Moving to New Orleans and Need Advice. (Metairie, Lafayette: apartments, rentals)

[Stitches]

Well, I am moving down to New Orleans to take a well-paying job near Lafayette Square. The only problem is that I don't know where would be a good place to live. I was down in NOLA a week ago scouting things out, but I would really like to get some insights from people living in or close to downtown.

I have no kids, no pets, no commitments. Recent college graduate. Been to New Orleans a few times and have a decent knowledge of the lay of the land. I am looking to rent a simple place--one or two bedrooms. I don't need the pool/fitness center stuff but don't want shady neighbors either.

At first I was thinking of living in either Mandeville, LA or Covington, LA after reading some posts on here. After researching it, rental prices were more than I expected for being that far out of town. It turns out that I would pay about the same for rent in the Vieux Carré ($800-$1200/month) as living in some outlying area. If I lived in the Quarter, I could at least walk to work everyday instead of take the causeway in and out. The 1/4 may allow me to find a second job for weekends and nights too. The smell, noise, and tourists don't bother me. I am a bigtime Catholic, so being able to walk to the Cathedral would be a huge plus as well. I also checked out Slidell, LA and that was just as pricey and had a traffic-laden commute that I sat in.

So I guess my questions would be:
1) Has anyone on here actually lived in the Quarter that could share their experiences? What part of the Quarter is best to live in? Closer to the River than Rampart?

2) What is the deal with Metairie? Are there any nice places to rent there and how far would it be of a commute to downtown?

3) Any other suggestions for somewhere not too far outside of downtown that is relatively safe with minimal commute?

[bluebird39]

Hi there,

I know people who've lived in the quarter, and they have had no problems. You could get away with no car if you did that. The tourists, though, can get really loud. I'd stay in the more residential areas of the quarter.

The neighborhoods in New Orleans are very mixed. It's really hard to pick the perfect neighbors there. The suburbs are pretty boring, and your commute would be bad. Traffic in N.O. is bad, and driving into the quarter is even worse. Everyone I knew with jobs there took the bus. Parking downtown costs money.

There are plenty of neat places uptown that aren't too far away. Have you looked along Magazine St.? It's REALLY important to find a local person to show you around. The neighborhoods are changing a lot since Katrina.

I'm not from there, but lived there for 5 years, many years ago, and still have family there. FWIW, my family live just off Claiborne, and are very close to the CBD (5 min), but they had 2-3 feet of water in their house. The quarter stayed high and dry.

Good luck.

[Vampgrrl]

Traffic here is nothing compared to where I'm from.

Quarter living would be pretty unique...Uptown is nice as well especially near the Universities.

Definately live in New Orleans if you are younger and single.

[rgreenkrb]

If you have a car, off-street parking typically isn’t included with Quarter rentals. You would need to contract a space in a garage. For a single professional, I recommend checking out the Warehouse/Arts District. It’s not far from the Quarter, and a lot of the condos and apartments there offer off-street parking. Metairie, the north shore, and Slidell are more family oriented, and a single person would probably be bored there.

[bnet504]

I'd recommend the warehouse district and uptown area for a single person looking for things to do. Most of the suburbs are a bit bland and only good for going to the malls and eating at chain restaurants, although you may find a couple of good restaurants here and there.

Much of the suburbs also lacks distinctive New Orleans' architecture, with the exception of Algiers Point and older areas of Gretna and Harvey.

[holloway1010]

Anything from St. Charles to the river is pretty much okay. But I would not suggest living any further north of St. Charles than Daneel or Saratoga. It's also convenient because you can take the St. Charles Line (streetcar) right into the Central Business District and the French Quarter. As far as where to live in the French Quarter, most of the blocks East of The Cathedral are pretty quiet. I would not suggest living on the Northshore if you have to work in the city, the commute is just a pain. I would suggest Metairie or Kenner if you decide to live outside of the city limits.

[Doogie]

The warehouse district is actually closer to Lafayette Square than the Quarter is. It just so happens there is a Catholic church one block up Camp street from the square as well. I had a couple of co-workers who lived in a nice apartment on Julia street near Magazine. I'm not sure about the prices but I'm guessing some are reasonable and some are quite high because they can get pretty high-end.

[phantomtom]

These are post Katrina housing cost (in the greater New Orleans area); You would think they would have gone down because we need the help to have a place to live but it must be based on how much can be gotten (by some people) from assistance (like FEMA). Of course, the reason could really be higher insurance. Certain neighborhoods in Metairie/Kenner may not be the same anymore either, because the projects were torn down (they needed to be) and that population from bad neighborhoods has spread out. Lastly, every time a bad hurricane is in the Gulf, you will probably be asked to evacuate. I've been wanting to move, but there seems to be something bad almost everywhere or you can't afford it.

[PaintTheWorld]

I drive from Covington into the city 3-4 times a week for work, and it's a breeze (and takes about 45 minutes, usually). I've lived in the Washington, DC area and right outside Chicago. Compared to that, driving around the New Orleans area is REALLY easy. Also, the north shore suburbs are a little bland, but conveniently located outside the city recently voted as the most violent in America (though I must admit, I don't feel unsafe in New Orleans). If you live in the quarter, it's good not to need a car, as theft rates there are very high (as you'll find out when you go to insure a car here - costs twice what it did in Chicago 2 yrs ago). But aside from that, as a fairly recent transplant myself, welcome to the area. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do - I'm really glad I moved our family here, and people in Louisiana are great.

[jbanana14]

Stitches,
As a recent college grad, live downtown. I just moved from Slidell to Denver this year, and there isn't a big singles social scene in Slidell, it's a lot of families and seniors. I'm sure the other suburbs are similar. So much goes on in the city, you will find yourself driving down there every weekend.