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I can say with experienced realism. Some places the traffic is enough to become a challenge in many ways. It can be very frustrating.
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Then again, some places with the good looks and sterile environments can be costly, and in some areas, the aim of segregationist modeling, is not attractive, for the lacks of diversity. Not just in people presence, but in mindsets toward people. This ranges from income inequity, to ethnicity. I'd prefer not to live in a place that looks good but has a sterilizing demeanor. That's not to say I want a unmaintained place and environment. That's far from a thing of consideration.
But it takes a lot of humane regards for and of others to make a place that has a full spectrum welcoming disposition.
Some enclaves of the well to do, look great, but there are many that have a broad spectrum social disconnect, the people see each other, but they don't interact. Then there are places where people are pretentiously congenial only to those they think have more financial positions, but they don't become visiting neighbors.
There is a many things which make up areas. It comes down to what individual seek and what they want.
When people talk about low crime, they fail to discuss what "type of crime', because if you not many of the serial killers came from well to do homes with the so called American Standards. We see a different type of crime, where people kill for insurance, they kill for status aims of various sorts, and many crimes that are not measured in the crime index of such that focus on the community shootings. Life is Life, its sad whether its taken in a community styled dispute, or if one has taken out a mate for insurance reasons, or jealousy and the many other things which people engage to harm others.
We can turn on the TV and see these shows made from real life tragedies; the actors are neat and pretty, the community is story book imagery and yet the deadly activity is equally as devastating to what is the respect of live. They have enough data to make these moves for the next 100 yrs just on what happens in the span of a few years.
Even in the areas which are claimed to be the new mecca or utopia, are fronts of fiction, when it fails to discuss the realities that take place.
Even the rural country farm land, there was an article recently of the high volume of previously non focused upon suicide rates.
there are areas where business people knock off their business partners in eloborate schemes, and many other things that do not hit the news with the impact of lower income areas which have killings going on.
We get deluded by the media and the hype of many things, when reality paints many pictures which have large segments often unfocused upon to depict the realities which do exist.
Then as one poster said, there are places with horrible weather when it comes to winter conditions, then there are places with blistering heat to places with flat out dry heat. There are for general discussion places with many many favorable and unfavorable conditions. I doubt there is a place without such a mixture of conditions.
I can say with experienced realism. Some places the traffic is enough to become a challenge in many ways. It can be very frustrating.
----------------------------------
Then again, some places with the good looks and sterile environments can be costly, and in some areas, the aim of segregationist modeling, is not attractive, for the lacks of diversity. Not just in people presence, but in mindsets toward people. This ranges from income inequity, to ethnicity. I'd prefer not to live in a place that looks good but has a sterilizing demeanor. That's not to say I want a unmaintained place and environment. That's far from a thing of consideration.
But it takes a lot of humane regards for and of others to make a place that has a full spectrum welcoming disposition.
Some enclaves of the well to do, look great, but there are many that have a broad spectrum social disconnect, the people see each other, but they don't interact. Then there are places where people are pretentiously congenial only to those they think have more financial positions, but they don't become visiting neighbors.
There is a many things which make up areas. It comes down to what individual seek and what they want.
When people talk about low crime, they fail to discuss what "type of crime', because if you not many of the serial killers came from well to do homes with the so called American Standards. We see a different type of crime, where people kill for insurance, they kill for status aims of various sorts, and many crimes that are not measured in the crime index of such that focus on the community shootings. Life is Life, its sad whether its taken in a community styled dispute, or if one has taken out a mate for insurance reasons, or jealousy and the many other things which people engage to harm others.
We can turn on the TV and see these shows made from real life tragedies; the actors are neat and pretty, the community is story book imagery and yet the deadly activity is equally as devastating to what is the respect of live. They have enough data to make these moves for the next 100 yrs just on what happens in the span of a few years.
Even in the areas which are claimed to be the new mecca or utopia, are fronts of fiction, when it fails to discuss the realities that take place.
Even the rural country farm land, there was an article recently of the high volume of previously non focused upon suicide rates.
there are areas where business people knock off their business partners in eloborate schemes, and many other things that do not hit the news with the impact of lower income areas which have killings going on.
We get deluded by the media and the hype of many things, when reality paints many pictures which have large segments often unfocused upon to depict the realities which do exist.
Then as one poster said, there are places with horrible weather when it comes to winter conditions, then there are places with blistering heat to places with flat out dry heat. There are for general discussion places with many many favorable and unfavorable conditions. I doubt there is a place without such a mixture of conditions.
Shreveport has no diversity, is very segregated, so much so that you went out of your way to try and not sound anti black in your gentrification post a thread or two down. Murder is one crime to worry about, and shreveport has a ton of it. With no positives to show. Any justification for shreveport sounds a lot like "I'm thankful that I had a stroke and can't move half my body. Some people die!"
Seriously. You don't actually believe that town is "just as good as..." do you? Really? I only use the media to support my arguments. Shreveport was a dump full of crime and trash and I didn't need ktbs to inform me. I actually lived there. Used to. I can tell you that the ONLY negative my new town has comparatively is traffic, and it's not bad enough to be upset over and the smooth well maintained roads are a great trade even if they get a bit congested during rush hour on a few main streets.
Other than New Orleans (which, to me, was just as annoying to commute in as DC...), I don't see that your observations are very accurate. New Orleans isn't the whole state, and the crime there is absurd.
I wasnt referring to Shreveport specifically. The whole southern portion of the state.
the city I live in has gigabit fiber internet. Does NW Arkansas have that? Have you sampled food in Acadiana? It wins all kinds of national awards. Lafayette has won tastiest town , best world music festival, best small food town, several other things.
New Orleans is only a part of what makes Louisiana special.
Also, yes people do come to Louisiana for the food and the festivities in droves. Try again.
I wasnt referring to Shreveport specifically. The whole southern portion of the state.
the city I live in has gigabit fiber internet. Does NW Arkansas have that? Have you sampled food in Acadiana? It wins all kinds of national awards. Lafayette has won tastiest town , best world music festival, best small food town, several other things.
New Orleans is only a part of what makes Louisiana special.
Also, yes people do come to Louisiana for the food and the festivities in droves. Try again.
Um...yeah, we have gigabit fiber internet. Why wouldn't we? We are home to half of the Forbes top-10 people's list, and the #1/2 (depends on the year) Fortune 500 company. This area has a LOT of nice things. Oddly, the cost of living is noticeably lower than Shreveport. (I live in Benton county). In fact, I have seen more $>100K vehicles on the road here than any other place I have been, including Vegas. Just the other night (yes, in 20*F weather...) I saw someone tooling around in a Huracan. It seems like every well to do soccer mom drives a G55. I see at least 1 a day, sometimes 2 or 3. This area has a lot of money and a lot of amenities. http://ethernetgigabit.net/ar/benton-county.html
(FYI, the land I bought is just outside Garfield,AR. You see Garfield on that list? That's a town of about 500 people, as of 2012 census. We have gigabit fiber internet there. A town of 500ish.)
I sampled food in New Orleans and Lafayette. I don't recall eating in Acadiana, though.
This forum is the Shreveport-Bossier City forum, though...So I frame comments made about Louisiana...in that context. I think that's rather fair.
I've been all over Louisiana, and I can tell you that further south, it's like another state. It's a state I wouldn't be ashamed of like I was NW LA. That said, the crime down there still disgusts me, the roads are even WORSE than NW LA (yes...it's possible, folks!), and the culture really isn't so much to my liking as to overpower those two things. I can appreciate Cajun food, but international cuisine and BBQ are more my thing.
Um...yeah, we have gigabit fiber internet. Why wouldn't we? We are home to half of the Forbes top-10 people's list, and the #1/2 (depends on the year) Fortune 500 company. This area has a LOT of nice things. Oddly, the cost of living is noticeably lower than Shreveport. (I live in Benton county). In fact, I have seen more $>100K vehicles on the road here than any other place I have been, including Vegas. Just the other night (yes, in 20*F weather...) I saw someone tooling around in a Huracan. It seems like every well to do soccer mom drives a G55. I see at least 1 a day, sometimes 2 or 3. This area has a lot of money and a lot of amenities. Benton, Arkansas Ethernet Gigabit Service, Metro Ethernet, AR T1 Line High Speed Internet, DS3, Fiber and Telecom Services
(FYI, the land I bought is just outside Garfield,AR. You see Garfield on that list? That's a town of about 500 people, as of 2012 census. We have gigabit fiber internet there. A town of 500ish.)
I sampled food in New Orleans and Lafayette. I don't recall eating in Acadiana, though.
This forum is the Shreveport-Bossier City forum, though...So I frame comments made about Louisiana...in that context. I think that's rather fair.
I've been all over Louisiana, and I can tell you that further south, it's like another state. It's a state I wouldn't be ashamed of like I was NW LA. That said, the crime down there still disgusts me, the roads are even WORSE than NW LA (yes...it's possible, folks!), and the culture really isn't so much to my liking as to overpower those two things. I can appreciate Cajun food, but international cuisine and BBQ are more my thing.
International cuisine is all over the place down here.
I regularly have thai and greek/lebanese while working.
Now in the context of northern louisiana perhaps youve got a point but exotic cars dont indicate much either. Just tonight someone was tooling around in a black Lamborghini in our office parking lot.
I don't personally see where I'd want to live in a small town of 500, but if that's your ideal, then it is great for you.
I perfer places with good diversity of ethnic make up as to what is a town and city that would appeal to me. I don't want to live in a predominantly white town, nor a predominantly black town... It's just not the ideal of life I consider an appeal for me. Generally, there is levels of ethnic intolerance in such places against other ethnic groups which can be more contentious in ways, than the ethnicity intolerance in larger more diverse places.
On the Political Level, I'd not want to live in a Republican Dominated Small Town Environment, or a Moderate sized one for that matter. I think Political diversity is important as well as other kinds of diversity.
Who drives a new car is not a measure for me. I care more that people simply take care of what ever they have, including their home and its surroundings and understand how to interact and relate as people. Plain and simple.
As to Arkansas, I've never considered it as a place I want to live. I have not spent time investigating it nor have I had an inclination to investigate it. therefore I know very little about it. I know people who have hailed from the State, and I know of the things they discuss as well as what they liked or did not like. But that is a summary people can and do say about a great many places, because there is a mixture of much that makes up the lands of America. I'm sure there are good people and not so good people there. Because there is no Utopia.
Everyone is not going to best friends, and the tv image of neighbors, but people simply respect the community and each other is an important factor.
International cuisine is all over the place down here.
I regularly have thai and greek/lebanese while working.
Now in the context of northern louisiana perhaps youve got a point but exotic cars dont indicate much either. Just tonight someone was tooling around in a black Lamborghini in our office parking lot.
Certainly not, but the only nice cars I saw in Shreveport were from Dallas by and large. Also...Lamborghini covers a lot of ground. Gallardos are dime a dozen now days. Huracans...are still a quarter for the base model.
I digress, but NW la is not anything like where you live with the exception of the roads. Be thankful and stay below Alexandria.
I don't personally see where I'd want to live in a small town of 500, but if that's your ideal, then it is great for you. I prefrer living in a rural area next to a large town.
I perfer places with good diversity of ethnic make up as to what is a town and city that would appeal to me. I don't want to live in a predominantly white town, nor a predominantly black town... It's just not the ideal of life I consider an appeal for me. Generally, there is levels of ethnic intolerance in such places against other ethnic groups which can be more contentious in ways, than the ethnicity intolerance in larger more diverse places. Let's compare diversity then.
On the Political Level, I'd not want to live in a Republican Dominated Small Town Environment, or a Moderate sized one for that matter. I think Political diversity is important as well as other kinds of diversity.
I don't think it matters, really. Look at Shreveport. Who cares whether they are Rep/Dem? They don't get anything done anyway, so what's it matter?
Who drives a new car is not a measure for me. I care more that people simply take care of what ever they have, including their home and its surroundings and understand how to interact and relate as people. Plain and simple. Weren't you just complaining that large swathes of Shreveport need a bulldozer because they can never be fixed?
As to Arkansas, I've never considered it as a place I want to live. I have not spent time investigating it nor have I had an inclination to investigate it. therefore I know very little about it. I know people who have hailed from the State, and I know of the things they discuss as well as what they liked or did not like. But that is a summary people can and do say about a great many places, because there is a mixture of much that makes up the lands of America. I'm sure there are good people and not so good people there. Because there is no Utopia. Nope. No Utopia, that much is true, but if I can have a much higher quality of life (lower crime, better roads, better education, lower cost of living, friendlier people, better work environments, more amenities, etc.), then it's a good call in my book, even if it's not "Utopia".
Everyone is not going to best friends, and the tv image of neighbors, but people simply respect the community and each other is an important factor. AND THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN! In SBC!
Here's your diversity and quality of life:
Benton county (Where I moved to)
The median income for a household in the county was $40,281, and the median income for a family was $45,235. Males had a median income of $30,327 versus $22,469 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,377. About 7.30% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
As of census 2010 the county population was 221,339. The racial makeup of the county was 76.18% Non-Hispanic white, 1.27% black, 1.69% Native American, 2.85% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 0.10% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 1.93% Non-Hispanics reporting two or more races and 15.49% Hispanic or Latino.
Caddo Parish (Where I used to live)
The median income for a household in the parish was $31,467, and the median income for a family was $38,872. Males had a median income of $31,664 versus $22,074 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $17,839. About 17.10% of families and 21.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.80% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over.
As of the census of 2010, there were 254,969 people, 119,502 households, and 68,900 families residing in the parish. According to 2012 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Caddo Parish population was 257,093. The population density was 286 people per square mile (110/km²). There were 108,296 housing units at an average density of 123 per square mile (47/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 54.1% White, 35.0% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 5.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
Similar diversity, except we have more Whites and Latinos, and you have more Blacks. We have half the poverty rate. Also, BTW, every $30,000 here is like $33,000 there, according to a COL calculator I played with a while back, roughly speaking. So it's an even greater disparity than "just the numbers" I posted show.
International cuisine is all over the place down here.
I regularly have thai and greek/lebanese while working.
Now in the context of northern louisiana perhaps youve got a point but exotic cars dont indicate much either. Just tonight someone was tooling around in a black Lamborghini in our office parking lot.
While Shreveport-Bossier being a part of Louisiana, I can tell you first-hand that it rates very, very poorly as far as Louisiana cuisine is concerned. Do a quick search for Louisiana-themed restaurants in Shreveport-Bossier and you get very few hits. Maybe Ralph & Kacoo's, Earnest's, Shane's, casino buffets and a handful of others... but I've been to many of these and they miss the mark when compared to places down South La. We've got fried food joints and boiled crawfish but anything resembling a Galatoire's, Prejeans, Commander's Palace or Emeril's... nope, zilch, nada. Shreveport is a masquerade... it even promotes local itself as "Louisiana's Other Side"... whatever the hell that means
Shreveport is more about some East Texas oil & gas town that never grew up. And as far as Louisiana overall is concerned... given the political leadership that keeps getting elected to office, we have to wonder if any voters really pay attention to what's going on politically speaking as far as our state leadership is concerned. That's one reason why we rank so poorly in education, health, etc. We're soo concerned about federal overreach that we allow our leadership to rally emotions to fight against any progress be it educational, healthcare, etc. Unbelieveable!
And just the amount of trash I see everywhere and decay, it's not a good impression. Years ago Toyota toured the northern part of the state to consider the Monroe area for a new Toyota assembly plant. They passed and went to northern Mississippi of all places. One bit of feedback the Toyota folks shared with local Econ Dev. folks was that they saw soo much trash and disrepair around the communities they looked at, citing that if local folks didn't care that much for their community... how could they have any pride in their work?
True story revealed by local anti-trash groups in this area. Such info is quite telling... seems many have grown so accustomed to the trash and disrepair that they no longer see it for what it is. But hey, we got crawfish, music festivals and goodtimes...don't we?
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