Moving to Shreveport/Bossier from Another Planet -- help? (Bossier City: apartments, rent)

[ALJohnson]

My boyfriend and I are going to be moving to the Shreveport/Bossier area in June for his work and I'm looking for advice. We won't be able to visit before we move, so we'll have to do things like rent an apartment without actually seeing it. I've never been to the area (or the state...or the south, for that matter), but I'm sure that like all cities it has areas that you don't really want to live in if you have a choice. Could someone tell me what they are (in terms that will allow me to find them on a map)? We're a young couple with no kids, just looking for an inexpensive apartment in a safe neighborhood.

Also, how is the public transportation in Shreveport/Bossier? And how is Bossier pronounced?

I would really appreciate ANY other advice about moving to the area as well. I've never made a move like this and I've only lived in rural areas of the Northeast and Alaska, so I'm very lost.

Thank you!

[EtherBunster]

I'm new here too and moved here without being able to visit first. We rented through a property manager and used google map with street view to virtually wander through the neighborhoods and surrounding areas to get a feel for them.

As far as pronouncing Bossier... I can't think of a word that rhymes with it. Maybe take "hose" like it garden hose, replace the H with a B and and add an R to the end. Sorry, that's the best that I can do.

[hindsight2020]

It's pronounced "Bousher" City, there ya go.....

[hank0604]

Bossier is pronounced... well that one is hard. The "bo" is pronounced like elb"ow", and the "ssier" is pronounced kind of like it is in "hoosier."

As for public transportation, it is fairly limited. Check out www.sportran.org for a list of bus routes. Most are in Shreveport, though they do have a couple of Bossier routes. All in all, it is not a very widely used system.

As far as areas to live, neighborhoods are funny in SB. There aren't neighborhoods per se, not like in NYC where there is Greenwich Village, Tribeca, SoHo, etc... There is N,S,E,W of Shreveport, and a N,S, and Central Bossier. In these areas lie housing subdivisions, which are what most people refer to as the "neighborhoods." So if you are looking for a house, you look in neighborhoods. But if you are looking for apartments, you look for individual apartment communities in certain areas of the city. For instance, I lived once in Raintree Apartments which is in South Shreveport. Right across the road was a housing subdivision, called by most to be the South Broadmoor neighborhood. Confused yet?

Generally speaking, look to live in either North Bossier or South Shreveport. Those are the areas with the most commercial development and the quickest access to major thoroughfares, as well as the lowest crime. Far south Bossier is also a nice area, but pretty far away from everything in my opinion. Another option to consider is the area bounded by Olive Street on the north, Kings Highway on the south, Youree Drive to the east, and Line Avenue to the west. There are some sketchy patches in this area, but for the most part it is a lot of really nice, older homes that can be had for a steal of a price. If I were moving back to the area, that is where I would be looking. And depending on your budget there are some great buildings in downtown Shreveport that are being rehabbed into condos, but they're pricey (175k and up)

[tbayle]

Sounds to me like Bossier rhymes with Chose Your....

[SBCmetroguy]

Near the top of Bossier City's Wikipedia page, it gives the correct pronunciation: here.

[ALJohnson]

Thanks everyone for answering the Bossier question. I think I've got it.

Thanks a lot hank0604. That was very helpful.

Can anyone tell me what the job market is like? What are the largest employers (besides Barksdale)?

[hank0604]

It's mainly a service based economy, though there are some large manufacturing operations in the area. General Motors has a plant in SW Shreveport. I left the area right after college, so I'm not sure about everything on the job front. The movie industry is still strong in the area and the natural gas industry is exploding, so there have been a lot of businesses popping up to service those two industries. While I was in school you could make a good day's living by showing up to the casting calls for extras.

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by hank0604

It's mainly a service based economy, though there are some large manufacturing operations in the area. General Motors has a plant in SW Shreveport. I left the area right after college, so I'm not sure about everything on the job front. The movie industry is still strong in the area and the natural gas industry is exploding, so there have been a lot of businesses popping up to service those two industries. While I was in school you could make a good day's living by showing up to the casting calls for extras.

Damn, you must not have been away very long yet... 3 years tops?

[hank0604]

Yeah about 3 years. I spent a couple in Austin, TX then moved up here to Chicago. My parents still live in east Bossier, so I make it back to gamble and play golf about 3-4 times a year.

Is the GM plant still doing okay with all the problems in Detroit?