Lake Charles Info please (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: crime, job market, neighborhoods)

[palmtrees_are_kool]

I am not from LA, Im thinking of going to college there. Is it nice and safe? A lot of things for a college student to do? Also, being from Cincinnati, I have never saw a tornado, is LC a safe place weather wise?

Thank you all!

[Kajonangel]

I am from Lake Charles and I love it there... After the hurricane came an destroyed the place it has picked up and made it even stronger an theres more places to go an things to see now...
If I had the chance I would move back to Lake Charles but My family are moving to another Location in Louisiana b/c of my fiances job...
O what I wouldnt do to live back in Lake Charles...
I have also been to Cincinnati and Lake Charles is nothing like it... Its way smaller and different... I call it home!

McNeese is a good College and has lots of fun things to do. They are always doing something fun...
I think you will be fine here and enjoy it...
The People here are very friendly and you will enjoy our SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY! LOL
Rachael F

[WendyW.]

There's been quite a bit written about Lake Charles on here. Do a search. Alot should come up.

[MStant1]

I'm originally from Lake Charles as well. Don't move there you will hate it. There is absolutely nothing to do in Lake Charles except drive to Houston, Baton Rouge or New Orleans. McNeese University is also a very sub par university, education wise, with very little college life to make up for it. The majority of those who matriculate there are from the Lake Charles area. The not so affectionate nickname for it is Ryan Street High (it is located on Ryan Street).

The only colleges worth moving to La for are LSU in Baton Rouge and Tulane in New Orleans. Every other University in La is less than spectacular in both education and college life.

Lake Charles has very little night life, little to none in culture, theater and arts, shopping is minimal, and the job market is very low unless you want to work at one of the plants. There are two casinos, Isle of Capri and L'auberge. L'auberge is actually a pretty good casino, but how often can one gamble? Food is also not that great in Lake Charles. There are only a few local restaurants that I can name that are what I would consider a good representative of Louisiana/Cajun/Creole food. Food is definitely much better in other parts of Louisiana.

You would be much happier living in Baton Rouge or New Orleans.

[ndrone1]

Originally Posted by MStant1

I'm originally from Lake Charles as well. Don't move there you will hate it. There is absolutely nothing to do in Lake Charles except drive to Houston, Baton Rouge or New Orleans. McNeese University is also a very sub par university, education wise, with very little college life to make up for it. The majority of those who matriculate there are from the Lake Charles area. The not so affectionate nickname for it is Ryan Street High (it is located on Ryan Street).

The only colleges worth moving to La for are LSU in Baton Rouge and Tulane in New Orleans. Every other University in La is less than spectacular in both education and college life.

Lake Charles has very little night life, little to none in culture, theater and arts, shopping is minimal, and the job market is very low unless you want to work at one of the plants. There are two casinos, Isle of Capri and L'auberge. L'auberge is actually a pretty good casino, but how often can one gamble? Food is also not that great in Lake Charles. There are only a few local restaurants that I can name that are what I would consider a good representative of Louisiana/Cajun/Creole food. Food is definitely much better in other parts of Louisiana.

You would be much happier living in Baton Rouge or New Orleans.

I think there is some merit to this opinion, but not as much as you might think. I am from Lake Charles and had the option to go to abundant colleges throughout the U.S., but because of financial reasons I stayed in state and went to LSU in Baton Rouge, LA. I am happy with LSU, so I can't rate McNeese, but I've heard good and bad about it. LSU is a GREAT college, and I'm not even a football fan, so you can disregard this person's opinion on that. Baton Rouge, on the other hand, is about 3x worse than I think Lake Charles will ever be (what with all the crime, bad public school system, higher cost of living than necessary and horrid traffic).

What I remember about growing up in Lake Charles is that it grew a lot from the time I was 10 to the time I was 18. Although I didn't want to admit it at the time, I really do believe it has potential. The population is small, but the city has more character than almost any its size. The crime is low and certainly isolated, the city is extremely well planned and the overall aesthetic of the city is clean and kept. The public schools (at least on my end of the city) were extremely nice and worth going to. Of course, your child (if you have any) will get what they want out of any school system, public or private, but inevitably the quality of teaching needs to be there and I believe for the most part Lake Charles does have that. There may not be incredible night life, but the city has some and it has grown. I think it has a little something for most age groups, which many cities cannot say. There is a little nightlife, some VERY good local restaurants (KD's Diner, Casa Manana, Pepper's Roadhouse, Raising Cane's, etc), beautiful neighborhoods for a city its size, friendly people overall, interesting festivals (Constraband Days, Mardi Gras, etc) and a nice Civic Center with a pretty walk on the lake which was redone around 2000-2005 and is so much better than when I was very young.

Overall, if any of that sounds tolerable for you, I believe Lake Charles can be a good fit. This coming from someone who thought moving away would be heaven on earth and is slowly realizing that bigger does not equal better by any means. I loathe living in Baton Rouge. I am considering Houston for its job market, but I do recommend Lake Charles if you don't mind a smaller town feel. Also, the music scene is above average for a city so small. A decent variety and a good amount of talent if you ask me.

Good luck!

*Oh, and for the record - Tulane has kind of become a joke of a university now after all of the Katrina damage. They're offering night classes to anyone that can read just to get their attendance back up... that makes it "worth moving to La for?" Maybe pre-Katrina, but certainly not right now.

[alittlenerdy]

Originally Posted by ndrone1

I think there is some merit to this opinion, but not as much as you might think. I am from Lake Charles and had the option to go to abundant colleges throughout the U.S., but because of financial reasons I stayed in state and went to LSU in Baton Rouge, LA. I am happy with LSU, so I can't rate McNeese, but I've heard good and bad about it. LSU is a GREAT college, and I'm not even a football fan, so you can disregard this person's opinion on that. Baton Rouge, on the other hand, is about 3x worse than I think Lake Charles will ever be (what with all the crime, bad public school system, higher cost of living than necessary and horrid traffic).

What I remember about growing up in Lake Charles is that it grew a lot from the time I was 10 to the time I was 18. Although I didn't want to admit it at the time, I really do believe it has potential. The population is small, but the city has more character than almost any its size. The crime is low and certainly isolated, the city is extremely well planned and the overall aesthetic of the city is clean and kept. The public schools (at least on my end of the city) were extremely nice and worth going to. Of course, your child (if you have any) will get what they want out of any school system, public or private, but inevitably the quality of teaching needs to be there and I believe for the most part Lake Charles does have that. There may not be incredible night life, but the city has some and it has grown. I think it has a little something for most age groups, which many cities cannot say. There is a little nightlife, some VERY good local restaurants (KD's Diner, Casa Manana, Pepper's Roadhouse, Raising Cane's, etc), beautiful neighborhoods for a city its size, friendly people overall, interesting festivals (Constraband Days, Mardi Gras, etc) and a nice Civic Center with a pretty walk on the lake which was redone around 2000-2005 and is so much better than when I was very young.

Overall, if any of that sounds tolerable for you, I believe Lake Charles can be a good fit. This coming from someone who thought moving away would be heaven on earth and is slowly realizing that bigger does not equal better by any means. I loathe living in Baton Rouge. I am considering Houston for its job market, but I do recommend Lake Charles if you don't mind a smaller town feel. Also, the music scene is above average for a city so small. A decent variety and a good amount of talent if you ask me.

Good luck!

*Oh, and for the record - Tulane has kind of become a joke of a university now after all of the Katrina damage. They're offering night classes to anyone that can read just to get their attendance back up... that makes it "worth moving to La for?" Maybe pre-Katrina, but certainly not right now.

Excellent post.

I'm originally from Lake Charles, I moved to Baton Rouge in 2002, and in 2007, I moved to New Orleans. Out of all three cities, I feel the most comfortable in Lake Charles. People leave their doors unlocked, they drive carefully, and there's always a place to get drinks or play pool.

You're right about Tulane. They don't require the ACT or SAT for entrance into their night school. What a joke!!!

[courtneyrrock]

Well what are you going to school for? They have a good nursing program, but some of their other programs suck. I am from LC originally and went to school for engineering in Lafayette, LA since they have a better school of engineering there. So your major makes a difference in your decision!

[KyJake]

Originally Posted by palmtrees_are_kool

I am not from LA, Im thinking of going to college there. Is it nice and safe? A lot of things for a college student to do? Also, being from Cincinnati, I have never saw a tornado, is LC a safe place weather wise?

Thank you all!

My husband and I moved to the Lake Charles area 10 years ago, work related move.
From my perspective, I would never recommend this area to anyone.
The climate and pollution have a negative effect on your health - when I questioned our GP about the proliferation of respiratory illnesses here, he told me that those problems are increasing and have been for some time - the area is extremely polluted.
The hurricane threat and associated evacuations are extremely stressful, particularly to older residents.
My friends college age children constantly talk about the lack of career opportunity here compared to neighboring Texas - as well as a better rate of pay in other states.
The local university, McNeese State is not highly rated by faculty and students I have spoken with - I have no official data references for you however.
As far as things to do for college students - I can't speak to that.
The cost of living is cheap - but as usual - you get what you pay for.
Visit the area and do your research before relocating here.