needing info. on alexandria or pineville (Lake Charles, Natchitoches: to rent, crime, houses)

[rbayle]

we are relocating to LA. Husband going to be at Ft. Polk. He wants to move to Deridder, but I cant' see it. I need a larger city and I think I like the looks of the high school in Pineville the best. My son does dual enrollment and I need to find a high school there that offers the same. I know Alexandria does, not sure about Pineville... anyway, if you live out west in Alex. is it too far to Ft. Polk?? And, how can I find a good house to rent-no one is calling back. I can't find anything to rent!!!

[Southside Flava]

I am for Natchitoches which is about fifty miles north of Alexandria. I know the area very well, and I feel that Alexandria will be the better of the two cities. It is not far from Fort Polk, and the schools do offer dual enrollment. I am not exacftly sure, but Fort Polk can not be even an hour from Alexandria. It is a straight shot. The only draw back I will tell you is that you and your son's activities are very limited. If he likes atheletics, he will be fine, but Alexandria doesn't offer very much for you to get into. However Pineville offers even less.

[rbayle]

All he cares about is hunting and fishing, mudding, etc... My biggest thing is that Alex. is an hr. away each way for Rick to go to work, but I see no "civilized" cities in between them.... I love the country, but i can't live where there is nothing!!! Big decisions...

[Rmaf623]

You might be able to find some rent houses available under the classifieds at thetowntalk.com, Alexandria's newspaper.

[laorbust61]

Originally Posted by rbayle

we are relocating to LA. Husband going to be at Ft. Polk. He wants to move to Deridder, but I cant' see it. I need a larger city and I think I like the looks of the high school in Pineville the best. My son does dual enrollment and I need to find a high school there that offers the same. I know Alexandria does, not sure about Pineville... anyway, if you live out west in Alex. is it too far to Ft. Polk?? And, how can I find a good house to rent-no one is calling back. I can't find anything to rent!!!

There might be someone on staff at Fort Polk who can help your family find suitable housing. Someone like a relocation coordinator, or employee assistance program counselor? Just a thought.

[Big1]

Originally Posted by rbayle

we are relocating to LA. Husband going to be at Ft. Polk. He wants to move to Deridder, but I cant' see it. I need a larger city and I think I like the looks of the high school in Pineville the best. My son does dual enrollment and I need to find a high school there that offers the same. I know Alexandria does, not sure about Pineville... anyway, if you live out west in Alex. is it too far to Ft. Polk?? And, how can I find a good house to rent-no one is calling back. I can't find anything to rent!!!

You better seriously consider Deridder whether they offer dual enrollment or not. You say there is nothing in Deridder but there is nothing in Alex/Pineville either. What do you mean by nothing have you actually been to these places or looked at them on the internet. Between Deridder and Leesville they have 2 Superwalmarts, most fast food chains, lowes, all of the car dealer brands, several nice independent eateries, festivals and activites you can enjoy and feel safe at. Deridder has a nice quiet downtown with decent shops. Also it is a 50 plus mile drive everyday on a uncompleted 4 lane worked hard by the state police. Housing in Alex/Pineville is high considering what is available. Also if you move to a certain area so that your child is in a certain school there is no guarantee they will attend that school/ Alexandria is bad about busing kids due to desegregation. Kids in Alex are bused to Pineville. Kids are bused from Pineville to Alex Kids are bused to schools outside their zone in the name of court ordered desegregation. Plus Alexandria does not have that much to offer unless you like to eat out and shop. Deridder is a really nice place it may not be as large as Alex pineville but between it and Leesville it has many of the same places Without the trouble that there is in Alex. Alex/Pineville is not as large as it looks. Being from the area I do not see what they have to offer young people. They just had a riot in the Mall with over 20 people arrested one as young as 8. Stay in Deridder you will get used to the small town life and feel alot safer in your home. If you have the need to shop you could drive to Lake Charles or Alex to shop in a mall

[Rmaf623]

Originally Posted by Big1

You better seriously consider Deridder whether they offer dual enrollment or not. You say there is nothing in Deridder but there is nothing in Alex/Pineville either. What do you mean by nothing have you actually been to these places or looked at them on the internet. Between Deridder and Leesville they have 2 Superwalmarts, most fast food chains, lowes, all of the car dealer brands, several nice independent eateries, festivals and activites you can enjoy and feel safe at. Deridder has a nice quiet downtown with decent shops. Also it is a 50 plus mile drive everyday on a uncompleted 4 lane worked hard by the state police. Housing in Alex/Pineville is high considering what is available. Also if you move to a certain area so that your child is in a certain school there is no guarantee they will attend that school/ Alexandria is bad about busing kids due to desegregation. Kids in Alex are bused to Pineville. Kids are bused from Pineville to Alex Kids are bused to schools outside their zone in the name of court ordered desegregation. Plus Alexandria does not have that much to offer unless you like to eat out and shop. Deridder is a really nice place it may not be as large as Alex pineville but between it and Leesville it has many of the same places Without the trouble that there is in Alex. Alex/Pineville is not as large as it looks. Being from the area I do not see what they have to offer young people. They just had a riot in the Mall with over 20 people arrested one as young as 8. Stay in Deridder you will get used to the small town life and feel alot safer in your home. If you have the need to shop you could drive to Lake Charles or Alex to shop in a mall

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Alexandria has nothing to offer. However, there is much room for improvement in the city, especially in terms of entertainment options. Downtown needs to be revitalized. Riverboat casinos and a boardwalk/ riverwalk would surely help. The riots at the Alexandria Mall are a shame. If you want to shop at the Alexandria mall, I recommend doing so during the day. Even though crime is bad in Alexandria, there are a number of good safe areas.

Steps are being taken to end the desegregation policies that have been in effect in Rapides Parish. I have never heard of kids being forced to go to a school which they are not zoned for.

I am not that familiar with Leesville-DeRidder myself. Perhaps you should take a closer look at that area before you make a final decision.

[rbayle]

Ok, I have read your input here.... Thank you so much for responding. It doesn't sound like I want my family in Alexandria. I can not be afraid to go out at night. The thought of my kids getting into some fight on the street is not even up for consideration! So now that that's settled-what exactly are we going to do in DeRidder? I have this mental picture of NOTHING! About how many people live there? Young families? Teens? NIce people? Entertaining people?

[Rmaf623]

Leesville has about 7,000. DeRidder has about 9,000 and about 13,000 live in Fort Polk. I don't know many specifics about this area.

Crime is not extremely bad in Alexandria. As long as you stay in the right areas at the right time, you should not have to worry for your safety. At night you can go to stores such as Target, Kroger's, Lowe's, etc. without fear. Avoid the mall at night. The Wal-Mart in Alexandria is not that great either, but a new one is being built on Highway 28 West and the Wal-Mart in Pineville is nicer.

You should not have to worry about your kids getting into some random fight on the street if you move to a safe area such as west Alexandria or Pineville.

The Alexandria-Pineville area is growing and is not that bad of a place even though it is far from perfect. But, yes, I would take a look at Leesville-DeRidder, since it is much closer to Fort Polk than Alexandria and seems to have a number of amenities.

[Rmaf623]

The Rapides Parish School Board yesterday enacted an open enrollment policy for high schools in the parish. You can attend any high school you'd like regardless of school zones. I'm assuming that there are certain maximum capacities at each school. Rapides Parish includes Alexandria, Pineville, Ball, Tioga, Deville, Woodworth, Boyce, Lecompte areas.