moving to hammond. (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Albany: for rent, crime rate, house)

[jeemom5]

Hi my family and i are moving to hammond, we currently live in waggaman. so we know nothing baout the northshore or whats around there. we all ready have the house in a very nice subdivision. We are looking to get to know the area better can somsone please help !!!?

[BB4321]

Hammond is a nice place. It is a college town. The home of SLU! (Go Lions!!) There is a focus on the arts in the downtown area. Lots of good restaurants. There are several good parks. North Park with a walking trail and water park, Cate square is historic and a quieter park, Clark park has a brand new huge play structure. A childrens museum is already in the works. Our mall is being redone into an outdoor living center. We have a super Walmart now and Target will be here soon. We have a palace movie theater.There are many opportunities to get involved in sports. There is a skate park. There are many civic groups and ssocial organizations. We are 45 minutes from New Orleans and 35 minutes from Baton Rouge. Hammond is really growing right now. It is a beautiful place to live in or visit.

[buildings_and_bridges]

Moderator cut: edit as someone who lived in Hammond for years, I want to point out that I always felt safe. The few people I knew of who wound up being victims of muggings and such were outside doing something past midnight, and I figure that no matter where you are, if you're walking around in a poorly-lit area past midnight, lots of things can happen to you.

I think Hammond is a great place to be if you don't want to be out in the country but also don't want to be a in a large city with awful traffic. It has seen so much growth in the past couple of decades, and there's more to come, as another poster said. Some unique restaurants are there, like Tope La, too. And though it's missing some things for the moment, the drive to Baton Rouge isn't bad at all. Driving to New Orleans from time to time isn't infeasible from there, either (I knew some people who were commuting to work from New Orleans, actually).

[tboyd6879]

Originally Posted by jeemom5

Hi my family and i are moving to hammond, we currently live in waggaman. so we know nothing baout the northshore or whats around there. we all ready have the house in a very nice subdivision. We are looking to get to know the area better can somsone please help !!!?

I am getting ready to move there and I need to know the street or place where I can find a room for rent or salvation army

[tboyd6879]

I just got a job at the VA in hommond La and I need to know where to find a room for rent or salvation army to stay at.

[Albanian09]

People moving to Hammond should be aware that its reputation as a small, low-crime city are out of date. Several years ago the crime rate began to soar and overall is now at about double the national average. Locals blame Katrina, but the increase had already occurred before the Hurricane. On the other hand, crime is half that in New Orleans, which is one of the nation's worst cities for crime. Moderator cut: deleted link to competing website

[buildings_and_bridges]

Originally Posted by Albanian09

People moving to Hammond should be aware that its reputation as a small, low-crime city are out of date. Several years ago the crime rate began to soar and overall is now at about double the national average. Locals blame Katrina, but the increase had already occurred before the Hurricane. On the other hand, crime is half that in New Orleans, which is one of the nation's worst cities for crime. Moderator cut: deleted link to competing website

Have you ever lived in Hammond?

[Albanian09]

This is also backed up by the stats on this website, which shows high crime in 2001 as well as today:
City-data.com crime index = 1502.7 (higher means more crime, US average = 309.6)

[Albanian09]

I live five miles away in Albany. For this reason I keep a close eye on the local news. Even tiny Albany has had some crime recently.

[buildings_and_bridges]

Originally Posted by Albanian09

I live five miles away in Albany. For this reason I keep a close eye on the local news. Even tiny Albany has had some crime recently.

As I said, I lived in Hammond for years, and I was never a victim of a violent crime. I didn't know anyone else who was, either. I don't believe in allowing statistics to dictate one's decision to live somewhere. I know people who are happy living in New Orleans, despite what the media says. You should be careful wherever you are, obviously.