considering a move to Lake Charles or Lafayette, could use some input...

[Innotech]

as a longtime resident of Lafayette, Id suggest coming to visit the city again to get a feel for it. It is very fun and bustling, but the traffic really is horrendous. Housing prices on average are higher than most of Louisiana, but the city is generally a nice place to live and fairly safe in most areas. Even the bad parts really arent so bad you wouldnt drive through them, at least during the day. You always have to keep an eye on your surroundings of course, but you should be alright. the mall here has been described as "pretty" and it was recently totally renovated and has few vacancies so it definitely isnt dead. More importantly, it is surrounded by a very good amount of other retail and big box stores so theres no shortage ofp laces to shop. and if you go visit river ranch there is all sorts of more upscale places to shop there too.

As for housing, the northside is the less desirable side of town and a bit of a drive from the main retail across the city, but having lived in that area for some time without incident, I would suggest checking out houses north of I10 off of Moss Street like Acorn, Nova Scotia subdivision, upper Maryview Farm, Butcher Switch road as they are MUCH more affordable than the southside and also pretty safe. Those areas are home to more longtime and older residents and the whole area has lower property values, but is not a crimehole contrary to popular belief. the communities there are VERY religious and there is a beautiful church called St Elizabeth Seton that I attend and highly recommend.

If you still prefer the southside for proximity to everything, I would recommend the older subdivisions like Broadmoor and some along West congress or Eraste Landry. Trying to find cheap housing in the newer areas will be next to impossible. A lot of areas have really gone up in vlaue with so much development going on and River ranch is the epitome of this example.

Overall, Lafayette is larger than Lake charles, has better access to other large cities in Southern La, and has some of the best food you'll find around here. As for Mexican restaurants, I recommend Coyote Blues on the Acadiana Mall circle, although there are more scattered about but I havent tried them. Coyote Blues seems more upscale though and the food is quite delicious.

One more recommendation, is to check out smaller towns like Rayne or Breaux Bridge, youngsville, Broussard, or Carencro. The housing is MUCH cheaper and still within 10-15 minutes drive on the interstate to Lafayette exits. Those places arent so bad crimewise but still have their places to avoid. Good luck with your house searching. I hope this helps.