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Old 03-30-2010, 10:30 AM
 
595 posts, read 1,174,092 times
Reputation: 147

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nola Wannabe View Post
I have to ask, with all I have read on this forum about crime, poverty, corruption, etc....why do people live in New Orleans??
Where do You live now? And why are you leaving?There is crime everywhere,We just discuss local issues and with everyone talking about there bad exsperinces(sp) and not discussing the positive issue certainly it looks bad .I lived in N.O. When I was younger and I love it down there.
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Old 03-30-2010, 10:37 AM
 
595 posts, read 1,174,092 times
Reputation: 147
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nola Wannabe View Post
I do want to move there! I have visited twice and I love the spirit, the music, the humidity...everything! But I have a 12-yr-old son and with everything I have read, people don't seem to recommend bringing children. I have read so many negative and downright scary things....I was ready to pack our bags but now I'm not so sure. Just wondering if there were others who live there by choice....people say I'm crazy for wanting to live there. Am I????
I do not mean to be ugly or rude but it sounds like Your head is like a sponge and is just soaking up the bad stuff.(lol)Come on down and don't forget to bring Your 12 Yr. old son He will not be in any harm.I hope You get all this figured out and make the best out of it.
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Old 03-30-2010, 11:16 AM
 
Location: Lafayette, LA
245 posts, read 455,469 times
Reputation: 158
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nola Wannabe View Post
Just wondering if there were others who live there by choice....people say I'm crazy for wanting to live there. Am I????
I can't comment on being a parent in New Orleans. I have no direct experience in that area so i'll leave it to those who know something about it.

I hate to get philisophical, but that's who I am. You may want to tune out now if that puts you off. It seems to me that you should look deeper than your question indicates that you have. It seems you feel it's a clear cut issue of "crazy to live in N.O., or not?". It isn't so simplistic. I would hazard a guess that the overwhelming majority of people who live in New Orleans do so by choice. There are tons of people who reside in New Orleans while complaining about everything that doesn't suit them. But, are those same people living? I doubt it.

Are you wondering what the heck i'm talking about yet? What kind of person are you? If you're the kind that will let the negative aspects prevent you from enjoying the positive aspects of living in N.O., then you needn't move anywhere. You won't find utopia in N.O. any more than you will find it elsewhere. However, if you're the kind of person that can pay due diligence to the negative aspects without dwelling on them, and not let the negatives prevent you from enjoying the positives, then you might be able to live in New Orleans.

So, that's what you need to ask yourself. Be honest. You listed the positive things you took away from your visits. You have an idea of the problems in New Orleans. Now, decide exactly what issues you feel would affect your life. Draw a line in the sand for each and research them specifically to see if they cross into an unacceptable range, or if they are manageable. Your list of issues will be specific to you. So you need to figure them out and address them specifically. For example, what's your personal educational requirement for your son? What's your comfort level for crime? What's your comfort level for... etc, etc, etc.? Then, what's your acceptable rent range? Will that amount get you a place in the area you need?

All these things need to be addressed in advance. If you do, then you'll be able to live and enjoy life in New Orleans. If not, you'll end up moving here only to become a disgruntled, scared and unhappy occupant. There would be nothing worse than having to reside somewhere you don't want to be. Right?

Good luck, I hope I didn't ramble on too long for you. I'm sitting here watching it snow sideways where I am. I was happy with this snowy weather until I got a call yesterday that solidified our plans for returning home in a couple of months. So, don't feel alone. I'm from there and still have to go through the process I just related to you. I don't want to return home to simply reside, I want to return home to live.
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Old 03-30-2010, 11:46 AM
 
194 posts, read 545,256 times
Reputation: 181
Orestes, I hope you can hear my applause! What a great post. Most of the people I've known don't actually "live" their lives. I try to surround myself with those that do ;-)

I hope we meet someday. My husband and I are currently loading the moving van (well, obviously I'm taking a small break here) and will be sleeping in our Broadmoor apartment tomorrow night! I am so blessed, not only to have experienced New Orleans several times, but to finally be able to call it home. I hope I can give back to New Orleans a fraction of what it has given me already ;-)
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Old 03-30-2010, 02:10 PM
 
Location: Lafayette, LA
245 posts, read 455,469 times
Reputation: 158
Thanks for the kind words. Good luck on your move. Post up on how it's going.
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Old 03-30-2010, 04:18 PM
 
54 posts, read 303,988 times
Reputation: 74
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nola Wannabe View Post
I do want to move there! I have visited twice and I love the spirit, the music, the humidity...everything! But I have a 12-yr-old son and with everything I have read, people don't seem to recommend bringing children. I have read so many negative and downright scary things....I was ready to pack our bags but now I'm not so sure. Just wondering if there were others who live there by choice....people say I'm crazy for wanting to live there. Am I????
I live here by choice. I've been here 9 months. I had people tell me the same things before I moved down here. Their comments were ugly. VERY ugly, like telling me they would see me dead on national television.

I'm still alive, and doing far better than I was where I lived before. I have no regrets coming here and I hope I can stay here a long time.

YOU are living your life, not the people who are saying mean things to you (maybe out of jealousy? ) so do what you need to do. If you want to move here, then do it and let the negative stuff roll off you. If it turns out you don't like living here, then chalk it up to a life experience and find a place you like better.
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Old 03-30-2010, 09:03 PM
 
Location: lincoln, ne
15 posts, read 51,894 times
Reputation: 26
Thank you all for your responses. Some of them gave me much to think over....I am glad to know I'm not alone in my love for this city. I am hopeful for the future. I think one day I will call New Orleans "Home": the place where I Live, not just Exist.
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Old 03-30-2010, 09:11 PM
 
1,110 posts, read 2,241,624 times
Reputation: 840
If you have to ask why people want to live in New Orleans you may never get it.

It is a calling. It isn't for everyone.
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Old 03-31-2010, 10:04 AM
 
Location: lincoln, ne
15 posts, read 51,894 times
Reputation: 26
I'm not asking why, in general, people live there. I know why I want to live there, but I only see New Orleans through a visitor's eyes. When I hear natives and locals warning people of how awful things are, then I question, why live there? Maybe I have an idealized version of New Orleans in my mind that doesn't exist in real life. On the other hand, I'm willing to eventually check it out firsthand and make my own judgements about living there. You can't blame a person for asking....I have a child to consider, not just myself.
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Old 03-31-2010, 11:14 AM
 
Location: New Orleans, United States
4,230 posts, read 10,490,912 times
Reputation: 1444
Most of the people that I hear warning people about New Orleans are nonnatives or locals who have relocated (and usually they're from the suburbs). New Orleans has her fair share of problems like any other city, but IMO it's a nice place to live.
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