Torn over NOLA (New Orleans: college, living in, safe)

[Mississippienne]

I'm 23, female, single, and currently living in Gulfport, MS (so only about an hour from New Orleans). I've decided that GPT is just too small for me, I really want to move to a bigger city that can offer more activities. Since I was a child I've been in love with NOLA, and I loved visiting the city before and after Katrina. I went and had an interview with the Air National Guard in NOLA and if I join then I'll live in NOLA for at least six years and go to college there.

Now, here's my problem: I'm emotionally torn on what I want to do. On one side, I want to move to NOLA. On the other, I know NOLA's a city that's recovering from a major disaster and that's it's never too safe or too clean anyway. I'm scared that if I sign on I'll discover that NOLA is fun for a visit a few times a year but that I'll be sick of it in six years.

So here's my question to the folks who've moved to (or back to) NOLA since Katrina: if you had it to do all over again, would you? If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

[xtine]

I was just there in February, and it (The Quarter at least.) was the cleanest I had ever seen it.
It is still a work in progress, so I don't know what to tell you. I think I would go for it over Gulfport.
Good luck.