Moving to Lafayette (apartment complex, for rent, how much)

[cartman]

I have so many questions!

What kind of health coverage is available? I have an HSA with Kaiser right now, but Kaiser is not in Louisiana.

What is the bug situation like in LA? Do you have to deal with household pests on a regular basis, like spraying regularly?

What is the air and water quality like?

I've read a lot of posts about the bad traffic. Any info on what the city's plans are for developoing the infrastructure?

Is Lafayette doing well economically?

Any areas you would recommend for renting? Someplace quiet is one of my priorities.

Any info would be helpful!
Thank you

[darchinst]

ill tell you what i can:

1. not sure about everything available, but my last three jobs all have had blue cross/ blue shield medical and dental.

2. depends on the house and area. where i live now i have never had a bug problem in the house. well, except for that one time little sugar ants figured out how to get through a crack beneath the door. mosquitos on the other hand, can be bad, but never real bad in the city of lafayette. buy a can of deep woods off, not the regular one. you'll use it on occasion.

3. i've had two houses in lafayette, one on the north side of town and one on the south. The water at both places is perfect. clean, clear, tastes like nothing. not hard or soft. The air is clean, not as clean as mountain air, but still clean.

4. the traffic is bad on ambassador caffery and johnston st, lafayette's two main roads. once you live here you'll quickly learn to get almost anywhere while avoiding these roads. and it's not always bad, never as bad as some places i've been. they cant really do anything to make it better to me though, i don't know.

5. I know the Oil industry is overall, despite the slowdown. This whole recession thing affected Lafayette least and last, mostly because of the oil industry. This is a college and Oilfield town really. I think lafayette is doing ok. I still see help wanted signs here and there, so that's good.

6. If your looking for a house to rent thats clean and quiet, come to my neighborhood. search for broadmoor elementary and get a house anywhere in that huge neighborhood all around it. no trash on the ground, everyone keeps their grass cut, kids play and people jog in the afternoons, it is very quiet, and its also in the middle of lafayette. ambassador caffery runs on one side of it, johnston st on another, south college on another, and the vermillion river on the last. you can get to ul, any restaurant or business in a couple of minutes. really an awesome neighborhood. i know that right now on antigua dr. there are 4 homes for rent, and others scattered around between antigua and broadmoor elementary.

[cartman]

Hey darchinst

Thanks for all of that good information! Probably will be looking for an apartment instead of a house, but it's good to know about the bugs not being so bad. Ants, I can put up with, but they can be a pain, for sure.

Now I'm really starting to get excited about my move!

[darchinst]

you're welcome. i think you'll like lafayette. i love living here. food is awesome, better than n.o. in my opinion, downtown is a great place to go out, etc. get an apartment on the south side and you'll be all good. Good luck with the move!

[Innotech]

What is the bug situation like in LA? Do you have to deal with household pests on a regular basis, like spraying regularly?
fire ants. You will encounter these in and outside of your house almost guaranteed. Just be careful where you stand outside and not to leave food out on a table or otherwise for a long time. Mosquitos can be very bad here, but the city sprays frequently.

What is the air and water quality like?
very clear, clean, and tasty water. I drink the tapwater alot and prefer it to most bottled water.

the traffic is frankly horrific for a city of this size but there are plans to improve the flow down I49 and a few more connecting roads on the outskirts near Kaliste saloom and Verot school road amongst others, but this work has been very very slow and in some cases hasnt gotten off the ground anywhere except the northside.

Is Lafayette doing well economically?
4.1% unemployment as of this month. Overall pretty solid economically and last year was considered one of the top 10 midsize cities in the country for business growth. Not sure how it would rank now but there is stuff being built and renovated all over town and the surrounding areas.

[cartman]

Hey darchinst

I'm back with a couple of questions. When you said there are houses for rent in your neighborhood, how much are they renting for? Then depending on your answer to that, my next question would be, what is a decent apartment complex that is quiet, and how much could I expect to pay in rent? It's getting closer to move time, and I've seen apartments online that are just all across the board in price. I don't need to live in the best and brightest, just clean and quiet!

Thanks in advance for any info!