possibly moving to new orleans (Baton Rouge, Shreveport: apartment, leasing, crime)

[sn2bbugmd]

I may be moving to the New Orleans area in a couple months if I get a job I'm interviewing for. I am a little nervous about moving there because of all the crime I have been hearing about. I am definitely willing to move outside of New Orleans, but am unsure of where. It seems there are issues even in Metarie and Kenner (where I was told to look at houses). I also don't want to move anywhere that is easily flooded. Any suggestions?

[Micktooth]

Have you looked in River Ridge? Are you interested in buying or leasing? An apartment or a house? The zip is 70123

[sn2bbugmd]

I'm looking to lease because I'm not sure how long I will be staying.

[Luvme504]

well my advise to you really is not even to come down here to new orleans seriously anywhere you go is pretty bad now (even suburbs are getting REAL BAD) but if you have to move there DONT GO TO NEW ORLEANS! what ever you do maybe covington/mandeville (those are rich people areas) but dont cost too much for rent (you may have to commute but its worth it trust me) i moved to new orleans when i was 2 and we stayed 4 months until we ended up moving to the suburbs cuz of shootings/robbery/theft...but yeah i hope i helped you im not trying to scare you im just telling you cuz i'd be scared too lol! =)

Sarah

[Luvme504]

oh! metairie IS NICE but too much traffic i just told you covington/mandeville cuz its easy commute!

[michrance]

Definitely Covington or Mandeville

[Vampgrrl]

Dont go to New Orleans?
WHAT?

I guess I didn't realize I was about to get murdered in the mist of upscale living Uptown, with boutique shopping, trendy bars and nice restruants.

The people in the suburbs have NO idea what they are talking about.

[Doogie]

Originally Posted by Vampgrrl

The people in the suburbs have NO idea what they are talking about.

Gee, that's an interesting statement Vampgrrl. Try to tone it down a little on the assumptions and stick to answering the question. I think it would be a little more appropriate to say something like "People are more aware of the crime in New Orleans because that's what they hear on the news but there are certainly vibrant areas of the city that are less susceptible to crime."

I agree that people often make generaliztions that they shouldn't. People have a natural tendency to talk bad about other areas and good about where they are, even if they don't have detailed knowledge of the area. For example, the poster below responded to one of those "say the first word that comes to mind" quizes as follows:

Originally Posted by Vampgrrl

New Orleans : historic
St. Bernard: da Parish
Metarie: Lakeside
Westbank: ew
Northshore: Republican
Baton Rouge: LSU
LaFayette: cajun
Natchitoches: St. Denis
Shreveport: rusty

Never been to the other places.

At least they were honest enough to not comment on the areas they hadn't been but I can't imagine why they have such distaste for the Westbank compared to all the other areas around New Orleans. In fact, I'm pretty sure this poster has only lived in the New Orleans area for about a year and it's surprising that they know so much about the Westbank when they live in Uptown New Orleans [assumption based on posts I've read]. I'm sure that people living in English Turn, Stonebridge, Garden Park and Plantation Estates on the Westbank would disagree with this "ew" assessment. There are bad places on the Westabank as well as good places and the same can be said for New Orleans. Heck, a number of the professional athletes and coaches actually live on the Westbank.

I could very easily generalize and say that "this poster has NO idea what she is talking about" but for all I know her relatives live on the Westbank and she has detailed knowledge about all the ins and outs of the area. I'm guessing not since she moved here from Atlanta. And if that guess is correct, then you are guilty of the very thing you are calling out others for.

I have to admit I am not perfect in this regard either. I recall during my last days of middle school writing in a good friend's yearbook something bad about the school he was going to be attending. It turned out in a series of events over that summer that I wound up switching to the same school he went to (which happened to be a MUCH better school, by the way) and that is where I learned my lesson. Thankfully my friend never let me forget it (the lesson, that is).

Getting back to the original question, I would offer up this: If you aren't heavily into the drug trade, you stay out of really bad neighborhoods and aren't in the habit of ticking off people who carry guns then your chances of being a crime victim in New Orleans probably isn't much different than in any other major metropolitan area. Hopefully that adds the type of value that the original poster was seeking.

But then again, that's probably generalizing...

[Vampgrrl]

I did not highlight the westbank is red. I would assume you did that.

People asked what I thought of various areas in another thread...I do occasionally go to the **** for different reasons I just do not like it over there generally, but I'm not afraid of going there either. But I do talk to people who seem to have the idea there are snipers at the border of Orleans Parish and that you will die as soon as you come here. Which is laughable.

[Doogie]

Originally Posted by Vampgrrl

I did not highlight the westbank is red. I would assume you did that.

People asked what I thought of various areas in another thread...I do occasionally go to the **** for different reasons I just do not like it over there generally, but I'm not afraid of going there either. But I do talk to people who seem to have the idea there are snipers at the border of Orleans Parish and that you will die as soon as you come here. Which is laughable.

I discovered afterward that the red was because I searched on the term Westbank. Sorry for the confusion.

And as for snipers, I thought that was people who were LEAVING New Orleans on the Westbank that get shot at...