Moving to Alexandria Louisiana (Lafayette, Houma: sales, real estate, crime)

[Flower65]

I have sold my home in NY and I am considering moving to Alexandria, Louisiana. As a widowed senior citizen, I am very concerned as to whether this is a good city to retire. Crime rate, taxes, real estate and medical services are my concerns in moving to a city I have never lived in. Would love to hear about how life is in Alexandria, Louisiana for senior citizens.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by Flower65

I have sold my home in NY and I am considering moving to Alexandria, Louisiana. As a widowed senior citizen, I am very concerned as to whether this is a good city to retire. Crime rate, taxes, real estate and medical services are my concerns in moving to a city I have never lived in. Would love to hear about how life is in Alexandria, Louisiana for senior citizens.

It's a "big small town." Has two hospitals. Has benefitted recently from Katrina evacuees of all income levels, and the opening of Union Tank Car. Which is a big deal, because the area lost population for years when they shut England Air Force Base down.

The city (especially "inside" of Macarthur Drive) is majority black, but most of the suburbs are all white.

As for taxes, they get you in Louisiana in two ways (1) sales tax, which is nearly 10%, except for grocery type foods, and (2) when you register your car in Louisiana, you pay sales tax. After that, it's pretty cheap to renew your tags.

[bkaiser]

I've lived in the Pineville -Alexandria area all of my life. I am a working professional in Alexandria. My children who also grew up here often described it as a great place to retire.

From our paper:
Future economists looking back on 2006 might declare the year a pivotal point as Alexandria and the rest of Central Louisiana broke free from the economic malaise that had plagued Louisiana for years and established the region as an economic stronghold.

This year, the Louisiana Economic Outlook, placed the Alexandria metropolitan region at the top of the state in per-capita job growth for expanding employment by 4.5 percent. Officials estimated that 2006 brought more than 1,000 jobs to the Alexandria metropolitan statistical area, which includes both Rapides and Grant parishes.


Job growth in Cenla is projected to add 1,500 jobs in 2007 and 1,000 more in 2008.

Economist Loren Scott, said that only Houma and Lafayette, both benefiting greatly from hurricane rebuilding, have economies that are growing at a faster rate in Louisiana.
"This is a fun place to talk about the economy. Alexandria is experiencing a lot of growth in recent times,"


Much of Cenla's new job growth in 2006 came as Union Tank Car Co. opened the doors to its $100 million railroad car manufacturing plant at England Airpark.
The plant currently employs about 500 workers. Union Tank Car has less than a year and a half to increase its work force by 350 employees or risk losing the $32 million incentive package given by the state to locate its plant in Alexandria. The money came with the caveat that the facility must employ 850 two years after its startup date, which came in June.

In November, Alexandria International Airport at England Airpark started flights at a new $24 million, 88,000-square-foot terminal. The entire $52 million project, nearly a decade in the making, includes the new building, landscaping, access road and a new 800-vehicle parking lot. In addition to Northwest, Delta and Continental, American Eagle began providing service at the airport on Dec. 14.

About 15 miles up the Red River from Alexandria, near Boyce, Cleco's Rodemacher Power Station Unit 3, a $1 billion solid-fuel power plant, is under construction. The 42-month project, started in June, is expected to eventually employ 1,200 construction workers. Cleco officials estimate the plant will save customers $4 billion over its 30-year life cycle.

A short drive up Interstate 49 from Boyce in Chopin, construction on a new $60 million plywood-production facility, which will employ 130 at Roy O. Martin Lumber Co., is expected to be completed in early 2007. Farther north in Winnfield, an $85 million Jeld-Wen door-facings plant slated to come online in 2008 will create 75 new jobs.

A $75 million expansion at Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital and a $50 million expansion of Rapides Regional Medical Center, both in Alexandria, are expected to create more than 200 jobs in Cenla.

During the year, the alternative fuel production got a foothold in Central Louisiana when a California company, Diametrics Medical, bought Pollock-based Vanguard Synfuels LLC, with plans to build biodiesel plants across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.
Officials cited a favorable regulatory environment, such as state tax incentives and a new law that mandates usage, as a deciding factor in centering biodiesel production in Louisiana.

Vanguard Synfuel announced that it initially would move its headquarters to Alexandria and work toward expanding the Pollock facility to increase production from 12 million to 20 million barrels of biodiesel annually. Company objectives are an annual production of 250 million gallons of biodiesel, which could mean as many as a dozen new biodiesel facilities in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.

Roy Thornhill of Alexandria-based Heartland Energy Group Inc. also announced that his company would be a distributor of ethanol stills and biodiesel production units.

A $6 million renovation of the Alexandria Mall made shopping a little brighter in Alexandria in 2006. A new site for Forever 21 was built near the food court in the mall, and another new tenant, Burlington Coat Factory, plans to open there in 2007.
Wal-Mart's decision to open a new supercenter on La. Highway 28 West might mean that 2007 will bring announcements of new retailers, restaurants and businesses expanding in a new business corridor for Alexandria.


If you are looking to get out of a big city, my husband refers to our area as "God's" country. The weather is beautiful, the people are friendly, and like all small towns, we have our share of ups and downs, but it's a great place to call home. We are sitting in the middle of the state with driving distance of any "big" city life we want and we can still go back home to our quite life.

[baby_firefly]

Originally Posted by Flower65

I have sold my home in NY and I am considering moving to Alexandria, Louisiana. As a widowed senior citizen, I am very concerned as to whether this is a good city to retire. Crime rate, taxes, real estate and medical services are my concerns in moving to a city I have never lived in. Would love to hear about how life is in Alexandria, Louisiana for senior citizens.

how about trying the louisiana room to there the people living there they would know better than a new york room

[Flower65]

Thank you so much for the positive feed-back to my post. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your great thoughts on the city of Alexandria with me. I am looking forward to my move to Alexandria...Thanks again.

[bayou gal]

How did your move to Alexandria turn out? Please post your feedback if indeed you did move to "CENLA"