Relocating to Shreveport/Bossier City...some heads-up? (Minden, Reserve: middle-class, apartment complex)

[TraciK]

There used to a very small park called Hamels. I moved away 10 yrs ago due to military. I'm not sure if its still there or not. There is a waterpark called watertown.

[SBCmetroguy]

WaterTown USA still exists, but Hamel's was sold and mismanaged, and ultimately closed. The site is now home to RiverParkChurch.Net and is surrounded by new homes and apartments. Ten years ago, it was all pasture land surrounding Hamel's.

[TraciK]

OMG! S'port/Bossier is growing so much! Every time I go back there's more and more.

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by TraciK

OMG! S'port/Bossier is growing so much! Every time I go back there's more and more.

Obviously Bossier's growth rate is much higher than that of Shreveport, but Shreveport's biggest growth is to the south. Starting at about East Preston and heading all the way to near the Caddo/DeSoto Parish line is where Shreveport is growing rapidly. The Hamel family is selling all their property off, piece-by-piece. There is another large subdivision in the works, only about 1 mile from the old Hamel's site.

Incase you didn't know, the Shreveport Barksdale Bridge, connecting Barksdale Air Force Base to the Shreve City area, is nearing completion of total overhaul. A few years ago they replaced the entire surface of the southern span of the bridge, and they're currently in the process of rebuilding the entire northern span from the ground up and adding on/off ramps on the Bossier side (finally) to tie into the Teague Parkway along Bossier's riverfront. There's a nice, large veterans' home there now, and a cloverleaf on/off ramp for the bridge. Shreve City is in the middle of a complete overhaul, beginning with a new Wal-Mart. Two-four years ago a new Super 1 Foods opened just down from Shreve City, and that started the regeneration of the area. Now Wal-Mart is nearing completion of a huge, upscale supercenter to serve central Shreveport. It's long overdue, and will obviously be well-received.

[TraciK]

Yes, I did see some construction on that bridge. I didn't know they were redoing the whole thing though. My first apartment was the one right at the bottom of that bridge, I think it was The Chauteau (sp). That sure does bring back some memories!

[shreveportfirl]

Originally Posted by lisaurart

I lived in Bossier for 14 years and taught in both Caddo and Bossier Parishes.
I am not going to bash S'Port either but if you have kids in school please check the schools in S'Port carefully. As in any inner city, they are experincing a lot of problems, and since I have taught in both parishes, I can tell you Caddo Parish is not run well at all. There are some good schools there but please reserach it well on GreatSchools.net. Bosseir schools on the whole are better. We lived in N. Bossier and loved it but he traffic can be tough. Still a lot of military families in S.Bosser so that might be an angle to cehck out.

I have thouroghly checked into this "bossier schools are better than shreveport schools" & have only found that it is hard to compare one to the other. There are NUMEROUS Shreveport schools and not so many Bossier schools. Yes, there are some schools in Shreveport that you just don't want to send your child to, but then again there are in Bossier too. The top school in Caddo/Bossier Parish are SHREVEPORT schools. There is a list that comes out in the newspaper each & every year that displays then & you can find it online also. Shreveport has many great schools, and in my opinion, when you research and find the best school, it is not in Bossier, but in Shreveport. You can send your child out of district in Shreveport to a Magnet program, there are several magnet schools. These are the best of the best!!

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by shreveportfirl

I have thouroghly checked into this "bossier schools are better than shreveport schools" & have only found that it is hard to compare one to the other. There are NUMEROUS Shreveport schools and not so many Bossier schools. Yes, there are some schools in Shreveport that you just don't want to send your child to, but then again there are in Bossier too. The top school in Caddo/Bossier Parish are SHREVEPORT schools. There is a list that comes out in the newspaper each & every year that displays then & you can find it online also. Shreveport has many great schools, and in my opinion, when you research and find the best school, it is not in Bossier, but in Shreveport. You can send your child out of district in Shreveport to a Magnet program, there are several magnet schools. These are the best of the best!!

Only magnet schools and private schools in Shreveport are good schools. As far as regular public schools, Bossier's schools are much better.

It's a fact.

[IloveNOLA]

Originally Posted by SBCmetroguy

Only magnet schools and private schools in Shreveport are good schools. As far as regular public schools, Bossier's schools are much better.

It's a fact.

You are absolutely right. Overall, the Bossier school system is much better than Caddo's and the stats show it.

[tamoharris]

Are you still interested in information about Shreveport/Bossier? I live in Bossier and would be happy to fill you in. I love it. I lived in Shreveport for 14 years but moved to Bossier in 1994. It is safer and quieter, however, we do have traffic issues. But I have never been afraid here and I was in Shreveport. It is a nice area. You need to look in North Bossier, past I-220, or extreme south Bossier, near the Jimmie Davis bridge and south, for a home. Those are the best locations. I live very near the base in an older neighborhood with big lots and old homes but there are no longer any homes for sale in this particular area. There are some very nice patio and town homes behind me. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. We have state of the art hospitals and quality medical facilities, doctors, etc. The schools in Bossier are better. But I see you do not have children. We rarely have racial problems in Bossier. The police are very strict. They are there in a flash if you need them. It is a very nice place to live. I moved here from Texas (born and raised there). I love Louisiana and the people. They are friendly. I hope you have a good experience here. Welcome!

[Khartley]

Originally Posted by tamoharris

Are you still interested in information about Shreveport/Bossier? I live in Bossier and would be happy to fill you in. I love it. I lived in Shreveport for 14 years but moved to Bossier in 1994. It is safer and quieter, however, we do have traffic issues. But I have never been afraid here and I was in Shreveport. It is a nice area. You need to look in North Bossier, past I-220, or extreme south Bossier, near the Jimmie Davis bridge and south, for a home. Those are the best locations. I live very near the base in an older neighborhood with big lots and old homes but there are no longer any homes for sale in this particular area. There are some very nice patio and town homes behind me. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. We have state of the art hospitals and quality medical facilities, doctors, etc. The schools in Bossier are better. But I see you do not have children. We rarely have racial problems in Bossier. The police are very strict. They are there in a flash if you need them. It is a very nice place to live. I moved here from Texas (born and raised there). I love Louisiana and the people. They are friendly. I hope you have a good experience here. Welcome!

Can I take you up on your offer for more info? My family and I are relocating to Bossier City from Texas really soon and have narrowed down where we are going to live to three apartment complexes and if you could give us your opinion on them that would be great. The Reserve, Cypress Point (both on Airline drive-north of 220) and Lexington Place on Williamsburg Place (just south of 20 and north of barksdale). We're basically just wondering which one is in the best neighborhood (safest, cleanest) and which look the nicest. We really appreciate any insight you may have.