Can you tell me about Lafayette? (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: work, diversity, oil)

[dmorg]

ArizonaGirl
I have to admit, from your experience, I beleive in what you're saying. As a native, (as a native meaning, dad was from texas, mom was from Lafayette,La.-as stated above lived over 40 years there) some of what you bring to light is reasonings I left in pursuit of what's the rest of the world like. I applaud you on your observations.

[ArizonaGirl]

HI again:

There are some great things about Lafayette too. I loved it when the Azaleas were in full bloom, and the benevolence of the community is unbelievable. I mean, I'd see people dirt poor, giving to charity. Even Ruth's Chris Steakhouse feeds the homeless at Thanksgiving. So they are doing something right! I miss Satsumas--the best citrus there is! Can't get them at all here in the west!

Also it was neat to see large families going for evening walks. I've never seen that anywhere else.

Every year the city puts on Bystander CPR training at the Cajun Dome which I believe every community should do. It teaches everyone how to save a life if someone else conks out in supermarket, etc. It's free and they even give you a t-shirt.

Dry skin is also not a problem there. Natives don't have wrinkles. Here in Arizona, we're all leather!

I guess since I'm used to staying indoors in the winter and spending time outdoors in the summer, the climate was very much a challenge for me. When the sun is shining in July, I don't want to be cooped up in the house or at work. But it was way too hot to go outside. I live in Northern Arizona now where we have 4 seasons and a much dryer climate.

You may also notice that people talk a lot about cancer there. You'll overhear conversations in the supermarket about Aunt Susie's chemo treatment. Maybe it's the dioxin in the crawfish or the pollutants in the Mississippi River. I don't know, but cancer and diabetes is rampant there.

Finally, one of the very best health clubs in the country is located in Lafayette, called Reds. Red Lerille was Mr. America back in the 60s and started a little club there that grew to what it is today. It even has a bar inside. Dues are reasonable and you can eat real cheap at the snack bar. Red is there every morning at 4AM and he's always improving the place.

[tinagsm]

Originally Posted by ArizonaGirl

I moved there from San Diego in 2003 and left a few months before Katrina hit. I found it hard to find a job because I wasn't a native. Employers think the newbies won't like the culture and will move out on them. In my case they were right.

After 18 months, I finally had someone correct me on how to pronounce the city's name. I was saying "loff-ee-ett" when it's really "laff-ee-et." When I asked why no one corrected me sooner, the reply was, "that's how we know who the outsiders are."

We lived close to downtown and it was not bad, especially after they sealed up the windows on the jail. I used to get heckled by the inmates when I would walk to Downtown Alive! You will hear the constant train whistles and church bells. They are especially lively on religious holidays. St. John's Cathedral is beautiful with pristine landscaping. Unfortunately their private elementary school, Cathedral Carmel, located right next door is in dire need of repairs with boarded up windows.

It's extremely Catholic! It you're into family planning, you'll have to search high and low for a practitioner to prescribe birth control.

The dirty little secret? The town is know for having one of the highest ratings of STDs. Also, government corruption is the usual lead story, if it's not the police chief, it's some other public politico in hot water for wrong doing.

On the upside, the locals know how to enjoy life to its' fullest. We went to a lot of neighborhood impromptu parties where a band would break out. Seriously! Carry your instrument with you so you can jam with your friends. That was by far the best part.

I didn't care for all the alcohol there. Bars offer to-go cups and there are drive-through daiquiri bars. Open containers in cars were finally made illegal during our tenure, but many still drive around town with a beer between their legs.

Cops tend to be a overly aggressive. If you can't present insurance during a routine traffic stop, expect about 5 cars to be called in for back up.... guns drawn.

Only the poor kids go to public schools. Everyone else puts their kids in private schools. Education is really bad.

Just to let you know, incase for some reason you find yourself back in Lafayette and needing birth control, Catholicism does not control Lafayette. Any OBGYN NOT affiliated with Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital will prescribe birth control for you if you are a candidate for them.

I also take personal offense to the statement made about only "POOR" kids go to public school. What gives you the right to be so insulting?

[NotImpressed!]

Just an FYI. I would like to clarify the feeling most people have who have actually travelled at least a little, that Lafayette La. leaves a lot to be desired. This is not a personal attack, but rather fact. I have had to live in the area of Lafayette for around 12 years because of a specialized line of work, and now that I have children of my own, I am relocating my family as quickly as possible. Please check me out on the following facts from a recent survey of the 50 states in Forbes. (Many other similiar studies show the very same results) 1)Louisinana ranks dead last in quality of education. A close friend of mine had moved to the Northeast after raising his children in Lafayette for 11 years, and although they attended private school, they required a year of extra tutoring, just to be able to keep up in a public school system. 2) In Culture and the Arts; dead last 3) In positive business climate; dead last. In many other ratings Louisiana ranks at or near the bottom. People who are from the Lafayette area will tell you that it is friendly, but I must disagree. The majority of the people (NOT ALL), are friendly to your face, but disparaging behind your back. I have personally witnessed a culture of backbiting which although deemed acceptable to the locals, would have one immediately ostracized in most other areas of the U.S. The locals seem to accept backbiting even upon each other as proper. There is an insane and raging jealousy, and materialistic desire to "keep up with the Jonses".The average combined household income is only approximately 34k per year, yet most people here seem to try to one-up each other on a constant basis. If you have seen the commercial "Hi, I'm Stanley Johnson", about the guy who is in debt up to his eyeballs, you have witnessed status quo in Lafayette. Although there is a good deal of money in the area, very few of the population actually have it, but everyone seems to want to act like it. Kind of comical, but actually rather sad and shallow.The food is borderline ok. There are some dishes, that are top-notch, but most of it is poor. There are only so many ways to deep-fry. If you are from a large metropolitan area, you will be extremely dissapointed by the lack of variety. There are no professional sports teams, and generally, headline entertainers do not come to Lafayette unless it is a rare occasion. As for culture, there is a quaint bit of it to be had in traditional cajun activities, music, festivals, etc. But once you have experienced a couple of seasons worth of festivals, it is all just a huge yawn. The land is flat and featurless, but some areas of parks and wetlands can be quite beautiful at times. The outdoor sports, such as camping, fishing, and hunting are extremely overrated, and if you come from an area where these things are plentiful, you will find Lafayette far below average. The Redfish and Speckled trout help a bit though, but the areas are not very accessible to the average person. If your lifestyle merely consists of consuming extremely fatty foods, drinking alcohol constantly, and fooling yourself into thinking that is living well, then by all means, sell the farm and move to Lafayette. I failed to mention that my children could not even go out in the yard to play in February, due to the clouds of mosquitos that would engulf them should they step on the lawn. The last thing I must tell anyone with a family, is that since New Orleans emptied out after Katrina, we started seeing strange people just wandering our streets at night, and crime has gone up a lot. Sorry to those who have already made the mistake of moving here, but I speak from personal experience. I fast check on the internet will verify each of my above statements, except those attributed to personal experience.

[NYCajun]

Never lived there, I lived in NO but I would drive there just to play! You will fall in love with the cajun/zydeco music and the food. My job was in NO, but I could live there easily.

[taycal]

Originally Posted by NotImpressed!

Just an FYI. I would like to clarify the feeling most people have who have actually travelled at least a little, that Lafayette La. leaves a lot to be desired. This is not a personal attack, but rather fact. I have had to live in the area of Lafayette for around 12 years because of a specialized line of work, and now that I have children of my own, I am relocating my family as quickly as possible. Please check me out on the following facts from a recent survey of the 50 states in Forbes. (Many other similiar studies show the very same results) 1)Louisinana ranks dead last in quality of education. A close friend of mine had moved to the Northeast after raising his children in Lafayette for 11 years, and although they attended private school, they required a year of extra tutoring, just to be able to keep up in a public school system. 2) In Culture and the Arts; dead last 3) In positive business climate; dead last. In many other ratings Louisiana ranks at or near the bottom. People who are from the Lafayette area will tell you that it is friendly, but I must disagree. The majority of the people (NOT ALL), are friendly to your face, but disparaging behind your back. I have personally witnessed a culture of backbiting which although deemed acceptable to the locals, would have one immediately ostracized in most other areas of the U.S. The locals seem to accept backbiting even upon each other as proper. There is an insane and raging jealousy, and materialistic desire to "keep up with the Jonses".The average combined household income is only approximately 34k per year, yet most people here seem to try to one-up each other on a constant basis. If you have seen the commercial "Hi, I'm Stanley Johnson", about the guy who is in debt up to his eyeballs, you have witnessed status quo in Lafayette. Although there is a good deal of money in the area, very few of the population actually have it, but everyone seems to want to act like it. Kind of comical, but actually rather sad and shallow.The food is borderline ok. There are some dishes, that are top-notch, but most of it is poor. There are only so many ways to deep-fry. If you are from a large metropolitan area, you will be extremely dissapointed by the lack of variety. There are no professional sports teams, and generally, headline entertainers do not come to Lafayette unless it is a rare occasion. As for culture, there is a quaint bit of it to be had in traditional cajun activities, music, festivals, etc. But once you have experienced a couple of seasons worth of festivals, it is all just a huge yawn. The land is flat and featurless, but some areas of parks and wetlands can be quite beautiful at times. The outdoor sports, such as camping, fishing, and hunting are extremely overrated, and if you come from an area where these things are plentiful, you will find Lafayette far below average. The Redfish and Speckled trout help a bit though, but the areas are not very accessible to the average person. If your lifestyle merely consists of consuming extremely fatty foods, drinking alcohol constantly, and fooling yourself into thinking that is living well, then by all means, sell the farm and move to Lafayette. I failed to mention that my children could not even go out in the yard to play in February, due to the clouds of mosquitos that would engulf them should they step on the lawn. The last thing I must tell anyone with a family, is that since New Orleans emptied out after Katrina, we started seeing strange people just wandering our streets at night, and crime has gone up a lot. Sorry to those who have already made the mistake of moving here, but I speak from personal experience. I fast check on the internet will verify each of my above statements, except those attributed to personal experience.

I have lived here for two years and can not wait to get out of here. People from here think it is great because they have never lived anywhere else. It is dirty and all the festivals are a big joke. They are way overrated. I looked forward to moving here because of the culture, but I can not possibly drink enough to make it fun. Now I know why LA ranks highest on the obesity list and cancer rate. The food is horrible for you and the drinking is out of control. I don't go out of my house after 3:00 pm if I can help it. 50% of all car accidents here are from DUI. Don't even get me started on the horrible driving conditions here.
LA is a state where doctors have the lowest malpractice suits, so if you are a doctor who is horrible, move here. You will never be held accountable.
The upside of Lafayette, I am still waiting to find it.
If someone who has lived here all their life responds to this, Don't bother! I know you think it is great.

[LOUISIANA'SLEGEND]

Wow!!!! lol. Yankees really know how to trash Louisiana. Well......how can i respond to this without saying move to northern Louisiana?

I like Lafayette alot, but if you ask me, thats where all the true cajuns reign. People there can be sneaky with the rascism, but other than that its Louisiana, what did you expect...Starbucks and Jerry Seinfied looking people? No baby, we spicy and dont care if you dont like the heat. All you have to do is move, go have New York style pizza and a extra long coney or whatever..you still got german sheparded rats and very little outdoors. Up north you are just a specimen and no one cares about you. Im not gonna get into disses places and people but man.......who sits and research whats bad about a place all the time. Everywhere has its pros and cons. Lafayette is defines what it means to be cajun and I'll leave it at that. I cant believe he said the food is borderline?

[Vampgrrl]

No, Yankees trashed Atlanta already (and I don't mean to insult anyone really). You take what you get, it's not the same culture you are used to, it's different and it is the charm of southern Louisiana. You can be a positive influence within your community but its really crass to some down and bad mouth people just because you think they are somehow beneath you.

-Living in New Orleans and happy...and defending Lafayette just because

[taycal]

Originally Posted by LOUISIANA'SLEGEND

Wow!!!! lol. Yankees really know how to trash Louisiana. Well......how can i respond to this without saying move to northern Louisiana?

I like Lafayette alot, but if you ask me, thats where all the true cajuns reign. People there can be sneaky with the rascism, but other than that its Louisiana, what did you expect...Starbucks and Jerry Seinfied looking people? No baby, we spicy and dont care if you dont like the heat. All you have to do is move, go have New York style pizza and a extra long coney or whatever..you still got german sheparded rats and very little outdoors. Up north you are just a specimen and no one cares about you. Im not gonna get into disses places and people but man.......who sits and research whats bad about a place all the time. Everywhere has its pros and cons. Lafayette is defines what it means to be cajun and I'll leave it at that. I cant believe he said the food is borderline?

This IS true Cajun country, that I can agree with. As far as research goes, I think it is smart to do it before you move to a place. I did not do it before here, but I sure as hell will for now on. The insurance is too high, the crime rate too high, STDs too high, hepatitis too high, education too low, the pay for cops and teachers is too low and to top it off, the cost of living is too high for this town. (you are are freaking #1 at all this).

I love that the person assumes we are Yankees if we trash Lafayette. LOL. I am a true Southerner and still can not relate to Lafayette. I have lived all over and have lots of places to compare Lafayette to. This is the worst place I have ever lived.

The DUIs **** me off the most. What gives someone the right to get drunk and drive, putting other people in danger. I would just like to go to the grocery store and not worry about some dumb @#$ killing me and my child.

[Julesy37]

Where did you guys hang out? Who did you hang out with? And how in the world did you get such a horrifically poor image of Lafayette? I was born in central Louisiana, have lived all over the world, and last year moved back to Lafayette. I have never lived in a warmer town with more incredibly creative people. The food is unbelievable (especially if you know where to go), the weather is gorgeous, and the festivals are more than worth coming to year after year.

I don't know where you lived, what type of people you were around, or where you ate, but it's a shame you didn't live the true Lafayette experience. I've had friends from all over the world come visit, and they all fall in love with the place.

Lafayette, Louisiana is truly an amazingly magical place.