Moving to the South... from Seattle (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: movies, college, living in)

[potentialsoutherner?]

Hi all-
I am a student in Seattle, and I've lived here my entire life. Before I go to college, I plan on taking a gap year and doing national service with Americorps, in order to experience a different part of the country. From Seattle, the South is pretty much as different as you can get :D Although I'm sure that my understanding of this region is romanticized and inaccurate to some degree (within the US, I've never been south of Colorado, save for airports), I really would love to spend a year living in some part of the south that has maintained some of the cultural features that South is so well known for... music, diversity, etc.
I am aware that given the differences, living anywhere in the South would be a HUGE change for me.... I'm Jewish (not practicing), white, female, and pretty much as Seattle-ish as you can get (it's not like I try to be :D). Seattle is kind of one giant cliche (not that I'm complaining) which is one reason I'm looking for somewhere different.... does not need to be a city.
Anyways, I am looking for any recommendations on where in the South I should consider relocating to ( I know this is a Louisiana thread... sorry my question is more generic), where I can find a sort of authentic Southern culture type place.... maybe with nice scenery?
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[sailordave]

There is a region of Louisiana commonly called Acadiana. Lafayette is the biggest city in this area but it's not a metropolitian type city. From Lafayette you are easily within driving distance of the wetlands which has some great beauty and wildlife especially in the spring,...bring Deep Woods Off mosquito spray if you go there. In the fall we have lots of small town festivals mostly built around food and music. The people at these festivals are very friendly and helpful especially if you tell them you're new to the area and don't know what foods to try or how to eat boiled crawfish or boudin. There is one Jewish temple that I know of that's near a popular roadway and restaurants. There are some nearby towns that look so historic that they're used as backdrops for Hollywood movies. This may sound strange but a visit to local cemetaries would also be an interesting tour. Many parts of south Louisiana have tombs above ground because flooding will cause the caskets to float out the ground and float away. This happened with the last few hurricanes. Some of these tombs are beautiful and their ingravings are historic in nature such as civil war, WW1, and WW2 graves. The churches in this area are beautifully decorated inside with stained glass windows, paintings, and wood carvings. My hometown of Carencro's St. Peter church has a beautifully carved alter that came from Europe I believe.

[potentialsoutherner?]

thanks for your suggestion! is there major hurricane danger in that area? also if anyone else has thoughts about other parts of the south... i'm open and pretty much ignorant about the whole region... thanks guys!!!!!

[sailordave]

The Acadiana area is pretty vast. South of Interstate 10 can get hit pretty hard by hurricanes. North of Interstate 10 does pretty well. I'll do a search and put a link here for you.

[MetroBTR]

Louisiana does have scenery, but what you consider scenery and what we consider scenery may be two different things (: . Anyway, Around Shreveport there are alot of hills and pine trees, that sort of thing. But Almost no Louisiana stereotypes apply to Shreveport. IMO northwestern Louisiana is almost like Northeast Texas as far as their culture. The complete opposite side of the spectrum from New Orleans, which offers the typical "Louisiana" culture, along with lots of waterways and wetlands (my favorite type of scenery). Mississippi Gulf coast also has beautiful scenery.

I am also a fan of Appalachian mountain scenery. They are very green mountains and driving through that area always makes me feel really peaceful.

[sailordave]

Don't know how devout you are to your faith but be warned that many of the foods here are made with pork and shell fish. Boudin is commonly made from pork so if you won't eat pork, ask for deer, chicken, or beef boudin. Shrimp, oysters, crawfish, and crabs are eaten at many restaurants.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by potentialsoutherner?

thanks for your suggestion! is there major hurricane danger in that area? also if anyone else has thoughts about other parts of the south... i'm open and pretty much ignorant about the whole region... thanks guys!!!!!

You have hurricanes, but it's not an every year thing. And while they're very inconvenient, just make sure you have a propane grill for when the lights go out. And be wary of living in areas with too many trees in your yard

[nisha1030]

Hi,
I actually just moved from Spokane in August after living there for 3 years to Shreveport, LA and have been to Seattle a few times. Seattle is a fairly big city so if that is what you're looking for, you might want to look at Dallas or San Antonio, TX which is not far from Louisiana or if you want more Southeast than Southwest I would suggest somewhere like Charleston, SC or Atlanta GA. If you don't mind a smaller city (approx 300,000 ppl) than Shreveport/ Bossier City, LA isn't too bad. Its not what you think of when you think of LA but you'd have to go to New Orleans or Baton Rouge for that, and there you are put in the path of hurricanes. Raleigh, NC and Jacksonville, FL I heard were nice as well. I miss the NW scenery and even the snow a little bit . However, the warm weather and good food makes up for that.

[darylwi]

Places in the south I'd suggest (if just for a short while even):
NOLA
Mobile
Jacksonville
Atlanta
Or in Texas: Austin, DFW & Houston (in that order).

[oilfield]

I have a little bit of expertise in this area. I was born and raised in Portland OR. I knew nothing of the south except hot,muggy,and lots of bugs. At the age of 26 I had married a Cajun and thought that a change of lifestyle would be nice to start a family. It was the best choice I have every made. I found different types of people then what I was used to, a slower lifestyle and people that seemed to enjoy what the have instead of what they want, or the next guy has. I live in the Acadiana area, Broussard to be exact but have also lived in New Iberia and Jeanerette. Each place I enjoyed and met nice people, but like anywhere else you have the good with the bad. Lafayette for example reminds me a lot of Portland. It is expanding faster than the roads can hold it,but it to is a great city. We don't have the beaches here like the west coast with big breakers and sandy beaches, but its a good trade off for nice weather without the constant "drizzle", and the best food around. I will probably never move away from this area. It seems to be the right match for me and my family but everyone is different. I promise that if you do come down just for a while you will never find anywhere else like southern Louisiana.