but the problem is that there are also some of the worst schools in the country and they drag down the state overall. Im not familiar with BR/Zachary schools, but someone here is bound to be able to help you. Two of my aunts live in that area too so they may be of some help, although they are in their 50s now.

As for living in Louisiana, this is not some bohemian paradise. Louisiana is a state grounded in reality. You will find very hardworking people here and they will probably be happy to help you out with anything you might need. It is a very relaxed, slower paced society down here, centered on partying and festivals, cultural aspects of the area, and generally not really caring what the Joneses are doing. Having only lived a short time of my younger life in outer Baton rouge (Greenwell springs) I cant really comment on the day to day working of the city, but I can tell you that it will feel entirely different than what you are used to. Give it a chance. See if our unique way of life grows on you or not. Worst case, you probably have plenty of money to move elsewhere if you hate it.

[BR_Bound]

I relocated to BTR a few months ago -- good company, nice promotion -- I'm counting the months until I can leave. It's not that BTR is bad it's just not... not... anything special. It's as quaint as it probably was 100 years ago. It functions just as it did 100 years ago. The folks here mix just as well as they did 100 years ago. It's not an ugly region but it's not gorgeous. It's not inexpensive to live here but it's also not Boulder or Seattle or San Francisco. Truth is, the only folks that I know who love BTR are those who grew up here, went to college here and have no interest in leaving here.

(Can you believe that in my old home town I was considered fun, upbeat and very positive? Amazing what a relo will do for a person!)

[Innotech]

Originally Posted by BR_Bound

I relocated to BTR a few months ago -- good company, nice promotion -- I'm counting the months until I can leave. It's not that BTR is bad it's just not... not... anything special. It's as quaint as it probably was 100 years ago. It functions just as it did 100 years ago. The folks here mix just as well as they did 100 years ago. It's not an ugly region but it's not gorgeous. It's not inexpensive to live here but it's also not Boulder or Seattle or San Francisco. Truth is, the only folks that I know who love BTR are those who grew up here, went to college here and have no interest in leaving here.

(Can you believe that in my old home town I was considered fun, upbeat and very positive? Amazing what a relo will do for a person!)

Sorry it didnt work out for you, but I can see your point of view certainly. If you were not born and raised in Louisiana it is very hard to understand how different it can feel to live here. Personally though, I wouldnt want to live in any other state. The food, the people, the music....dancing, French speaking, fishing in Grand Isle, and just being a part of a state with a true identity is for me what living is. Baton rouge specifically is not where I want to live either, and Im glad we moved to LAfayette. BR is first and foremost a college town and nearly everything rises and falls with LSU. If you are not part of that culture then BR can become quite monotonous. My city has a thriving college culture as well, but it is a much smaller university and the city is not centered around it.

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by BR_Bound

I relocated to BTR a few months ago -- good company, nice promotion -- I'm counting the months until I can leave. It's not that BTR is bad it's just not... not... anything special. It's as quaint as it probably was 100 years ago. It functions just as it did 100 years ago. The folks here mix just as well as they did 100 years ago. It's not an ugly region but it's not gorgeous. It's not inexpensive to live here but it's also not Boulder or Seattle or San Francisco. Truth is, the only folks that I know who love BTR are those who grew up here, went to college here and have no interest in leaving here.

(Can you believe that in my old home town I was considered fun, upbeat and very positive? Amazing what a relo will do for a person!)

Ahem...In 1900 Baton Rouge had a population of 11,000. The current population is about 230,000, and metro is more than 750,000. This city has changed more in the last 100 years than any city in the state.

Sorry you did not like it here, but we have people on this very forum who relocated here and love it.

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by Jamaica Manila

With a heavy heart, we are having to assess a relo to the Zachary area, north of Baton Rouge as early as this Christmas and as late as next Summer. Coming from the Ventura County suburbs of Los Angeles and the ocean side of San Diego County, California AND now from the excellent public school system of Fairfax, Northern Virginia (Metro D.C. area) that's rated in the TOP 10 in the country, I am really dreading the relocation into a state like Louisiana for my 8-yr old child. We can always try to have my spouse look for another job being in Northern VA with lots of job possibilities...but we are loyal to the company and there is a slight chance it can result in a job promotion. Notwithstanding that despite enjoying a great school system, we still find VA to be too cold in the Fall, Winter and Spring months, coming from Southern Cali. So perhaps a move south will make our bones warmer again... but we never dreamnt of Louisiana (BTR or NOLA) - maybe Texas and New Mexico - but not the bayou. OK Okay so, like I said, I probably have misconceptions about this state as a whole. I NEED HELP from the perspective of a family-oriented, suburbian, mid to upper middle class, diverse culture and Hollywood-centric type of person living in the Baton Rouge area - preferrably in Zachary or vicinity. Need help about the schools in Zachary (all I have found is that some elementary or middle school there has been rated No.1 in the State -- but what is the State's standards? And where do they rate in the country?). Next, why would the houses cost more than where we are in Metro D.C. where median household income is $85k to $125k? (check it out Loudoun County and Fairfax County VIRGINIA) I mean, less sq footage and yet they are in the mid-$300s to $400s? What kind of jobs are there that warrant this housing prices in a deperate market and hurricane-target area? I need some feedback and maybe get more excited about relocating there - or - put more pressure on the spouse to find another job and stay put where we are.... THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR UNBIASED AND not-so-harsh FEEDBACK/reply.

I will start off by saying that last year Baton Rouge was ranked 15th best place to ride out the recession, and estimates from 2008 show that the population of the metropolitan area has increased by about 70,000 in since 2000. This is not a desperate market by any means. It did not grow as fast as Vegas, but it also did not crash and burn like Vegas. So it goes without saying that because we never had a "real" real estate crash...prices really have not decreased much in the area.

Zachary schools are excellent. Greatschools.net give them a rating of 9 out of a possible 10. On the same site, Fairfax High School and Fairfax Villa Elementary were rated 8 out of a possible 10. Keep in mind greatschools.net is 100% objective.

[Jamaica Manila]

Thank you all for your insight and feedback, both sides. It seems like what we've heard and researched is pretty accurate. It could be fun to try a new culture but with a child in her young elementary years, it has to be sound and stable schooling also... We need to come over and see it for ourselves... THANKS AGAIN!

[MetroBTR]

All right, here we go. This was an article that was part of a much larger series called "closing the gap" that done by the Advocate (the Baton Rouge newspaper) a while back. It seems to have the "overall" information you crave. But keep in mind, it really says nothing about the "good" school districts. They are just as good as "good" school districts elsewhere (as shown by the greatschools.com info), they are just fewer in numbers.

I hope this helps.

[redbean]

I don't get the impression that you will be happy in Zachary. If y'all are the kind of people who enjoy small-town living, then maybe I'm wrong. I think you will be happier in Baton Rouge, like around south BR or around LSU. If you keep an open mind you may very well end up loving it. People either love it or hate it. Oh, living in BR you will want your child in private school, this will likely run about $400/month at a minimum. There are a few public schools which MAY be OK, I don't know much about the schools as I don't have kids. Just wanted to say that based on your first post I think you would be miserable in Zachary. It's a nice town but not what you would want coming from NOVA. You can probably find a decent house in town for 225k and have money left over for tuition.