Best Place to live in North Louisiana?

[Rainbow Island]

I live in Haynesville. No need in considering moving here or anywhere in Claiborne or Webster Parish for that matter. There's just not much going on here. I'll agree, Minden would be the best choice of these two parishes. But it really don't offer much variety for shopping or dinning. Homer is the parish seat of Claiborne parish and it no longer even has a Wal-Mart. Some would say not having a Wal-Mart is a good thing. I would agree if there was other options. That's just my opinion. I'm sure I'll receive some flaming over it though. I'm certainly not trying to anger anyone from this area.

[Mainegranite]

My son and his girlfriend will be moving to the Shreveport area in late March or early April due to being transferred from West Texas gas fields to the new Northern Louisiana natural gas shalle find. I am wondering if anyone could recommend a town that is offering a good job prospects for his girlfriend. My son will be driving all around the area as he is a technician that goes out to the sites. They can afford $700 to 900 for an apartment or rental house.

And have you seen an improvement in the area with buildings going up and road improvements? Thank you. Dorothea

[SBCmetroguy]

Shreveport, Bossier, Haughton, Benton, Stonewall... any of these would be a good place to live. Haughton is FULL of people who work in the oil industry, every time I stop in at the truck stop for gas, I hear people comparing stories of working for the different oil companies.

Most newer apartment complexes start around $800 for a 1-bedroom, and range up to about $1,500 for a 3-bedroom so if they are looking for a 1-bedroom, they shouldn't have any problems. And even some older, yet still nicer, complexes start around $700 for a 1-bedroom.

Not sure what the buildings and road improvements has to do with anything, but there is always stuff being built. Most of the capital improvements here have nothing to do with the oil industry, they're almost always funded - at least in part - by parish (county) and state casino revenues. One impressive building project that is under construction right now, though, is the Cyber Innovation Center which is the headquarters for the National Cyber Research Park. Companies like Lockheed Martin, Dell, and many others will have a presence in that complex. The complex will work closely with the United States military in cyber ops, and will develop the world's most secure anti-virus, firewall programs, etc.

Also, there are major road improvements occurring in Bossier City due to its rapid northward suburban expansion. The city leaders are considering new north-south thoroughfares and widening existing north-south roads into major arteries as well. In fact, I grew up off Swan Lake Road which right now is a 2-lane road. Less than 10 years ago it was a tucked away, hidden road for the most part but now that there has been major growth on the north end of the road with new subdivisions, new schools, etc, they are in the beginning stages of a project to widen that 2-lane "country road" into a 5-lane artery to help ease traffic congestion on Airline Drive and Benton Road. The city is also currently in the planning stages of a southward extension of their riverfront parkway, and then will go straight into a northward extension as well.

Bossier City's biggest problem is that most of the city is land-locked by Barksdale Air Force Base, so it can only grow to the far north and south. Though on the north and south sides of the base, the city is growing to the east toward Haughton as well. When I was growing up in Bossier City, there was a big gap between it and the town of Benton. Now, however, if you drive north down Benton Road or Airline Drive, there is little to no obvious separation between them.

Anyway, I hope this helps.