Is New Orleans as dangerous as they say? (Metairie, Ama: lease, high crime)

[PeterDragon]

Hello,

I've been invited to interview for a job in New Orleans. If I get the job and decide to come, I'll be bringing a wife and a small child,s o I have to consider safety.

Is New Orleans and inherently dangerous place to live? Are there safe neighborhoods, general rules to follow to stay out of physical harm, etc...?

And is New Orleans physically small enough that I could easily live in a safer neighborhood and commute to a job in a more dangerous one?

Any thoughts on whether the move is a worthwhile and responsible move for my family would be greatly appreciated.

[mhounit]

Like any large city , there are good neighborhoods and bad ones . " Street smarts " and common sense help to keep you out of bad situations . Figure out your price range and family needs , and one of the locals here can point you to the right areas to live .

[LOnRainjer]

worse

[stillkit]

It's no better, nor any worse, than any other large city.

[PeterDragon]

Originally Posted by mhounit

Street smarts " and common sense help to keep you out of bad situations .

Well, that's kind of a concern of mine too.

I will say that I have decent street smarts personally. I've lived in some fairly high crime, high murder neighborhoods in the past, and I've known how to stay safe.

My wife on the other hand, has never lived anywhere dangerous. She's also a Korean immigrant, her English is a bit shaky, and I know she'll be a little nervous and jittery when she first gets to New Orleans--- she's experienced very little in the way of American communities, or even multicultural communities.

Is there much racially motivated crime in New Orleans? What are the odds my wife would be singled out or made a target because of her race, low language skills, foreign mannerisms, etc? What are the odds I could be harassed or attacked just for being white, for that matter?

[mhounit]

It all depends on the neighborhood . That probably offends some people , but it's a fact of life . I would imagine that in most of New Orleans , neither of you would stand out very much . If your wife is that inexperienced in this society and has language issues , she doesn't need to be out alone anyway .

[Drouzin]

I think that you both will experience some culture shock moving here. Things here move slower and people are pretty easy going. I've found that the laid back attitude can really irritate those from a more hustle and bustle area. You will sometimes find yourself waiting in line longer waiting for the customer and cashier to finish their conversation and will have to learn to be patient with how things work here.

No, you will not be attacked for being white. I'm white and have lived and worked in and around the city my whole life and have yet to be attacked. There is racism on both sides, but in general it is usually in the form of subtle snubs and snide comments. Most people here are decent, treat others how you want to be treated, kind people.

As far as being a dangerous place, yes, there are dangerous neighborhoods, but there are good people even in the worst of neighborhoods. I've had my car break down in the worst of neighborhoods only to have some kind soul come and sit with me until the tow truck came.

I think your wife will be fine. There are enough people here who are struggling with English that she will notice that she isn't the only one. There is a large number of Vietnamese people living in New Orleans East, and while I know it isn't the same as being Korean, I hope that the knowledge of having a large population of Asian people here would be reassuring.

If you are uncomfortable with where to live here, why not start out renting a place with a shorter lease time, take some time to learn the city and then look for something more permanent. Talk to your possible employer and find out where your co-workers are living. There are tons of options, the city itself has many safe neighborhoods and then there are several parishes, (counties), that are suburbs to the city with several neighborhoods as well. Good luck!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

My D-I-L is Filipina and has had no overt racism in 5 yrs of living in Metairie. However, she has had ignorant comments made from, say, parents of other children. I don't think the other moms meant to be insulting, they just were ignorant and thoughtless. One said something like, your children are so beautiful, in a surprised tone or voice. Her 1st pediatrician tried to explain something so basic that it ws insulting, as though the Philippines were somewhere deep in the Amazon rain forest and she had never seen modern medicine (I was there w/her). I don't thinkthe children ahve ever had anything racist said to them or I would have heard of it. If possible, I would try to rent in Metairie but it all depends on the work location. Tell people the rough street coordinates and they can give you better suggestions.

[bryson662001]

If there is another hurricane all the neighborhoods are dangerous.

[WestbankNOLA]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

If there is another hurricane all the neighborhoods are dangerous.

No more dangerous than Miami, Tampa or the south side of Houston