Needing info on Lake Charles

[rbayle]

OMG-Now I'm scared to death! My husband has taken a job with Picerne Military housing at Ft. Polk as a Project Mgr. and we are moving our entire lives there. Why did the previous poster say all the jobs in construction were only short term? Is it really all that bad? I think we are going to move close to Alexandria. I am curious to know if the original poster's husband has started the job yet and what he thinks of the area..

[YoCheerioh]

Hi,
Just an update on our move to Lake Charles. My husband is already settled in his apt and finds the people nice and genuine. We will explore our new hometown and make many trips to Houston. I already have an idea of what I would like the family to do so I'll be busy settling in and meeting my new neighbors. I just have to remember not to freak out about the heat and bugs. Can anyone tell me why the lack of swimming pools?
Thanks!

[WendyW.]

Probably because there is water everywhere! lol There are two beaches.

[ANTSYINLA]

Wow! It took long enough for someone to come around and defend their town! Actually, the ditches are not only on the outskirts of town. And nobody could say just what there is to do that is so exciting around here. Maybe no one can defend it...shocking. First of all, I never said that the people weren't genuine, friendly, or kind. There are some who are and there are some who aren't . Pretty obvious that there are people of all sorts anywhere that you live. What I was trying to point out is that this place just simply sucks. Plain and simple. I am on Spring break right now, myself from college, and my kids from school. The weather is beautiful at the moment, but it doesn't matter too much. There still is NOTHING to do that is any different from the things all children do on a daily basis. They go outside and play. Big whoop! We don't have an aquarium to go to that is within a 3 hour drive. The closest zoo, in Lafayette, is a total yawn. I guess we could go sit on our asses at the movie theater. Oh joy. As far as the 2 beaches and all the water around here... gross. Simply gross. Brown, polluted water... now that's tempting. All I can say is if you don't mind having to load up your car or truck and driving a few hours just to get some excitement now and then, then knock yourselves out. I have lived here most of my life and I just can't seem to agree with the masses that call this place an exciting and wonderful place to live. 1 1/2 years left in college and we're out of here. And yes, of course, we WILL "haul our asses out of here", in due time honey so you don't need to post on here for me to do so... I've already got that in mind!

[Kajonangel]

The Lake Charles area has really good schools... The Ones I went to was Bell City, SJ Welsh Middle School and Barbe High school... I love them schools... Bell City was a very small, and everybody was basically all farmers and all family somehow and there were only like 4 black kids in the whole school... I also went to Barbe and that school had a lot of everybody there and was very good... They have sign language classes and at the time I went was the only school over a 100 mile area who took in kids who were deaf... Most of them were my friends... Theres so many different groups there. Theres the Preps, The flows, the nerds, the deaf, and the whatevers lol I was a flow. I hung out with a lil of everybody...

[mark_marquette]

I was in Lake Charles about a year ago. I am seriously considering a move that way once I am done with school. I was kind of surprised at a previous posted who was so down on Louisiana... I think any place sucks or gets boring once you have been there too long. I live in SoCal and find it totally boring and frustrating... yet 800 people move to L.A. everyday for the "excitement"!

I have made two seperate trips to Lake Charles in the last three years. Each trip was for about a week, and both times I was there in August. The humidity did not bother me. I prefer the humidity to the dry desert heat SoCal gets. (Humidity clears out my nose! I love it!) Compared to what I am used to, nice homes a dirt cheap by SoCal standards. The casinos seemed to be the happening place on Friday night, but I could be wrong. There was also plenty of restaurants and a fair mall.

Coming from SoCal, one thing that was a big plus to me is that Lousiana does have beaches. Granted, I have seen bigger waves on Lake Erie, but I don't go to the beach to surf... I go for the fishing, cool salt air, and nice breezes. If I ever make my way down to Louisiana to live, I would get a boat... something I could never affod to do in SoCal.

Like any sizable city, Lake Charles did seem to have it's run down old neighborhoods and its affluent areas. I really couldn't comment on where to buy a home since I don't live there, but it seemed that anything near the lakes (Lake Charles and Prien Lake) is a nice area.

Again, I don't live there, but I have vacationed there twice. I found this thread very interesting since I was thinking of moving in a couple of years so I thought I would offer my two cents.