Is NOLA really such a BAD city for families?

[topaz88]

your opinions are all very much appreciated.... some very interesting answers.

[henderson702]

Originally Posted by topaz88

I was recently in NOLA and then in suburban Florida and I must say I found NOLA to be a much more pleasing place for a middle class family to raise kids. Suburban Florida was like this huge, cookie cutter, place with absolutely no culture, unless you count strip malls and big box chains (lol). The schools there weren't that impressive either (even private schools) and it seems like there is very little intellectual culture in FL. There just seemed to be so much pressure and emphasis on having a luxury car, the perfect beach body (plastic surgery), and money more than anything with any substance. Of course this is a generalization, but you see what I mean...

Then I went to NOLA and just felt so at-home. I spent most of my time walking (we parked at Whole Foods on Magazine, then walked, and walked, and walked). I also loved how much nature there was (live oak trees!) and it seems like there is an increasing "back to nature" movement going on there with the farmers markets, food co-ops, etc. I felt totally safe and was just so tickled by all the small businesses, restaurants, bakeries, etc. Then we visited a couple schools, like Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle Orleans, Lusher, and Isidore Newman, and these schools were surprisingly diverse and most of the parents and teachers seemed like they were fairly well educated.

The other thing I found interesting is that there just seems to be such a diverse range of people here - musicians, artists, writers, etc. It wasn't like everyone was a freakin real estate agent, like in Florida! And I think it's just great that there are so many family friendly festivals, activities, etc. going on all the time in NOLA, many of which are either free or low cost.

So I can see how it's not exactly the right place to go for the cookie-cutter, 3,000 square foot house, mini-van driving, suburban lifestyle, but is that such a bad thing? I'm just curious to learn more about the deeper issues that are going on that I might not be aware of (being an outsider and all). Anyone care to shed some light? I'm already aware that it has an awful, corrupt public school system, but the private schools seemed pretty reasonable and they definitely cost less than other parts of the country.

You nailed it, but your love for diversity is a bit silly. Who really cares about diversity? Just be yourself and enjoy your life.
Paying attention to diversity is juvenile.