West Monroe (New Orleans, Shreveport, Ruston: middle-class, crime, houses)

[TommyTucker]

Hey. I'm not a fan of New Orleans due to it's violence, weirdo's and promotion of immorality. I wanted to get input from y'all on opinions of the West Monroe area. I'm not interested in the city of Monroe proper, but West Monroe or rural areas surrounding it. It doesn't seem like there is any new development in the area for the middle-class.

Thank you.

[BeenThereDunThat]

Don't know if you've done this already but a previously closed forum stemming from the past couple of years has quite a bit of opinions that you might find enlightening.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/louis...le-monroe.html

Seems there are people who've lived there all their lives and think it's God's country. Others, not so much.

Good luck!

[ulmalum]

[/i]QUOTE=TommyTucker;31001613]Hey. I'm not a fan of New Orleans due to it's violence, weirdo's and promotion of immorality. I wanted to get input from y'all on opinions of the West Monroe area. I'm not interested in the city of Monroe proper, but West Monroe or rural areas surrounding it. It doesn't seem like there is any new development in the area for the middle-class.

Thank you.[/quote]

The Monroe area which is Monroe and West Monroe are separated by a river. I will start with violence.

Violence or criminal activity is much more normal in Monroe than West Monroe. Considering the distance between the two it doesn't matter which town you move to as long as it is the right neighborhood. Basically the towns are too close to consider each one's criminal activity different from the other. Below I20 of each town is pretty much the same.

From what I've seen, there aren't many weirdos. Promotion of immorality really depends on your definition and your standards. Every place has its nightlife ish and immoral activity.

My husband and I are middle class. We are currently looking get to away from West Monroe due to the poor development for the middle class.

The typical restaurants are available if you are not a healthy eater. Parks and recreation is sub par. Shopping is limited. I won't mention the typical mindset of the area unless asked. The mindset actually affects growth. So many people that we have come in contact with and our family/friends have experienced discrimination and a negative attitude for simply having a degree or working toward higher education. Don't get me wrong, we have met some great people but the good is honestly outweighed by the bad, at least for new grads and that age range.

Sorry, I almost started.

[ulmalum]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the odor from the plant south of I 20 which can be smelled in both towns. While I'm typing this, the water that comes out of my faucet smells like a sewer.

[TommyTucker]

Good info. I'll think I'll stick to South Louisiana

thanks,
TT

[Louisiana'sLegend2]

Now that what I call a real "Big Easy". Let's think for a sec....hmm, the negative, incessant rants about how bad something is....but honestly....do any of these people actually get out enough to have a real insider outlook on things???? Ponder on that for a while.....I'm going to Raising Canes on Louisville Ave.....in Monroe...the busy one

[Coogan]

I grew up in the Monroe/West Monroe area. Lived there for the first 15 years of my life. Eventually the sour economy forced us to move elsewhere. I came back to the area (Ruston, actually) for college and spent a good deal of the 90's in the area (don't judge me; I switched majors three times ). After graduation I moved away. Since then I've been back to the area exactly twice - once in 2003, then again in 2012.

I like to think that based upon that, I have a pretty idea of both what a native feels about the area, and how an outsider would see it.

After thinking about it, reminiscing about growing up in the area, and seeing how it is now, the best way I could sum up the area is to say simply "It is what it is."

I've seen the poor areas, the rich areas, and the middle-class areas. I've known (and still know) many many people from all walks of economic life. Growing up, I've seen the African-American kids come to school in clothes obviously picked up from Goodwill or the Salvation Army. I've known the rural kids who know by heart when squirrel and deer seasons start. I knew a guy who's father bought him a Camaro the day after he got his driver's license. I spent my childhood there, then left, then came back when I was more mature, then left again, then visited a couple of times now that I have my own family somewhere else.

I can honestly say that I would probably never move to the area looking to start a middle-class career. On the other hand, if I had spent all or most of my life there, had a family and a job, I would probably have no desire to leave.

The people who have a good life there (not necessarily wealthy) have generally started a company (or gone the self-employed route), found a marketable good or service, and worked hard to provide themselves and their families with a comfortable life. Just about every person I know who has a good life in the area has largely done it on their own. I really can't think of any people, or parents of childhood friends, who "made it" by working for somebody else.

Obviously the poorer people in the area don't have many options when it comes to either moving away or getting on a more upwardly-mobile career track. I spent my middle-school years in what was probably the poorest school in the district, a very rural middle and high school where 99% of the male students dipped tobacco regularly (and more than few females did as well). We had a eclectic blend of students, ranging from children of upper-class landowners to poor kids living in cinder block houses on dirt lots. And to be honest, the VAST majority of the poorer kids never acted poor. Most were confident, cheerful, friendly, and average students. They may have been growing up in a poor household, but their status never seemed to impact their spirits.

I've seen a lot of criticism about the area, like being "overly religious", "not progressive", "not open-minded", and I suppose that's a fair criticism. I certainly won't deny it. I remember in the 90's, when the state legalized gambling. New Orleans and several other places in southern Louisiana kicked it off, and gambling fever inevitably spread north. Shreveport/Bossier got it, and then the movement started in Monroe. The gambling industry ran commercials all day and night, spend loads of money on newspaper and billboard advertising. The anti-gambling movement? No so much. I don't remember a single iota of advertising of any kind from them. I remember tons from the pro-gambling folks. From my student-from-another-state-and-therefore-couldn't-vote perch, I was curious as to how it would shake out after Election Day. I was fairly sure it would narrowly fail, but it wouldn't surprise me a bit it the voters decided to legalize it. Boy, was I shocked to see the results. Despite almost no centralized movement, the measure failed SPECTACULARLY. Like 70% to 30%. Not even close. I only have a little personal experience, and some anecdotal evidence, but I'd say the local churches undercut the pro side with a very dedicated (and very under-the-radar) grassroots campaign against it. This is something I'd LOVE to hear somebody's perspective as a "native" - as I said, I was primarily a curious-but-not-invested observer at this time.

As far as politics, well, heck, the best I could describe it is "apathetic". West Monroe has had the same mayor since 1978. Monroe had the same mayor for most of my time there. I can't remember anything at all that either mayor or city councils did that had any meaningful impact on their communities. When it comes to local politics, it just seems to me that a sizable number of the residents just don't give a flip. The prevailing attitude seems to be "Pick up the garbage, keep the police and fire depts staffed, and keep the schools and libraries open. Otherwise, don't bother me." Now whether you think this is a good or a bad attitude, that's up to you. I can easily make justifications for both sides.

So what's the point of this whole diatribe? The area is was it is - a relaxed community that sees little reason to change. It's not out fear, it's not out of lack of desire. It has little to offer the outsider, but almost everything to offer the natives. The outsiders can point to everything it doesn't have, and the natives will point to what they do have. They have hunting, boating, fishing, and shopping. The necessities of life - food, shelter, clothing - are easily available. There's movie theaters, broadband internet, and cable TV. There's book stores and decent medical care. Yeah, there's no thriving art community, no local breweries, no downtown entertainment district, no minor league baseball team. It's got racial issues, growing economic disparities, and a crime problem. I am neither trying to defend the area or condemn it, just stating that after decades of living both inside and outside the community, I think I have a pretty good understanding of the people.

I'd love to get feedback from the people who live there. I truly loved my experiences growing up and will always have a soft spot for West Monroe and Monroe. If I never had to worry about money again I would have no issues packing up and moving back. I just don't believe it has much to offer me, career-wise.

Originally Posted by ulmalum

Sorry, I forgot to mention the odor from the plant south of I 20 which can be smelled in both towns. While I'm typing this, the water that comes out of my faucet smells like a sewer.

Yeah, the plant stinks. But to be honest, that stink was like sweet roses when I had to opportunity to visit last year. As weird as it seems, it was when that stench hit that I really realized that I was back.

The water, on the other hand.....well, let's just say it caused me to not only distrust that tap water, but ALL tap water. I still refuse to drink from a faucet, even though I live 400 miles away. If you stuck a faucet in the Holy Grail, I still wouldn't drink it.

Coog