Thinking about relocating to Covington (New Iberia, Mandeville: sales, job market, schools)

[sreaux]

Originally from New Iberia, my family and I are thinking about relocating back to Louisiana to be closer to family. Currently, we live in Round Rock, TX (a sub of Austin). We have come accustom to great schools, a huge selection of extracurricular activities, clean, beautiful surroundings, a safe environment, and just about every modern conveniences and shopping near by. We do not want to give up this quality of life. However, the price of land is outrageous here and life is too short to miss out on extended family gatherings. It would be ideal for us to find a place with a few acres in addition to the important factors I mentioned before.

We hear Covington, La is a great place to live and raise a family. All the postings I have found were from 2006 and 2007. Can anyone give me insight on Covington or suggestions for other communities?

[Doogie]

Covington and Mandeville are definitely some of the better places to live. The biggest problem there is the growth is outpacing the planning so there are / are going to be issues with that. Traffic is getting heavier all the time and, of course, prices reflect the demand. Abita Springs is another area that has a small town feel and still has some acreage options but again, you'll pay for it.

[sreaux]

Thank you for your help.

[usnretired]

Sreaux,

You've got all that there in TX and you want to come back HERE? I moved back to LA,(after my military career) becuase of family too, but am now realizing family is not enough, I wish I could afford to leave tommorrow! Louisiana is great place to visit but having to be here 24/7 is another matter- good luck!

[BRMan]

Oh, it's not THAT bad. We have our issues, but that applies to ANY state.....

Originally Posted by usnretired

Sreaux,

You've got all that there in TX and you want to come back HERE? I moved back to LA,(after my military career) becuase of family too, but am now realizing family is not enough, I wish I could afford to leave tommorrow! Louisiana is great place to visit but having to be here 24/7 is another matter- good luck!

[christebo]

I don't know your situation and why you would move here other than what you mention.

I graduated from Round Rock HS and lived in that area before the major boom/Dell. I am still well acquainted with Austin and the surrounding areas. Land pressure is big there and will cause the increases in pricing you are experiencing. This happens in every major city I can think of.

Currently, we live in Mandeville which is next to Covington. We do love it but I would think carefully before moving to the area for long-term employment reasons. I don't know what your career field is. If it is oil/gas related you will probably be very good.

We moved here for career reasons and for my specific marketing job. There aren't a lot of positions in the area for what I do. Without knowing more, I would suggest you look at other areas in Texas as the job market is much more robust. There are many areas in the DFW and even Houston that would offer much more job/career security than this area of Louisiana. The issue with larger metro areas are traffic and congestion but both of these areas have a much more diverse economy than LA.

Ideally, I would still be in Texas in the aforementioned areas, living in a suburb town (we have young kids) and having no more than a 30 minute commute to work. While property taxes are higher for most of Texas (they are dropping some), sales tax is about 1% less and you don't have a 4% income tax. More items are taxable at the sales level too; medicine, many food items, etc. You will pay 4% on your existing vehicles to register them in LA even though you already paid sales tax. Food and utilities are cheaper in Texas too. We have a higher cost of living now than we did on the NE side of San Antonio.


I am not trying to knock the area here in LA as we do like it very much.
I just think there are more/better choices in Texas. They just might not be where you are at in the Austin area.

Good luck and think before leaping!

Chris

[usnretired]

Sorry BRMan, nice try! The highest murder rates, 90% humidity 5 months of the year, Intoxicated mayors crashing into toll plazas, "'Chocolate city" comments, KKK meetings gone bad, and the threat of hurricannes every year are NOT common to every other state!!

[mezzogirl]

I know you are thinking Covington- but you could also extend your search to Abita Springs, Lacombe, Madisonville and Pontchatoula. I'm not sure what the acreage will cost you, because land prices have soared, especially since Katrina. But all of these places are a great place to raise children but continue to live your current lifestyle. Of course, the best deals are not usually found through realtors, but through word of mouth, signifying that the good ole boy network still lives on in south LA.