Pros and Cons of moving to Ruston, LA or similar small town (Shreveport: school, salary)

[tsepts]

I am from Grambling, LA which is five minutes from Ruston,la. They are both small college towns. If you are in to the party scene this is not the place for you. The area is growing tremendously.

[BeenThereDunThat]

Ruston is a college-town and like a lot of colleges, the social scene is dominated by sports. The Lady Techsters basketball team is their national brand as the team has built quite a sports legacy. And of course you can't forget Karl "The Mailman" Malone as he is also an alumni. Terry Bradshaw played FB there and I so did Bert Jones ( I believe ). The school is okay, decent program and the facilities are good ( not fantastic ). Having said that...Ruston is very, very, very....yawn!!! Typical
college town but not in a good way. It's dullsville and unless you get into the La. Tech cult-like spirit, you'll find yourself wanting more. You'll be spending inordinate amount of time in Shreveport-Bossier to get a bigger-city fix and you'll probably find yourself going to Dallas, TX for long weekends as it's 3 hrs drive from S'port ( 4+ hrs from Ruston ).

Sorry...but Ruston is what it is ( or isn't in this case ).

[hdwell]

Bert played at LSU. Joe Ferguson QB for the Buffalo Bills played at Tech.

[BeenThereDunThat]

You are correct... I stand corrected!

Thanks!

[hdwell]

Originally Posted by BeenThereDunThat

You are correct... I stand corrected!

Thanks!

You're welcome

[journeywoman810]

As someone who lives in Ruston currently and has lived in larger cities, I think I can provide some valuable input to help you make your decision.

1) Ruston is an absolutely wonderful place to raise children. If you have children, you will have few, if any, security concerns. This is the reason my husband and I chose to return to Ruston permanently after living in larger cities (Raleigh, Dallas). That and the fact that my husband's family is from here.

2) Ruston is EXTREMELY conservative in every sense of the word. Politcally, it's very red. Religion plays a major role in the lives of its people, and like in many parts of the South, many have fundamental beliefs. If you don't go to church, you will find it difficult to make a large group of friends--the people can be cliquish--unless you are part of the university. Yes, there are adult education classes at the university, but they are probably not of the quality you would expect coming from New York having world class universities at your disposal. There's a lot of cake decorating and such. Not much in the way of art and culture. However, there are exceptions every now and again.

3) The restaurant scene is dismal. Again, especially considering you are from New York. It has been only recently that wine was allowed to be served at restaurants, and only after many people signed a petition that forced the city to allow it. (You might consider that a business opportunity if you decided to stay.)

4) Ditto for the arts and culture. A movie theatre opened a couple of years ago. There are activities provided by the university. It would be a HUGE culture shock for you.

5) Ruston is a wealthy town, and in some parts of the area it's referred to as "the bubble". Very much like University Park and Highland Park near downtown Dallas, although not to that degree. I don't know what your financial specialty is, but if you know how to market yourself, the possibilities for you could be good if you decide you want to stay.

6) The outdoor scene is good. Hunting and fishing are major pastimes. There are lots of lakes for water sports and a large park with some nice bike trails nearby. The air quality is excellent.

7) You would need to buy a car if you don't already have one. Unlike New York, getting around in Ruston requires a car. There is no public transportation.

Two larger metro areas within easy driving distances have more to offer. The twin cities of Monroe/West Monroe are about a 30 minute drive east. Shreveport is about an hour's drive west.

Personally? I agreed to move back to Ruston only if my husband agreed to make the 4-hour drive to Dallas 3-4 times a year.

[journeywoman810]

Oh, and please don't call the university "Louisiana Technical School." You'll step on a lot of toes for doing that. It's Louisiana Tech University. The community is very proud of their school, even though it's fourth-tier. Actually, it has some good programs. Their engineering and business programs are considered to be pretty good, and it has a notable nano-technology program as well.

[UnemployedFinanceGuy]

Originally Posted by journeywoman810

As someone who lives in Ruston currently and has lived in larger cities, I think I can provide some valuable input to help you make your decision.

1) Ruston is an absolutely wonderful place to raise children. If you have children, you will have few, if any, security concerns. This is the reason my husband and I chose to return to Ruston permanently after living in larger cities (Raleigh, Dallas). That and the fact that my husband's family is from here.

2) Ruston is EXTREMELY conservative in every sense of the word. Politcally, it's very red. Religion plays a major role in the lives of its people, and like in many parts of the South, many have fundamental beliefs. If you don't go to church, you will find it difficult to make a large group of friends--the people can be cliquish--unless you are part of the university. Yes, there are adult education classes at the university, but they are probably not of the quality you would expect coming from New York having world class universities at your disposal. There's a lot of cake decorating and such. Not much in the way of art and culture. However, there are exceptions every now and again.

3) The restaurant scene is dismal. Again, especially considering you are from New York. It has been only recently that wine was allowed to be served at restaurants, and only after many people signed a petition that forced the city to allow it. (You might consider that a business opportunity if you decided to stay.)

4) Ditto for the arts and culture. A movie theatre opened a couple of years ago. There are activities provided by the university. It would be a HUGE culture shock for you.

5) Ruston is a wealthy town, and in some parts of the area it's referred to as "the bubble". Very much like University Park and Highland Park near downtown Dallas, although not to that degree. I don't know what your financial specialty is, but if you know how to market yourself, the possibilities for you could be good if you decide you want to stay.

6) The outdoor scene is good. Hunting and fishing are major pastimes. There are lots of lakes for water sports and a large park with some nice bike trails nearby. The air quality is excellent.

7) You would need to buy a car if you don't already have one. Unlike New York, getting around in Ruston requires a car. There is no public transportation.

Two larger metro areas within easy driving distances have more to offer. The twin cities of Monroe/West Monroe are about a 30 minute drive east. Shreveport is about an hour's drive west.

Personally? I agreed to move back to Ruston only if my husband agreed to make the 4-hour drive to Dallas 3-4 times a year.

Journeywoman, thank you very much indeed for giving me such a detailed picture of Ruston. Especially the part about the churches with fundmentalist beliefs is a bit discouraging for me (I am Jewish - non practising). I do not intend to be part of a church group - so I suppose my social options may be limited. My parents moved recently from NY to Florida and so far they love it. I am also getting quite old (I will be 31 next year) so am looking to move to a quieter pace of life and so far my girl friend has been supportive. If I move to Ruston I will definitely be looking to do some business either in Real Estate or Investment consulting (very small population in Ruston for this) or just starting a bar/ dance club for the University students.

In your opinion, is Ruston too conservative to even allow a bar /dance club/ restaurant for the University kids or do you think they might allow this?

[journeywoman810]

The possibility of a nightclub is questionable for a couple of reasons:

1) The university is what's considered a "suitcase college." The students go home after classes on Friday. Business would be great on Thursday night, but weekends would be slow. I don't know how lucrative it would be.

2) The sale of hard alcohol and wine is allowed only in restaurants. A nightclub would need to be located outside the city limits. Only beer and wine coolers can be sold inside city limits if the establishment is not considered a restaurant. I don't know what the sales ratio of food:alcohol would have to be for the establishment to be considered a restaurant.

I apologize for seeming so negative. Ruston truly is extremely conservative. This makes it a great place for kids.

On the other hand, the real estate market is booming. It has seen little, if any, of the effects of the national downturn. At least none that I can see.

[redbean]

Originally Posted by UnemployedFinanceGuy

Journeywoman, thank you very much indeed for giving me such a detailed picture of Ruston. Especially the part about the churches with fundmentalist beliefs is a bit discouraging for me (I am Jewish - non practising). I do not intend to be part of a church group - so I suppose my social options may be limited. My parents moved recently from NY to Florida and so far they love it. I am also getting quite old (I will be 31 next year) so am looking to move to a quieter pace of life and so far my girl friend has been supportive. If I move to Ruston I will definitely be looking to do some business either in Real Estate or Investment consulting (very small population in Ruston for this) or just starting a bar/ dance club for the University students.

In your opinion, is Ruston too conservative to even allow a bar /dance club/ restaurant for the University kids or do you think they might allow this?

When reading this post, it occurs to me that Lafayette or Baton Rouge might be a much better area for you, if you want to be in Louisiana. It'll still be a "quieter pace of life" than what you are used to. The cost of living really isn't that much different than Ruston. There's more of a unique culture here that you may find interesting also. Hope you find your spot!