relocating from phoenix to alexandria, help! (Shreveport, Lafayette: appointed, real estate, rentals)

[hazyfox]

we are relocating to alexandria where my mom lives, due to her health issues and also my hubby is going through treatment for lung cancer and hasn't been able to work for the last 6months so we are have major $$ problems and are going to be able to reduce our overhead significantly. we will be staying free rent for several months till we get back on feet and then will be looking for a house for rent in the area. i have looked through past posts and the impression i get from alexandria is it's very slow, which i guess it's ok for awhile, but coming from phoenix, i'm sure will be a big culture/lifstyle change. lafayette sounds nice but how far is it to alexandria, we want to stay kinda close to mom. and we of course have to stay close to hospital/cancer treatment center. i've looked at the classifieds in town talk newspaper and there aren't a lot of house rentals, does anyone know of a better way to find house rentals in area? and we have 2 girls a 6year old and a 4year old which we will have to decide what to do about kindergarten which my 6year old is currently in. also can anyone tell me a little bit about pineville? we are planning on moving the end of january. any advise suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! thanks in advance. kelly

[sockmonkey70]

Hi there! So sorry your husband is going through that..but I will say the hospitals in Alexandria have always served my family efficiently and graciously.

I would not say Alexandria is slow at all. It has about 60,000 people, but it looks like a city with many more. There is a nice mall, a nice selection of food options, and pretty much anything you will need. It will be a bit of a change of pace from Phoenix, but I don't see it being any big deal. It's not like you'll be moving to a town of 2-3K LOL. The traffic isn't bad at all, the crime rate is supposedly high, but I have frequented this place pretty much every week for the last 10 years and have NEVER had a problem. Just make sure of the area you will be staying in. Also, Alexandria has a sister city named Pineville across the river. It is a very nice area, and you may decide to look for a place to stay there. Pineville doesn't have a mall, but remember Alex is only about 5 minutes away depending on what part you are staying in. It does have a Super-Walmart and some places for chow, but not as much as you will find in Alexandria. I think you would be very pleased to stay in Pineville though, because it is smaller, nicer, and is located conveniently close to Alexandria.

As far as house rentals, perhaps look up the name of local real estate agents, because many times they will also have houses for rent. Just call them and let them know what you are looking for. But keep checking the paper too. It took me 2 months of checking the paper here in Natchitoches where I live(an hour from Alex) to finally find a house to rent, but it is a very nice one and I couldn't be happier.

Lafayette is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Alexandria, so I probably wouldn't venture as far as to stay there. It would be a long commute, even though it is on the interstate

[hazyfox]

thank you i'm so looking forward to the change of pace, do you know anything about the schools in the area?

[sockmonkey70]

My sister actually went to school in Pineville. She graduated top of her class. It seems to be a good school system, lots of exracurricular activities.
I don't know about Alexandria though.

[la2ca]

Here's some inside information from someone who was born and raised in Alexandria. Great place to live and raise kids. If you are a professional, the job market is good, and the cost of living is low. It can be very boring for a young, single person in their late teens-mid 20's, therefore I moved away. Now that I am a married, responsible parent living in a very large city, I would definitely consider moving back Alexandria to raise my kids. The public school system isn't bad. I attended both private and public schools. I graduated from Bolton High School, but Alexandria Senior High is also a good school. I have my master's degree and all of my classmates that graduated with me are successful working professionals (with a few exceptions). Some people will go down the wrong path even if you light the way and hold their hands! Elementary schools-I attended L. S. RuggElementary School-good school in a good school district. Attended Alexandria Junior High School, but Brame is also a good school.

The people are very friendly, but there is still a lot of racism in Louisiana as a whole.
As far as neighborhoods-it will be evident when you drive around the city, which areas are safe and which area is not. Definitely, if the area/neighborhood has a "name", don't live there. The one exception is the Garden District-it's known to be a nice, clean area with well-manicured lawns and good schools. That's where I grew up. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Good luck.

[Youngblood]

I too am fixing to move that way, I am going to Sulphur tho, I am also coming from Phoenix Az.
I plan on pulling out of AZ either 03/28 or 03/29. I have a house to go to in Sulphur, bought for me by my brother, but have never been there before.
I was born in Shreveport and raised in Mansfield, but have been in Az for the last 18 years.
Sulphur is brand new to me, I am going to be sooooo lost. I do not even know the utility company's down there or anything. My family will be living about 3 hrs north, Mansfield and Converse area. Just myself, my mom will be in Sulphur.
I have no idea what this house looks like or nothing... Anyone know of a good, cheap and reliable handyman? I know I will need a fence put up around the house, before I get there because I have dogs. Not to mention all the changes I will be making once I get there.
Can anyone tell me the utility companies, etc?

[Youngblood]

Good Luck with your move, if you have any advice for me, please post it. I will be moving to Sulphur at the end of March. Have a safe trip and good luck to you and your family!!