Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads.
actually most of the city is not trashed. there are certain pockets that are, definitely, but as a visitor or a college student - you probably wouldn't be in those areas anyway.
I think you definitely need to experience these places for yourself. You say you really want to move to Louisiana and you're asking questions about one city after the other ... my suggestion is to just hop on a plane or into a car and explore them for yourself. Have you ever even been to Louisiana? What's clean, safe and attractive to one person might not be to another.
But in my opinion, New Orleans is neither particularly clean or safe, but it's beautiful and it's culture is indescribeably awesome.
Go take a little road trip to all the cities you are asking about, and you will find your answers.
All bigger cities have its crime. You just have to be smart and stay away from the bad areas. Bossier is a nice town, Monroe doesn't have much, no shopping etc. I don't know about the other cities.
I agree, you should very thoroughly check out a place in person before determining whether or not you should move there. My personal opinion is this: assuming you do choose Louisiana, I think Shreveport is one of the better choices. That way, you can sort of keep up with what’s going on in the Dallas job market (Dallas is 3 hours to the west). That way, if you like Shreveport but end up having to move to a better job market , you can always drive 3 hours to see Shreveport friends once every other month or so
These are my comments about Monroe, which I grew up an hour from:
This is my comment on the Jackson, MS thread, about how each medium and large metros are going to offer a little something for everyone. In short, it assumes the section of town you live in is even more important than the metro itself (ignoring factors like the economy, weather, natural amenities & scenery, etc.)
Originally from Monroe, I used to say that the only thing worse was Shreveport. That was until right out of nursing school I landed a job there that paid about twice as I could have ever made in Monroe. So for almost ten years I lived in the Shreveport/ Bossier area. I could not have been more wrong. There are great people, safe neighborhoods, and great public schools. Most newer neighborhoods are gated with one was in and out. There is sidewalks, recycling centers, and good resturaunts. There are lots of community sponsored events i.e. The Red River Revel, Mardi Gras parades, fireworks on the river, Shine on Line, free concerts, a great yearly Air show at Barksdale AFB. Not to mention that the quality of healthcare services is outstanding. I moved back to Monroe, about 3yrs. ago to be close to family and boy did I really see a difference. They don't recycle, no sidewalks (even in upscale neighborhoods) limited parks and recreation options, the public schools are terrible, and no one seems to care (except for me!). Remember, there is badness everywhere if you go looking for it. Sometimes you have to step back to see the whole picture. I'll be glad to fill you in on the specs. should you opt for the SB area.
I've thought about coming to Shreveport for college, but it looks real trashy. I don't like it very much. Is it really that bad? Here is a video from Yotube shot around downtown Shreveport.
I watched the video clip, and it was really shot in downtown S'port. Which in all reality is really nice. They have a festival area, amplitheatre for outdoor concerts, there is a Sci-Port Discovery Center with a I-Max theatre inside, really beautiful gardens and a great area right next to the Red River. In the Video it does show a quich shot of the Strand Theatre, it doesn't do it justice. It is a really neat 1920's movie/playhouse that has been restored to it's original state. It is absolutely georgious inside. We still go back to attend performances from time to time. They also left out a downtown building that has one of the most stunning murals painted on the outside wrapping around the building. It is awesome. You probably can check it out on Shreveports web page. Also they have 2 really good local publications magazine, The Forum and City Lights is the names (I think). I am sure that they both have web pages- you should check them out, it micht give you a better idea of what Shreveport/Bossier life is really like. Good luck on your search.
P.S. I personally would not live in Baton Rouge (which means Red Stick). But my reasons are out of concern for my family. I have 2 children. Baton Rouge has a much greater incidence of cancer in children thought to be related to the nuclear power plant not far away. But that is just me. Your situation is totally different.
Okay, so I finally watched the video. Sure it looks trashy... you're seeing a city's urban core! Seriously now... you can't expect everything to be beautiful in a city's downtown.
That said, however, downtown Shreveport really is a beautiful place. It's just a place one has to visit for himself/herself. I will tell you that this weekend while I was driving around down there I noticed how many smaller, dilapidated buildings in the older parts of downtown are actually being renovated into living/office spaces. I was so impressed by that! Literally, everywhere you turn, old buildings are being renovated. One was even renovated into a 3-story nightclub.
I live in Shreveport. I have lived here 23 yrs. Shreveport has pretty places and not so pretty places. Downtown area is old buildings with a lot of history. Tha's more of a historical part of town. There are two beautiful casino's on the river front. Beautiful musems, fountains on the river front, in fact it's so pretty a lot of people that work downtown will walk around and run on their lunch breaks. This is all right near down town area. The city is pretty clean. During the day hours it is a quiet city. Their is several restaurants and night clubs under the bridge. (texas St. Bridge. The bridge is lit with neon lights at night. It looks awesome. At night their is things to do. It is a place to be on the weekends for out of towners. Across the river is Bossier City and they have just built a huge LA Boardwalk, Tons of stores, places to eat. Bass Pro, Joe's Crab Shack, Bannana Republic, outlets... It is safe. THey actually have curfews for kids and dress codes to enter in order to keep the atmosphere nice and safe. You feel safe their their are police men around patroling. It looks beautiful at night you can see all the buildings lit up and shining on the Red River. Both City are growing and its becoming a great place to live and homes are being built all the time now everywhere. Schools here are awesome too. LSUS, BPCC, Northwestern, Southern University, and more! Sprts are big here too. We have a new Centry Tel center in Bossier City for events like concerts, etc. A lot of movie makers are coming here to film also. They call it the new Hollywood. People that live here are excited about that. There are gorgeous lake, golf courses..We consider Bossier City and Shreveport the same city almost because they are so close. There are few places that look ghetto if you will. But come on that's just everywhere you go. But this city is not trashy. Crime here is not as bad as NO though. This city is not like NO. You should visit this area sometime.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
Thnx
Linear Mode
