General advice on Houma, LA (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: apartment complexes, rental, insurance)

[qazthorn]

Hello,
I'm a recent Ivy League graduate and 21-year-old single female looking at moving to Houma, LA for a new job. I've lived previously in a small rural town in Kansas, Philadelphia, and Madrid, Spain. I was hoping if anyone had time (and the info) to get a comprehensive description of Houma and what I might be in for. I already read all the forum posts available and searched Wikipedia, etc., but I'd love more info.

In addition to a general description, I'd really like to know how much it might cost to rent a 1 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 living room/kitchen apartment (I understand it would be a range of prices depending on location) in a safe part of town - I heard there are two sides? What is the crime level like on each side? Which side do I look for housing on? Is public transportation easy to use/available, or should I get a car?

I'd also really appreciate advice on the social life available for me. Somewhat relatedly, how easy is it to be vegetarian there? From my list of previous homes, Philadelphia is so easy, followed by Kansas and then Madrid.

Finally, what is the risk involving flooding/hurricanes/storms? Does it regularly flood? Was Houma involved in the Katrina disaster?

Thank you so much for looking at all my questions!

[HipLib]

Houma is deep in the bayou. It's thick with Cajun culture and being a vegetarian would probably be pretty hard here. Lots of seafood and other traditional cajun food,almost all with plenty of meat. Houma is a roughneck town with offshore oil workers being very prevelent. It's hot as hell in the summer. It's about 25 miles inland from the gulf but don't expect to find any sandy beaches. The land between Houma and the gulf is swamp and salt water marsh and pancake flat. Yes it is very susceptable to Hurricanes and flooding. It was impacted by both Katrina and Rita. Oil, shrimping and seafood are the biggest industries.

[Anole]

You may be able to find some of your answers by doing an online search for the Houma paper which is The Houma Courier, it has a lot of info with listings for apts., jobs, the local news. Houma is near the coast and will be impacted by storms. Hurricane Rita was the storm that caused a lot of flooding below Houma and some of the flooding started to impact the south side of Houma. If there was a category 5 heading at Houma, yes there would be problems, but that's where we live and we take the risks. Why not look at Google Earth and see the how much marsh and water there is. You can see that there is not a lot of solid ground between Houma and the Gulf, well not as much as there used to be. It gets hot and muggy in the summer, the humidity is awful but I like the climate because you can grow just about anything (lots of vegetables!!!) I can't tell you about the night life or the quality of it but there are lots of restaurants and bars if you are interested. Keep doing your research and good luck.

[qazthorn]

Thank you both so much for your responses! They're very helpful, and I'll definitely follow up on your website advice.

[d0nny]

I actually live in Houma and it's really not too bad. It's seen great growth the past few years with more coming. I think 1,500 jobs have already been created this year, and employment is already some of the lowest in the state (it was 2.7% last I saw).

Also, I should note that Houma is the ONLY incorporated/chartered city in the parish, and there is a central parish gov't.

The highest land is actually in some spots of Bourg (which is somewhat south of Houma, and near low areas) and out near Schriever, which is near the main highway (future I-49) and is somewhat north of town. It's almost in the middle of Houma and Thibodaux in those regards.

As for renting, there are many options. There are quite a few complexes in good areas. Lisa Park/Broadmoor area isn't that bad. They're very medium income for the most part. They have a few apartment complexes in those parts (Misty? Bayou, Chateau Creole), and they're not bad, but they're not all that great. Most were probably built in the 70's or earlier. Some are newer, such as Quail Court. However, there are a few crappy looking duplexes near by.

The Summerfield area is in the city as well. They have some complex called The Highlands of Houma or something near 311 and Hollywood. Not really bad, built in the last 5 years. Rent is pretty fair. A bit more than the others mentioned. 311 is a pretty main hwy in out of town, but traffic can get bad on it, as well as hollywood since both are major roads and only 2 lanes (but hollywood is FINALLY getting widened in the next 2 years). They have some condos closer to Summerfield just built off St. Charles. They're New Orleans styled and going up in some large neighborhood that'll have offices/retail. I doubt they're cheap. They have another place that has Mandalay in the name. Pretty nice, somewhat reasonable. They're near the Civic Center, and 311 as well.

As far as the crime goes, it's a bit overstated. We just have more colorful people.

In some spots on the east side of Houma, it gets pretty rough. Those would be the East St. area and Senator Circle area (Senator Circle is Public housing). They also have a few mobile home parks on that side of town as well.

That side of town isn't really that unsafe as a whole. They have a few good areas on that side of town such as Patriot Point and Oaklawn? Village East is kinda dumpy as well. That side of town is a bit cheaper in price because it's lower elevation, the airport, and is perceived as being less desirable, saddly.

Rent in the Lisa Park/Broadmoor area probably varies between 400-550$ for a single room, in Summerfield 750~$ for a single, other areas of MLK will probably be in that range as well. Places out near the mall aren't too bad of apartments, they range in the 500$~ for an apartment. However, just past the mall, they have one place that's pretty haggard these days.


Social life: quite a few decent bars/pubs downtown, and elsewhere. more live music downtown though. As for being a vegetarian, I'd imagine it can't be too hard. I do know quite a few restaraunts here have vegetarian dishes. As for shopping though.. your best bet would probably be Rouses, or maybe walmart. Not really a wholefood/natural grocer in town, but the Rouses off St. Charles isn't bad.

The only places that flood often are some places in Bayou Blue, Couteau, maybe a few spots in the Gibson/Bayou Black area(which isn't too common), Chauvin, Montegut, Theriot, Dularge, Dulac all see more flooding during major storms (tropical depressions/tropical storms/hurricanes). Some areas flood worse.

If you have any other questions, just ask. I'm a college student in the area so I know it well.

[avantgarder]

I absolutely agree with everything the first poster has said. But I'd like to disagree with the college student.

I am also a transplant, having moved here for a medical position after receiving my M.D. I have lived internationally, as well as in the West, Midwest, and East regions of the United States. And I am vegetarian.

I hate it here. I loathe Houma. If I were you, I would commute an hour and a half--three hours total--and live in Baton Rouge. That's what I would do if I were going to stay here. Let me give you the reasons why.

I pay $1,200, excluding utilities, in rent for a 2 bedroom apartment on MLK Blvd. My license plate cost $1,000, and my insurance has doubled--both renter's and car--for less coverage. Flood insurance is necessary, too. I paid less in much, much more desirable areas to live. The problem with housing in Houma is that people never move away from this town (if they are born here), and so housing is at a premium, and people will pay it because they have money if they work on the oil rigs.

It is a rough, redneck, tough, crass, working class culture down here. People eat anything that moves, drink alcohol like it's going out of style, and spend more than they earn. They drive too fast and recklessly. Virtually every car has some kind of dent or scratch. And people are uneducated. Even the colleges down here have a not-so-great rep. The word on the street is that anyone can get into Nicholls (in Thibodaux), even though it has selective (average) admissions--it was an open admissions school until recently if that tells you anything. The students are described as swampbillies. The big flagship school in the state is LSU in Baton Rouge, and it's only a third tier school by US News and World Report rankings. Not so hot when there are only four tiers (first is best). Louisiana just rated last--50 out of 50 states--in terms of the quality of its educational systems.

Politics are corrupt, and people are LAZY (check out all of the carts in any store's parking lot) and kind of rude. It's not Atlanta, Georgia or Savannah, GA down here. No genteel manners and no cosmopolitan atmosphere. The public library is a joke; everything is lost or missing, and there are no funds to replace anything.

The weather is awful from May to October. Humid, rainy, and hot. It is simply the worst weather I've ever experienced. Huge bugs. Get ready, too, for lots of silverfish and the southern cockroach (also known as the palmetto, which flies, by the way).

I have a friend who is also a medical doctor and graduated from an Ivy; he said it took he and his wife five years before they could be happy here, and they live in New Orleans. I'm not willing to wait that long. I'm currently courting job offers. Houma has ruined the South for me. I've spent every weekend in New Orleans--and I'm not impressed with it either.

As for being a vegetarian, it is nearly impossible down here. I travel an hour to Whole Foods in New Orleans to grocery shop. Buy a big cooler.

My final summation for Houma and Louisiana in general: NASTY. Get ready for the dirty south.

[d0nny]

Well, then obviously the entire state isn't for you. Thankfully, half of the state doesn't seem to pay auto insurance, meaning that everyone insured has to pay out the ass. Sucks for you that you apparently don't have a good provider. Thankfully, I'm with USAA which is an owner-owned insurance company, and not run poorly as a result.

And thanks to recent hurricanes, yes, insurance has gone up.

As for housing being a premium, I would say it's the 99% occupancy rate in apartment complexes. The fact we're still housing an estimated 2,000-4,000 people who were displaced by Katrina means that a lot of available rental properties have been picked up. you also have to realize that when you rent, that is who you end up living with.

I'd probably complain about living in an apartment as well if I had **** neighbors who worked offshore and drank all the time. I dunno, it'd probaly **** me off even, and lead me more to cast judgement on everyone around here, instead of realizing that there are worthless people living here, much like any other place in the south.

As for Nicholls, it's the safest campus in Louisiana. It also has one of the best culinary schools in the south. It's also one of only a handful of schools in the nation offering a Geomatics degree. And having gone to a school rated as the 10th best school in the south, the actual quality of education between it and nicholls in the same curriculum wasn't that different. It definitely wasn't 5K$ difference in tuition between the two. And considering Nicholls has started spending close to $100 million in fixing up the campus, I'd say the school is only going to continue to improve itself, and what it offers to students. Yeah, the requirements suck (20 on the ACT or at least in the top half of graduating class), but they aren't that terrible when you consider that all that LSU used to require was a 21 on the ACT. I think they've changed that now to a 23.


Moderator cut: edit. Local politics are improving, the main library is only 5 years old, and actually won library of the year back in 2004. The parish has also planned improvements to the other library branches. Considering that almost a million books have been checked out of the library in the past 5 years strikes me as a great number considering how poorly educated the area is.

Moderator cut: edit Congrats to spending every weekend in New Orleans. I wouldn't ever waste my time/money like that. At any rate, good luck with your job courting.

Housing/Rental Properties article:
Apartment demand still high, as are rates HOUSING DEMANDS | HoumaToday.com | The Courier | Houma, LA
NSU Admissions:
Nicholls State University - Learn. Live. Lead. Office of Admissions » Admissions Requirements
Library totals in the 5 years the main branch has been open:
Do you know how many people visited the library in five years? | HoumaToday.com | The Courier | Houma, LA

[legalnurse]

I am sorry for you that you can't appreciate all that Houma has to offer, and I resent the fact that you stereotype the people here as uneducated. I am a transplant myself. My husband's family is from this area. Yes, the heat and humidity can be overwhelming, and mosquitos are rampant this time of year, but you couldn't ask for a more laid back way of life. I am a home health nurse, so I meet people from up and down the bayou. People in south Louisiana are genuinely nice and welcoming. Its too bad that you seem to have not given any of them a chance. It seems that you may have come here with a predetermined notion of what the people are like- maybe you've seen too many badly depicted movies of the people here. I feel sorry for you that you are missing out on the joy of the people and the way of life. And for the record, over half the oil field workers are not even from Houma, much less Louisiana. They come from everywhere across the country. So much for that theory. It's true that when people come, they tend to stay. We certainly don't need negativity where its not welcome.

[abcrutledge]

I totally resent the way you describe the people down here. I was born and raised here in Houma and I really can't imagine leaving. You can't go anywhere else (other than south LA) and get the multiple cultures that make up the south. The food is great, the people are great. I have made plenty of trips to Alabama and Miss. and the people there knew right away that I was from Louisiana because of my friendly nature. My father and my husband are in the oilfield. I bet you never worked as hard as they do. They do what they have to do for their families. That's what the south is about. Family. If given the chance, this is a great place. The festivals around the area are fun and family oriented. There are so many reasons to come to the south. The negative and closed-minded people-stay away.

[Sam I Am]

Anyone happen to notice that post is 2 months old and the poster hasn't been back? Speaks for itself, doesn't it?