Alexandria Rapides--what"s A Parish?? (Lafayette, Monroe: middle-class, real estate, low crime)

[yellowroseknows]

I MAY WOULD LIKE TO RELOCATE TO ALEXANDRIA TO ATTEND A REALLY LARGE CHURCH THAT IS LOCATED DOWNTOWN ALEXANDRIA. I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT HOW THE CITY IS ORGANIZED. I UNDERSTAND THAT A PARISH IS LIKE A COUNTY IN ANY OTHER STATE. BUT WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT PINEVILLE, TIOGA, WOODWORTH, ALEXANDRIA LIKE THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLACES/CITIES. ARE THEY NOT SIMPLY DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF TOWN? FOR EXAMPLE IF I LIVE IN KNOX COUNTY TENNESSEE, THE CITY HAS KARNS, POWELL, TURKEY CREEK, WEST HILLS, ETC..., HOWEVER IT STILL IS THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE, ONE GOVERNMENT, SHERRIFF, MAYOR,COURTHOUSE, SCHOOL SYSTEM, ETC... AND IF I'M LOOKING FOR REAL ESTATE I GO TO A SEARCH OF KNOXVILLE AND IT GIVES ME ALL THE HOUSES IN KNOX COUNTY NOT JUST "KARNS" OR "POWELL". I HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY UNSUCCESSFUL IN FINDING HOUSING, REAL ESATATE OR LEARNING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENTIRE PARISH OF RAPIDEES. THEY SAY PINEVILLE IS 9 MIN. AWAY FROM ALEXANDRIA BUT ACT LIKE IT'S A DIFFERENCE OF NIGHT AND DAY.?????????PLEASE HELP EXPLAIN THIS TO ME.
ALSO, TELL ME ABOUT THE WHITE/BLACK SCENCE IN ALEXANDRIA. DO BOTH RACES LIVE NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER IN HARMONY OR IS THERE TENSION? I'VE HEARD THAT BLACKS IN LOUISIANA HAVE A REAL ATTITUDE TOWARD WHITE PEOPLE. IN FACT I HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER THAT IS IN THE AREA AND HE SAYS THAT BLACK PEOPLE WALK IN THE ROAD AND WILL NOT MOVE FOR CARS, THEY HAVE BAD ATTITUDES AND SELL CRACK ON THE STREET OPENLY. TELL ME ABOUT THE POLICE DEPT. I'M A TEACHER AND WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. WHAT IS THE BEST PLACE FOR A WHITE FAMILY TO LIVE AND GO TO SCHOOL? WHY IS HOUSING SO HARD TO FIND? WHY ARE TEACHER SALARIES SO LOW. I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE ABOUT A $10,000 PER YEAR PAY CUT FROM TENNESSEE! I THOUGHT TN HAD THE WORST TEACHER PAY BUT OBVIOUSLY NOT. LET ME KNOW IF THERE ARE RESTAURANTS SUCH AS OUTBACK, OLIVE GARDEN, ETC... HOW FAR AWAY IS HOUSTON, TX? I'VE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE GO TO HOUSTON FROM ALEXANDRI FOR MEDICAL CARE. THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by yellowroseknows

I MAY WOULD LIKE TO RELOCATE TO ALEXANDRIA TO ATTEND A REALLY LARGE CHURCH THAT IS LOCATED DOWNTOWN ALEXANDRIA. I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT HOW THE CITY IS ORGANIZED. I UNDERSTAND THAT A PARISH IS LIKE A COUNTY IN ANY OTHER STATE. BUT WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT PINEVILLE, TIOGA, WOODWORTH, ALEXANDRIA LIKE THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLACES/CITIES. ARE THEY NOT SIMPLY DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF TOWN? FOR EXAMPLE IF I LIVE IN KNOX COUNTY TENNESSEE, THE CITY HAS KARNS, POWELL, TURKEY CREEK, WEST HILLS, ETC..., HOWEVER IT STILL IS THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE, ONE GOVERNMENT, SHERRIFF, MAYOR,COURTHOUSE, SCHOOL SYSTEM, ETC... AND IF I'M LOOKING FOR REAL ESTATE I GO TO A SEARCH OF KNOXVILLE AND IT GIVES ME ALL THE HOUSES IN KNOX COUNTY NOT JUST "KARNS" OR "POWELL". I HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY UNSUCCESSFUL IN FINDING HOUSING, REAL ESATATE OR LEARNING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENTIRE PARISH OF RAPIDEES. THEY SAY PINEVILLE IS 9 MIN. AWAY FROM ALEXANDRIA BUT ACT LIKE IT'S A DIFFERENCE OF NIGHT AND DAY.?????????PLEASE HELP EXPLAIN THIS TO ME.
ALSO, TELL ME ABOUT THE WHITE/BLACK SCENCE IN ALEXANDRIA. DO BOTH RACES LIVE NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER IN HARMONY OR IS THERE TENSION? I'VE HEARD THAT BLACKS IN LOUISIANA HAVE A REAL ATTITUDE TOWARD WHITE PEOPLE. IN FACT I HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER THAT IS IN THE AREA AND HE SAYS THAT BLACK PEOPLE WALK IN THE ROAD AND WILL NOT MOVE FOR CARS, THEY HAVE BAD ATTITUDES AND SELL CRACK ON THE STREET OPENLY. TELL ME ABOUT THE POLICE DEPT. I'M A TEACHER AND WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. WHAT IS THE BEST PLACE FOR A WHITE FAMILY TO LIVE AND GO TO SCHOOL? WHY IS HOUSING SO HARD TO FIND? WHY ARE TEACHER SALARIES SO LOW. I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE ABOUT A $10,000 PER YEAR PAY CUT FROM TENNESSEE! I THOUGHT TN HAD THE WORST TEACHER PAY BUT OBVIOUSLY NOT. LET ME KNOW IF THERE ARE RESTAURANTS SUCH AS OUTBACK, OLIVE GARDEN, ETC... HOW FAR AWAY IS HOUSTON, TX? I'VE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE GO TO HOUSTON FROM ALEXANDRI FOR MEDICAL CARE. THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT.

I can't answer all your questions but I can tell you a few things. Yes, parishes in Louisana are what every other state in the union calls "counties". Pineville and Tioga are not part of Alexanderia - they are their own little towns but they are in the same parish as Alexandria.

The best way to search for properties is to google for a local Alexandria realtor name then contact them to set up an internet search for you for properties in the towns you are interested in. They don't charge you for that and are happy to do it in case you find something you like and might use them as your realtor.

Louisiana is a wonderful place, but a very poor state. Teacher salaries have always been lowest in the nation. Not sure why people would go all the way to Houston for medical care - it must be 4-5 hours away. Lafayette has a fine medical community and that is much closer. But Alexandria is large enough to have 2 hospitals, so there is definitely medical care there too. Alexandria also has all the regular chain restaurants, but trust me, it's Louisiana- you want to be eating at the regular local places, not the chains!

[Rmaf623]

Alexandria, Pineville, and Woodworth are all separate cities. The metropolitan area as a whole has a population of about 150,000. Alexandria is the main city and has a population of around 50,000 people. Pineville, on the north side of the river, has a population of around 15,000 people. However, many more people live in unincorporated areas outside of the city limits here. Tioga is not a city but rather an unincorporated region to the northwest of Pineville. Woodworth is a small town to the southwest of Alexandria that is growing rapidly. The entire region has been growing in recent years. The economy is rebounding from the loss of England Air Force Base a few years ago. Much new construction is going on throughout the city.

The main drawback of living in Alexandria is the high crime rate. Not all parts of the city have high crime rates; just certain areas. Crime is much lower on the north side of the river.

Alexandria is about 55% black and 40% white. The Pineville area, on the other hand, has a much larger white percentage. Some racial tension does exist in the area.

Many schools perform poorly. However, the school districts on the west side of the Alexandria, and in Pineville are OK.

Many new neighborhoods are being constructed throughout the area. But there is still a shortage of middle class housing.

Alexandria has plenty of restaurants and a growing healthcare industry.

[Rmaf623]

If you want more information on good neighborhoods and school districts in the Alexandria area, here are few suggestions. In Alexandria, anything near Jackson Street Extension is usually fine. Some neighborhoods in this area include Charles Park, Cherokee Village, Good Earth, and West Pointe. The more desirable areas of Pineville are located around Highway 28 East but there are a number of other nice places. Other popular areas include Kincaid Lake and Woodworth. Overall, the Alexandria area is a great place to live as long as you can find a nice area with low crime and a good school.

[pandora1971]

The area around Lower Third is really dangerous at night. I've seen crack sold on the street and when the bars let out the streets fill up with people and they literally block off traffic. There's a police substation about 2 blocks away but don't expect any help there. However, Alexandria is not a bad place to live. In fact my husband and I will most likely be moving back there when he gets out of the military. You just need to stay away from some areas late at night but that kind of thing happens in every city. I have friends on the police force but it's honestly a joke. Or it was a few years ago, i've been gone for about 3 years.

[Rmaf623]

Originally Posted by pandora1971

The area around Lower Third is really dangerous at night. I've seen crack sold on the street and when the bars let out the streets fill up with people and they literally block off traffic. There's a police substation about 2 blocks away but don't expect any help there. However, Alexandria is not a bad place to live. In fact my husband and I will most likely be moving back there when he gets out of the military. You just need to stay away from some areas late at night but that kind of thing happens in every city. I have friends on the police force but it's honestly a joke. Or it was a few years ago, i've been gone for about 3 years.

I agree, the Lower Third area is definitely not the place where you would want be wandering around at night. Even in daylight I would be cautious in this area. This is one of the most dangerous parts of Alexandria and it seems that every other day, some kind of crime happens here. Another area that I would also avoid is the area around the corner of Bolton Ave. and Monroe St., immediately to the west of downtown. This area has one of the highest crime rates in town.

The police force in Alexandria is, for the most part, decent. Of course, there might be some instances of corruption, but overall, it does its job.

P.S. - In an earlier post, I made a comment about a shortage of middle-class housing. To clarify, I was referring to the fact that there is little new construction of affordable housing going on in Alexandria itself. There are plenty of nice pre-existing middle-class neighborhoods in both Alexandria and Pineville. Most new construction of affordable housing is taking place in outlying areas.

[amanda9883]

I am a graduating nurse and looking to relocate to Alexandria. I am 23 and from Pennsylvania. Also, my boyfriend is looking to move with me. He is black, I am white. How are interracial relationships accepted in the area. How is the area for people in their 20's? I was surprised at what they are offering me to work there, considering what i had heard about it being a "poor state", do you think there is any reason that I should be alerted to for them offering incentives to move/work there?? (Rapides Regional) Any incite or info about the area would be appreciated

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by amanda9883

I am a graduating nurse and looking to relocate to Alexandria. I am 23 and from Pennsylvania. Also, my boyfriend is looking to move with me. He is black, I am white. How are interracial relationships accepted in the area. How is the area for people in their 20's? I was surprised at what they are offering me to work there, considering what i had heard about it being a "poor state", do you think there is any reason that I should be alerted to for them offering incentives to move/work there?? (Rapides Regional) Any incite or info about the area would be appreciated

Can I just ask why Louisiana?? Is there some reason you are focusing on that southern state over others with much better economies?

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by amanda9883

I am a graduating nurse and looking to relocate to Alexandria. I am 23 and from Pennsylvania. Also, my boyfriend is looking to move with me. He is black, I am white. How are interracial relationships accepted in the area. How is the area for people in their 20's? I was surprised at what they are offering me to work there, considering what i had heard about it being a "poor state", do you think there is any reason that I should be alerted to for them offering incentives to move/work there?? (Rapides Regional) Any incite or info about the area would be appreciated

Alexandria has a strong fundamentalist/Pentacostalist tilt to it. Just something to consider.

[yellowroseknows]

Yes, you got that right. There is a fundamentalist/pentecostal slant to Louisianna. I think it is great. Can you imagine how corrupt the place would be if there were not thousands and thousands of pentecostal, spirit-filled people praying for that place!!!!!!!!!
I started this thread several months ago and have decided not to move to Alexandria but I think it would be a great place to visit.