New Orleans or Austin????? Pro & Cons? (Metairie, Mandeville: rent, insurance)

[klechner]

I cut and pasted this from the Madison WI site.



O.k, as you all know who live around here in Madison that jobs are now limited. Hubby was working at General Motors and we all know what happened with that. Luckily he has a degree in Police Science and also is an Army Medic in the military.So,he now wants us to sell our home near Edgerton and move to either New Orleans or Austin TX for a job he has been offered in the cities police force.

Now I like the idea of New Orleans,helping rebuild a city has it appeal.I also like the idea of having my two daughters ages 7 & 10 see this. What I don't like is the crime! Highest murder rate in the country? I guess that is why he is thinking of moving here to be a police officer...I was looking at a area called Madisonville or Mandiville...?????????

Austin Tx...

Offers more pay......but I can't handle the idea of the spiders!! Brown recluses....What about the schools? Wouldn't New Orleans be able to get us more for our money in housing? I am a Realtor in Janesville and will be getting my license where ever we decide to relocate...

Really need help with this .....

[MetroBTR]

Mandeville, and most of the area on the Northshore, is a very nice family-friendly type place. Low crime rate + great public schools = most popular suburban area of New Orleans. Though I cannot promise that you won't find spiders in your backyard, especially during the summer. Most of them aren't dangerous, but truth be told you may run across a black widow or a brown recluse in the dark, undisturbed corners of your shed, or in a woodpile. Either keep things really tidy or buy some type of insect repellant. I did it before and it got rid of my backyard spiders for months at a time.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Not to scare you, but SoLa has flying roaches, anout 3 in long. They get in the house and can dive-bomb you out of the chandelier when you turn on the light at night. I like Austin better, if your husband is a stright-up guy he may not lke the culture of the police force in N.O. Plenty of corruption and easy-going.

[MetroBTR]

Actually, I'm fairly sure those roaches are present in Austin, as well, but in fewer numbers. I know they are a big problem in Houston.

[darylwi]

My first choice would be Austin. Austin is far more progressive and has excellent schools for your daughters. Check the areas in northern Travis and Williamson Counties. The weather is also a delight, mostly dry and sunny. You would have to deal with spiders and such there like most people deal with roaches and mosquitos here, so it's a 50/50 pro/con deal there. Also if you're allergic to Cedar, you'll hate it out there. Take your pick. You don't have the crime problems like in NOLA and the corruption in Travis County isn't so apparent like it can be in Orleans Parish and Louisiana as a whole. As far as rent goes, I've compared the two and they are nearly equal. Housing prices are fairly close as well, although Texas has higher property taxes. The money you save in insurance for the house and vehicles would probably near cover that though since Louisiana can be much higher.
I'd do my research on both for sure because you shouldn't let any single person dictate what you decide. But for what it's worth, my choice would definitely be Austin. I also think your husband would prefer the APD over the NOPD. Like the previous poster, the culture of NOPD is definitely unique, on the order of NYPD, LAPD unique. You will have a much higher hispanic population out in Austin, and I've noticed that some people just can't handle that very well.
Best wishes for a bright future.

[Blue_Bayoula]

I agree every post so far and would like to chime in with my experience/opinion as well.

I've often thought that NOLA would be truly wonderful if I could only afford to live there because there are many hidden expenses and hardships to negotiate.

New Orleans is a beautiful, wonderful place but it's also a flawed and difficult place to live. Austin is so much easier and it's pretty too and it's a great outdoorsy place to raise a family.

I'm not sure if this is true but I have a sense that the triangle of Houston, Austin and San Antonio is doing a little better than other places in TX in this economy. At least for the time being from what I've been reading. New Orleans economy almost always operates at a lower rate than the rest of the country.

[klechner]

Does Austin have Terantalas...? We have snakes here as well and the mosquito is our state bird I swear.. I guess I am more concerned with the cost of living. He was offered New orleans 42,000 after one year. Austin offers 50,000....he now tells me tonight he may look into Dallas.
I am a little concerned with the housing costs. My four bedroom home on two acres here will hopefully sell for 225,000.One of the bedrooms is in the finished basement and is around 2000 sq ft. I know neither cities offers basements,but can I get a newer home as nice as what we have here in WI. and still be in a family friendly enviroment with a short drive outside of the city?

I wish I could just go and visit,however money is rather tight right now.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

TX, esp around Dallas, would be a better bet for housing. My son (lives in Old Metairie) was recently in Dallas for training and his wife and kids went with him. They visited some former co-workers in a town called Flower Mound. They were very impressed with it and the houses, although not on a big lot, were about what you are looking for.

[MetroBTR]

I agree with Daryl, make sure you do your homework. Then sit down and weight the pros and cons and think about what you really hope to get out of the move. Austin and New Orleans are two very different places so hopefully that will make your evaluation easier.

Best of luck

[darylwi]

Austin has Tarantulas and scorpions actually but I don't know how often you would run into them. Make sure to post in the Austin forum to ask about it. I know some people had issues with them in the hill country which is generally to the west of central Austin and the Capital of Texas Hwy. I never heard of those issues in the city or in Round Rock/Georgetown (Williamson Co).
Honestly, you aren't going to find any difference with $50K in Austin versus $42K in NOLA. If you decided to live south of the lake, then you would actually get more for your money in Texas. North of the lake, you might be able to do better but then you have the commute to deal with.
You say you have 2 acres now. Land is high in south Louisiana now. It won't be much cheaper in suburban Austin, but if you went out of the city some, you could find some nice property I imagine. The topography over there is really nice if you like wide open spaces.
Unfortunately, traffic on the I-35 corridor is pretty bad. Austin has put in some toll roads, but it is a huge city growing exponentially by the year.
Now, I love DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) too. You would have more options there because you generally could decide to live anywhere around the metroplex. East, South, West, North, in between, wherever. Although I prefer the northern suburbs (Plano, Richardson, McKinney, Frisco). Another advantage is that Dallas has the DART (metro rail). There is a commuter rail that connects the Fort Worth CBD to Irving and Dallas CBD. There are rail lines that go to Plano and Garland also. In the near future, it is expanding to the northwest and Farmers Branch, Carrollton. Don't bother with too many of the places immediately south and southeast of downtown Dallas where DART also reaches. Those generally aren't great areas. I believe Plano and The Colony have excellent school districts.
The defining difference between DFW and the other places is that DFW will have everything that Austin and NOLA doesn't have. And I don't believe DFW has scorpions or tarantulas. They do have roach and ant problems from what I've heard and read. But like I said, you will have to decide what it is that you can live with. Chances are good you might not have any problems with any of these critters wherever you decide to live.
I assume you've posted on Austin and DFW forums to get direct answers to those areas. I will add that NOLA and south LA will have the best food, flavor and culture. But if you like big cities, you will love DFW. I can't vouch for their housing market though. I know their rent was just as comparable to Austin and here within the past 3 years.