Metairie - can you tell me about it (New Orleans, Kenner: house, private schools)

[donnaraeb123]

thanks so much to everyone for their information. I have the job in Charleston and Metairie is just interviewing and I was not thrilled with the 1st part so we will see.

I certainly do anticipate some culture shock. I hear so much about the laid back southern life style as opposed to the hectic Midwest life I am used to but I guess you make your life what you want

[Aiten]

Originally Posted by donnaraeb123

thanks so much to everyone for their information. I have the job in Charleston and Metairie is just interviewing and I was not thrilled with the 1st part so we will see.

I certainly do anticipate some culture shock. I hear so much about the laid back southern life style as opposed to the hectic Midwest life I am used to but I guess you make your life what you want

I have to tell you that the harsh truth is that New Orleanians sniff a bit when they think of Metairie. Other than Old Metairie, which is a beautiful area by any standard, you yourself saw one reason for the disdain: the vast insipidity of the place.

The other reason New Orleanians sniff at Metairie is that there is an original sin in its advent as a major population center. It is far too complex to explain here, but the Metairie you saw was the result of white flight after New Orleans desegregated its schools. That irrational and furious abandonment was the start of the decline of the City of New Orleans. Perhaps this will jar a recognition of the place: It's sole claim to national fame is that it gave rise to David Duke, and thereby turned Louisiana into a laughingstock.

If you do choose a job in Metairie consider living in New Orleans.

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by Aiten

I have to tell you that the harsh truth is that New Orleanians sniff a bit when they think of Metairie. Other than Old Metairie, which is a beautiful area by any standard, you yourself saw one reason for the disdain: the vast insipidity of the place.

The other reason New Orleanians sniff at Metairie is that there is an original sin in its advent as a major population center. It is far too complex to explain here, but the Metairie you saw was the result of white flight after New Orleans desegregated its schools. That irrational and furious abandonment was the start of the decline of the City of New Orleans. Perhaps this will jar a recognition of the place: It's sole claim to national fame is that it gave rise to David Duke, and thereby turned Louisiana into a laughingstock.

If you do choose a job in Metairie consider living in New Orleans.

Oh get over it! White flight happened in lots of places . Someone from Michigan like the OP will understand that if she is familiar with Detroit.

Let us not forget that there are other nationally famous individials who hail from Metairie, including Ellen DeGeneres and Candice Stewart (first black woman to compete in Miss USA).

And since we are talking about suburbs...Mandeville, Covington, and Slidell are as big as they are for much the same reasons as Metairie, but there is absolutely no denying that the average quality of life is much higher in these places than in the city itself.

Now make no mistake about it, I am a die-hard fan of New Orleans, and I wish more people would live there. But of all the reasons people should pick the city over the 'burbs, that is not one of them.

[Aiten]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

Oh get over it! White flight happened in lots of places . Someone from Michigan like the OP will understand that if she is familiar with Detroit.

Let us not forget that there are other nationally famous individials who hail from Metairie, including Ellen DeGeneres and Candice Stewart (first black woman to compete in Miss USA).

And since we are talking about suburbs...Mandeville, Covington, and Slidell are as big as they are for much the same reasons as Metairie, but there is absolutely no denying that the average quality of life is much higher in these places than in the city itself.

Now make no mistake about it, I am a die-hard fan of New Orleans, and I wish more people would live there. But of all the reasons people should pick the city over the 'burbs, that is not one of them.

The OP asked about Metairie, not Detroit. Whether acknowledged openly or not, no parent peremptorily disregards the effects of prevailing attitudes when deciding where to rear his or her children.

Now, about the quality of life, by what metric can you be, er, "absolute"

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by Aiten

The OP asked about Metairie, not Detroit. Whether acknowledged openly or not, no parent peremptorily disregards the effects of prevailing attitudes when deciding where to rear his or her children.

Now, about the quality of life, by what metric can you be, er, "absolute"

I am comparing the New Orleans to Detroit as a point of reference for the OP (who is from Michigan).

You really think most parents would rather raise their children inside New Orleans? That's simply not the way it works anymore. Even Metairie is now losing residents to the north shore where people can trust the public school system. Most people don't want to pay a fortune to send their kids to the old private schools in New Orleans, regardless of how reputable they may be. It's just out of reach for many people these days.

Anyway, most of the original white flighters are dead or very old. Most people in Metairie now either grew up there or were born there or relocated there after the fact. It's not a far flung utopia anymore. It's a dense, highly populated area where people live and work and shop. Give it more credit.

[Aiten]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

I am comparing the New Orleans to Detroit as a point of reference for the OP (who is from Michigan).

You really think most parents would rather raise their children inside New Orleans? That's simply not the way it works anymore. Even Metairie is now losing residents to the north shore where people can trust the public school system. Most people don't want to pay a fortune to send their kids to the old private schools in New Orleans, regardless of how reputable they may be. It's just out of reach for many people these days.

Anyway, most of the original white flighters are dead or very old. Most people in Metairie now either grew up there or were born there or relocated there after the fact. It's not a far flung utopia anymore. It's a dense, highly populated area where people live and work and shop. Give it more credit.

Sir, do you not understand the meaning of the phrase "original sin"?

Whatever the case, at the risk or veering off-topic, I need to tell you that your presenting highly personal negative opinions about New Orleans as some "absolute" state of being is wrong according to every definition of the word. Furthermore, sugarcoating your disparagement and offering platitudes such as "I am a die-hard fan of New Orleans" do more harm than good to your overall credibility.

To answer your question (and I realize it was meant rhetorically), yes, although no one can tell about most parents, certainly many parents prefer to raise their children in New Orleans. I myself chose to live in New Orleans again after Katrina even though I had good options. Some of my friends here send their kids to public schools, some to private schools (costing less than $5,000 to more than $15,000 per year in full tuition; there is a wide range), but we're uniformly happy about raising our families in this city.

Certainly my own parents preferred to raise their children in New Orleans. I am a product of the old OPSB (4 different public schools in Uptown, Lakeview, & Gentilly). Even in its worst days there were many a respectable family that got their kids educated well without spending a dime in tuition. My childhood friends and I know this to be fact and attest to its value as living examples. Our education both in and out of the classroom in a diverse city made us more tolerant and open-minded.

A true die-hard fan of New Orleans will know what I speak of in my posts in this thread.

Have a good day, sir.

[bustaduke]

Originally Posted by Aiten

It is far too complex to explain here, but the Metairie you saw was the result of white flight after New Orleans desegregated its schools.

No, Metairie was not built because of white flight or desegregation of our schools.

Get your facts straight before posting such trash.

Metairie, New Orleans East, St. Bernard, Kenner, The West Bank, etc. were built because of the way a loan bill was written by congress after WW2 to help the men and women returning home from the war.

We needed housing for these people so congress created the GI loan bill that stated in order to receive a loan it had to be used on new home construction, not remodeling of existing homes.

New Orleans did not have enough bare land to build new homes on other than New Orleans East. Because of this most new homes were built outside of Orleans Parish, NOT BECAUSE OF WHITE FLIGHT.

Educate yourself a little bit before making such post that clearly show you don't know a thing about it.

busta

[Aiten]

Originally Posted by bustaduke

No, Metairie was not built because of white flight or desegregation of our schools.

Get your facts straight before posting such trash.

Metairie, New Orleans East, St. Bernard, Kenner, The West Bank, etc. were built because of the way a loan bill was written by congress after WW2 to help the men and women returning home from the war.

We needed housing for these people so congress created the GI loan bill that stated in order to receive a loan it had to be used on new home construction, not remodeling of existing homes.

New Orleans did not have enough bare land to build new homes on other than New Orleans East. Because of this most new homes were built outside of Orleans Parish, NOT BECAUSE OF WHITE FLIGHT.

Educate yourself a little bit before making such post that clearly show you don't know a thing about it.

busta

Actually there was a burst of expansion in Orleans Parish immediately following WWII, not in Jefferson Parish. Much of the vast Lakeview area was drained and developed for housing and the entire Lakeshore and Lake VIsta areas were built on land reclaimed from the waters of Lake Pontchartrain.

As for Metairie, it existed as a tiny community, a quaint appendage to New Orleans long before WWII, but the area between Airline and the lake, the vast bulk of Metairie today, was rapidly developed in the 1960's and '70's -- considerably after WWII ended -- as a direct response to the desegregation of the public schools in New Orleans.

Interesting sometimes what one learns about people, bustaduke Despite some profound differences of opinion at least MetroBTR had the good sense not to deny historical fact.

[bustaduke]

Originally Posted by Aiten

Interesting sometimes what one learns about people, bustaduke Despite some profound differences of opinion at least MetroBTR had the good sense not to deny historical fact.

Please tell me, what have you learned about me, bustaduke?

And it is not an historical fact just because you say so. Ever watch the local public broadcasting channel #12? About every three months they run a show about how and why the metro areas were built and according to them, it was for people coming home after WW2.

Also, can you tell me why in Metairie, north of Airline Dr. is predominantly white and south of Airline Dr. is predominantly black?

Was it because of white flight, are was it because of something the federal gouvernment created?

busta

[Aiten]

No, I don't doubt that you won't believe what I say, and I don't blame you. You are a man in your 50's and I imagine it's destabilizing to hear that a lifelong belief was founded on untruths and myths. Perhaps you'll believe James Gill (for those unacquainted with him, Gill is one of the most respected local political columnists and a resident of Metairie) who said about Jefferson Parish and Sheriff Harry Lee (the Parish's top law enforcement figure):

"This parish grew largely as a result of white flight, and it retains some of that feel of the 1950s today in its attitudes," Gill says. "And Harry's popularity depends, to some extent, on the perception that he is a white man's champion, he is holding back the black hordes that might otherwise threaten suburban bliss."
Larger-Than-Life Sheriff Rules Louisiana Parish : NPR