West Monroe info?? (Bastrop, Swartz, Sterlington: best neighborhoods, lease, crime rates)

[kimb667]

Hello, My husband and I are relocating to Monroe for his job in September. We've heard West Monroe is the best place to live. Can anyone give me pointers about the best neighborhoods in the city?? and the neighborhoods to avoid?

[jmh139]

We just moved to NC from West Monroe (lived there all our lives). There are a lot of good neighborhoods and many to avoid. If you have kids and are going to put them in public school, look at Kiroli. It is one of the things we miss. Great school. Darbone Hills is a great neighborhood.

Email me: maps@leagh.com if you have any specific questions I can answer. Jay

Originally Posted by kimb667

Hello, My husband and I are relocating to Monroe for his job in September. We've heard West Monroe is the best place to live. Can anyone give me pointers about the best neighborhoods in the city?? and the neighborhoods to avoid?

[CaptShadow]

I would recommend checking out the numerous neighborhoods and subdivisions just west of West Monroe. Take an afternoon and check out the HWY 80 west, Arkansas Rd., and HWY 15 areas. You will find countless existing and new subdivisions in these areas. You will also find excellent schools if this is one of your concerns.

[MaryKayYoung]

If you are buying a home and you've never lived in thsi area before, it is always best to use a Realtor. We can't tell you crime rates, but we have places you can check. We can help you find out about schools, flood zones, etc. We can also help you find a place with a good resale value - which is very important.

If I can help in anyway before you get her or after, just shoot me an email. I'm always happy to be of service.

BTW, Welcome to the area!

Mary Kay

[notsureaboutthisyet]

Beware of the stink!!! We just moved here and have only been here a month....but we can't get used to the smell!!!! We live on the outskirts of town and it still is powerful! There are some days my kids can't even play outside because it smells so bad!!! The paper mill emits such a horrible stench that is like a rendering plant wrapped inside insecticide! And the water smells like sulfur! So the paper mill must be closed on the weekends because when we were looking at houses on a Saturday we didn't smell it or maybe the wind wasn't blowing our direction!! I would suggest if anyone has a sensitive nose to find another town to live in!I think the realtors and landlords ought to tell people about this before they sign the papers!!!! Or let them out if it proves to much to deal with! As soon as our lease is up we will relocate!

[LSU Tiger Z71]

Originally Posted by notsureaboutthisyet

Beware of the stink!!! We just moved here and have only been here a month....but we can't get used to the smell!!!! We live on the outskirts of town and it still is powerful! There are some days my kids can't even play outside because it smells so bad!!! The paper mill emits such a horrible stench that is like a rendering plant wrapped inside insecticide! And the water smells like sulfur! So the paper mill must be closed on the weekends because when we were looking at houses on a Saturday we didn't smell it or maybe the wind wasn't blowing our direction!! I would suggest if anyone has a sensitive nose to find another town to live in!I think the realtors and landlords ought to tell people about this before they sign the papers!!!! Or let them out if it proves to much to deal with! As soon as our lease is up we will relocate!

Maybe you should had investigated your property better before buying. West Monroe, in general, does not stink. You should had researched another location to build a home-- maybe on the other side of the river?

To the original poster, I prefer Monroe in terms of places to live. Neat and interesting homes in the Garden District/River Oaks.. Nice subdivisions to north with plenty of natural water/golf courses, etc. More school selection, I don't see the appeal in going to West Monroe High School at all. West Monroe also has a different culture from Monroe.. They are more "redneck" while Monroe is more "country/Southern."

[BlueyedCat]

Originally Posted by jmh139

We just moved to NC from West Monroe (lived there all our lives). There are a lot of good neighborhoods and many to avoid. If you have kids and are going to put them in public school, look at Kiroli. It is one of the things we miss. Great school. Darbone Hills is a great neighborhood.

Email me: maps@leagh.com if you have any specific questions I can answer. Jay

I agree about Kiroli. Darbone Hills is very nice. To the original poster; What ever you decide; stick to West Monroe. Monroe has has went downhill over the last 10 years or so. West Monroe has grown and is a very clean area.

[LSU Tiger Z71]

Originally Posted by BlueyedCat

What ever you decide; stick to West Monroe. Monroe has has went downhill over the last 10 years or so. West Monroe has grown and is a very clean area.

No, not really. South Monroe has gone down hill or is really about the same. Some increased crime in Garden District.

These neighborhoods in Monroe are better or similar to neighborhoods in West Monroe:

Louisianne
River Oaks
New subdivisons of Tower
Subdivisions off Finks Hideaway/Osterland
Swartz (see: Lincoln Hills, Stubbs Vinson Rd., some more)
Water's Edge off 165
Sterlington area (Frenchman's Bend, Swartz Fairbanks Rd.)

Benefits: Clean as WM. More school choice. Closer to shopping.

[Vic_Vega]

Where exactly are the paper mills located in the Monroe area? Didn't one of them just shut down recently?

[LSU Tiger Z71]

Originally Posted by Vic_Vega

Where exactly are the paper mills located in the Monroe area? Didn't one of them just shut down recently?

International Paper in Bastrop,LA, around 30min. north of Monroe, closed. You couldn't see or smell it from Monroe, however.

Graphic Packaging is an active paper mill in West Monroe and it pretty close to core development in that city. You can't notice it across the river, however, in Monroe.