Snow No More (Shreveport, Luling, Destrehan: employment, neighborhoods, public schools)

[SD snowbird]

I appreciate the info. Have done some internet searches and found a garden center, Louisiana Nursery, with 3 locations in BR and another in Prairieville. Would appreciate any info about this garden center or the city of Prairieville. Am going to do some searches today on the Alexandria area and see what's there for garden centers. Also, wondering about possible positions as a gardener or groundskeeper for one of the plantations in the area, any input?
Thanks!

[Suzanne1945]

Originally Posted by SD snowbird

I appreciate the info. Have done some internet searches and found a garden center, Louisiana Nursery, with 3 locations in BR and another in Prairieville. Would appreciate any info about this garden center or the city of Prairieville. Am going to do some searches today on the Alexandria area and see what's there for garden centers. Also, wondering about possible positions as a gardener or groundskeeper for one of the plantations in the area, any input?
Thanks!

Just returned from a week in the Alexandria area. I was told the area is the Foliage capital of the US. I believe the US highway through Oakdale is where we saw nursery after nursery. I was also told that there is a great need for welders in the surrounding area. I visited the LA Technical College in Alexandria where there is a fabulous Welding program. Also programs at Lamar Selter and Morgan Smith campuses.

[SD snowbird]

Suzanne1945-
Thanks for the heads up. I'll do some checking, see what I can find. Have had some other responses suggesting Alexandria area and have done a little research, seems like it would be a pretty good place. Lots of nurseries and welding jobs is just what we're looking for.
Thanks again.

[Louisiana101]

Try the Forest Hill area. I think it would be north of Oakdale and south of Alexandria. This is where all the gardening centers are, it is nursery after nursery as far as you can see. Also, you might consider Lafayette - it is a nice mid size town about 45 min from N.O. and I think about 1 hour from N.O.

[Opelousasbear]

Forest Hill

About 20 miles south of Alexandria has nursery after nursery it is about 40 miles north of Opelousas. 3 hours northwest of New Orleans, 1 hour 20 miles north of Lafayette, about 2 hours from Baton Rouge.

There is also the Nursery Festival in the spring every year.

[Opelousasbear]

Also

Union Tank manufacture is in need of Welders.

[SD snowbird]

Opelousasbear-

thanks for the great info. It was an old thread and I didn't think I'd get any more info. My heart is still pulling me towards Louisiana and I need to show my hubby that it's do-able. He's all good as long as we can both find decent jobs and a town where our son will be reasonably safe (he's nearly 13 now). Recently, we've been treated to temps right around zero and wind chills that would scare the hair off a bear - watching weather channel two days ago, we were forecasted around zero again and New Orleans (which is all we get to see this far away) was forecasted at 71. He FINALLY got the look on his face that said "we're living in the wrong place". Sure made me smile.

Any idea what the range is for starting wage at Union Tank?? He's got about 10 years welding experience, 4 of that welding tanks for one company here in Sioux Falls SD.
Also, currently I'm the baker at a retirement community. Do all the baking for 300+ residents and stocking the deli with goodies. Any idea if that would be a better position to look for initially when making the move or go right into hort/landscape with a garden center?
I appreciate any info you can give me.

[Rmaf623]

Right now might not be the best time to get a job at the tank car plant in Alexandria. Union Tank Car is dealing with a decrease in demand and has had to lay off a number of workers, including 50 at the Alexandria plant. However, the company has said that these cuts are not permanent.

[Opelousasbear]

SD Snowbird

Rmaf623 is right Union Tank Car has Laid off some employees they are not permanent as he said, orders are slow just like in the Auto Industry. Sorry about that mis information as I was not up to date on their situation.

I currently work for a mid sized manufacturer located in Lafayette Louisiana, In Drafting & Design we manufacture/fabricate skids (Package Pump Systems) for the Oilfield & Food Processing industries, which include structural,tanks, piping, including pumps. We have a number of welders who have been here for years (stable employment) we usually hire people all the time especially if they are good employee's with good work ethics, even when we are slow we usually don't lay-off employees because when we pick up we usually have a hard time finding someone or trying to rehire someone they usually have moved on to something else. We've learned our lesson about that. Our main facility in located in Lafayette, with other locations in the Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lake charles & a sales office in Houston.

There are also plenty of local fabrication shops that are always looking for welders, my brother in law is a welder and works for a Fabrication company in Rayne, Louisiana. Also one of my cousins is a Contract welder and is always busy. Google Louisiana Department of Labor to find job openings in specific areas of the state.

For You
There are two plant nursureys that I know of Kents Nursury and Live Oak Gardens, don't know too much about there employment situation but i believe there pretty stable. There are also plenty of bakeries in the area as most of our residents are of French Canadian background and we love our patsteries, espically with the up comming Mardi Gras Season I cant wait to take a bite of Meches King Cake Yummy. There are plenty of other delicious local bakeries. There is the Evangeline Maid Bread Bakery which is the local bread bakery sold at most grocery store in the area including Wal-Mart. There are also plenty of Nursing and Assisted living centers that provided those services to their residents.

The current unemployment rate which just came out yesterday for the Lafayette & surrounding area is 3.4% (1-5-09) the lowest in the state. The State unemployment rate is 4.6%.
The Lafayette and surrounding Parish/counties (Acadiana Region) has some of the lowest Unemployment rates in the state. Most welders in the area make anywhere from $20.00 per hour up to $45 per hour depending on experience. Contract welder can make more. If he want to make more there are also offshore welders or Under water Welders which makes tons of money but very dangerous work.

Lafayette and Baton Rouge areas are the fastest growing metro areas of the state. The difference between the two areas is culture. Baton Rouge is more Baptist, Americanized area. The Lafayette area is more Catholic, Cajun/Creole, Festivals just about every weekend in the fall & spring so there is always something different to do. The Lafayette area is very progressive and has a population of about 114,000 people in the city itself surrounding area included it about 550,000 also has the second largest university in the state ULL . Many former New Orleans residents relocated to this area because of the similar culture.
Baton Rouge is also very progressive area it has a population of about 240,000 in the city itself surrounding area included about 700,000 it also has the largest university in the state LSU go tigers!! Many former New Orleans residents relocated to this area also.

Alexandria's economy is a bit slower than the I-10 Corridor area, but has improved over the past years.

Lafayette is considered the hub of the Acadiana Region, it consist of Lafayette (114,000 pop), New Iberia (33,000 pop), Opelousas (23,000) , Breaux Bridge (8,000), and plenty of other small towns and Rural areas each unique in its own way.

If you want any more information you can email me at

Lafcajun@yahoo.com

John

[Opelousasbear]

Oh I forgot to tell you we got about 2-5" snow on Dec 11 2008 (nothing compared to what your probably used to), it was a sight to see as it was very unusual to have snow in south Louisiana, Even New Orleans got an inch of snow that day.