how to relocate from nyc to shreveport (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: 2009, apartments)

[Ivona123]

Hey all,
First of all, thank you so much for reading this and trying to help.
I am a young professional and I currently work in NYC. I am very tired of being here and after some research I decided to going south is what I want to try. I am thinking about Shreveport area. I tried for applying for a few jobs but I know how it goes when I am currently in nyc... nobody bothers.. so I guess I have to move first and then look for a job. How is the job market there? I am not picky even that I do have a degree and exprience but I want to get settled and start somewhere. So I am wondering how much money should I have saved (you cannot save much nyc as you can imagine) and am I really crazy for thinking about moving without a job in a first place?
Please advice.
Ivona

[linicx]

The short answer is yes. You should NOT try to relocate unless you know you have a job. The recession is still on. although the economy is starting to improve slightly. I would suppose your expenses would be about $1500 -$2000 per month for rent, utilities, phone, Internet, transportation, laundry, personal supplies, etc.. until you get a job. Here are some newspapers, and other towns you might want to explore. If you look around each website there is a Classified section listed.

Shreveport
shreveporttimes.com | The Times | Shreveport news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Shreveport, Louisiana

Bossier City
nwlanews.com - Your home for news in Bossier and Webster Parishes

Baton Rouge
2theadvocate.com | Powered by The Advocate and WBRZ News 2 Louisiana — Baton Rouge, LA

Natchitoches (nak-ih-tish)
Natchitoches Times > Our Newspaper > Contact Us

Lafayette and St. Francisville
theadvertiser.com | The Advertiser | Lafayette news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Lafayette, Louisiana

New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper
The Times-Picayune Store - NOLA.com

Gonzales, La
Homepage - Gonzales, LA - Gonzales Weekly Citizen

[Ivona123]

Thank you so much for your reply. I will check all the links you have provided. I do understand that moving without a job there is not the best thing but it is very hard to find one when I dont live there right now. But I will try. Again, thank you for your response. It is much appreciated!Ivona

[bothody]

Why Shreveport? If you're moving to Louisiana why not to Houma or Thibodaux they have the best employment rate .

[darylwi]

Done it before. Quit a job and moved without a job. Would never do it again. And would never suggest it to anybody, although I know sometimes it works and you have to take risks to get what you want in life. But it was a horrible 3 months with no employment and another 4 months of employment that wasn't enjoyable. And that was during a lighter recession in 2001-2002. I definitely wouldn't do it now.
But if you're looking SBC, then why not look into North Texas as well, DFW for instance? There would be beaucoup more opportunity there. And Dallas is affordable. From what I hear, a lot of the Louisiana market is starting to slow down pretty good after being relatively free from the effects for a few months.

[hdwell]

Originally Posted by darylwi

Done it before. Quit a job and moved without a job. Would never do it again. And would never suggest it to anybody, although I know sometimes it works and you have to take risks to get what you want in life. But it was a horrible 3 months with no employment and another 4 months of employment that wasn't enjoyable. And that was during a lighter recession in 2001-2002. I definitely wouldn't do it now.
But if you're looking SBC, then why not look into North Texas as well, DFW for instance? There would be beaucoup more opportunity there. And Dallas is affordable. From what I hear, a lot of the Louisiana market is starting to slow down pretty good after being relatively free from the effects for a few months.

Maybe more opp, but the most recent figures show Texas unemployment higher than Louisiana's.

[urbanexplorer2009]

Originally Posted by bothody

Why Shreveport? If you're moving to Louisiana why not to Houma or Thibodaux they have the best employment rate .

Why NOT Shreveport? Low unemployment alone doesn't make a city a nice place in which to live. I'm sure the OP based their decision on a multitude of factors other than just unemployment. Moving from NYC to Shreveport is a huge leap, so I'm sure there was more to that decision than just tossing a dart at a map of the USA.

[Ivona123]

Hey all, thanks for all your replies. I am applying for jobs in the Shereveport area but like I said, its hard when I am here in NYC. I have been here 6 years and I need a better live.. but yeah... its a huge leap and there is a lot more to this decision that picking a random place. I want to try south. I NYC is killing me financially. I have read about many places and Shreveport area seems really great I just hope somebody can hire me

[Tigger81]

Ivona - I moved to metro New Orleans from NYC a couple of months ago. NYC was driving me nuts; I only lived there from mid-2005 until mid-2009. I do not regret leaving for a hot second.

It is very different here, so if you hate NYC you may love it here. On the other hand, people who love the hustle and bustle of NYC will probably not like it here.

Make sure you have a job before you leave. I applied for jobs via online applications, paper applications I mailed in, and emailed resumes. I flew down for an interview and looked at apartments on the same trip. Because I didn't have official word on the job yet, I looked at a bunch of apartments, took photos on their tours (with permission) to look at later, and took their applications with me. Later, I was able to fax the apartment applications to get an apartment at a complex I had already seen in person.

As for the financial bit - double and triple check your budget....I find that my budget is a bit tighter HERE than in NYC. Here's why:
-My pay is lower than in NYC because cost of living is supposedly lower.
-I did not own a car in NYC, so I am now paying for car payments, car insurance, car maintenance, and gas. That comes to a lot more every month than my unlimited $80 Metrocard.
-My housing costs are lower than in NYC, but not substantially, but it is a LOT nicer!!
-Taxes are lower than NYC; utilities have been roughly the same.

Hope this helps...

[Ivona123]

Tigger81 - thanks so much for your reply. I love nyc but lately I jsut cannot justify this love. See I live in NJ and I commute to nyc every day. I dont want to move there and after doing some "soul searching" I have realized that there are better places to live in, better live quality, better people.
I currently have a car and I love it becuase it gives me freedoom. I do a lot of road trips (distance dont not scare me). I am trying to apply for jobs but it is not going too well (as you can imagine..)
I need to have some kind of job before I move to LA. Even if it is not what I want I will take it so I can settle and keep looking. As far of finances I am not concern that a move from nyc to LA will be a shoker in the waller department as my job right now sucks anyhow... I am hoping for at least one interview so I can fly don for a few days and look at places at the same time. I am ready to get the hell out of NJ and NYC.
Your answer HELPS A LOT!!!
Thank you!!