Please Correct My Misconceptions About BTR and Tell Me About Zachary (Baton Rouge: transplants, 2015)

[BetaBeta]

First of all I absolutely loved this thread, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the responses, especially BR Bound... my heart goes out to you...

I guess I can take it all with a light heart as I was born and raised here and couldn't wait to get the hell out once I graduated college. Then after being gone for over 20 years and after living all over the US, Europe, and Asia, I see and can related to what both sides have to say. Quite frankly I'm here again because I need to be for my family. Will I stay after I retire and those obligations are gone is a question I ask myself everytime I sit down to do retirement planning.. .I guess time will tell.

I did want to clarify something since the original poster did not. She said Fairfax, Northern Virginia (Metro D.C. area). That does not have to mean the City of Fairfax. Fairfax is a county and includes various towns/cities. I lived in Reston, VA and its in Fairfax. I don't know what their schools ranked but they sure impressed the heck out me when I would pick up my friends daughter. Every child had their own laptop that they could take home and this was TEN YEARS AGO in a public school! Don't even get me started on the technology in the classrooms. I work in IT and in one of Reston's schools I saw for the first time whiteboards that would send data from what the teacher wrote on the board directly to the child's laptop so the child could review when they did their homework. Again, we aren't talking today, I can only imagine what Reston schools are doing now!

Anyway OP, if you come back, its not that bad... you will adjust and make do. I have found a lot of things to enjoy and a lot of things to dislike... but at the end of the day, that is life.

On the housing price, I've been asking myself that every since hitting the ground here in 2006. The average income does not match with the cost of housing on any level. It did before Katrina, but not now. How folks are doing it here is beyond me. However I have noticed a downward spiral in house prices each and year since being here, so be careful what you buy. If you only plan to be here as long as you need to, don't go for brand spanking new, instead look for value.

Good Luck!

[felineone]

Prairieville is great.. but being from the pacific northwest, it is culture shock, and education is very very different. Not so much the nuts and bolts, but the general philosophy.. it's all about conforming, and obey the rules, and wear that uniform, and do as you are told.. walk a straight line, no talking at lunch, etc. (This was at the local public middle school). Food is so different, hard to shop for groceries.. oil by the gallon is common even in small stores..food in general is "heavy". And, I have learned a whole new language... like people don't turn 12, they make 12, a cold drink means a carbonanted soda..or pop, lol.. the letter -ra- pronounced like aura.. a lick is when someone hits another..not what a dog does... i could go on and on..feel free to Axe me any questions..

[MetroBTR]

No talking at lunch?? What school was this at???? My kids went to the stuffy Catholic Schools and even they never had a rule as silly as that.

[felineone]

Prairieville Middle

[fbbertusa]

Originally Posted by Jamaica Manila

With a heavy heart, we are having to assess a relo to the Zachary area, north of Baton Rouge as early as this Christmas and as late as next Summer. Coming from the Ventura County suburbs of Los Angeles and the ocean side of San Diego County, California AND now from the excellent public school system of Fairfax, Northern Virginia (Metro D.C. area) that's rated in the TOP 10 in the country, I am really dreading the relocation into a state like Louisiana for my 8-yr old child. We can always try to have my spouse look for another job being in Northern VA with lots of job possibilities...but we are loyal to the company and there is a slight chance it can result in a job promotion. Notwithstanding that despite enjoying a great school system, we still find VA to be too cold in the Fall, Winter and Spring months, coming from Southern Cali. So perhaps a move south will make our bones warmer again... but we never dreamnt of Louisiana (BTR or NOLA) - maybe Texas and New Mexico - but not the bayou. OK Okay so, like I said, I probably have misconceptions about this state as a whole. I NEED HELP from the perspective of a family-oriented, suburbian, mid to upper middle class, diverse culture and Hollywood-centric type of person living in the Baton Rouge area - preferrably in Zachary or vicinity. Need help about the schools in Zachary (all I have found is that some elementary or middle school there has been rated No.1 in the State -- but what is the State's standards? And where do they rate in the country?). Next, why would the houses cost more than where we are in Metro D.C. where median household income is $85k to $125k? (check it out Loudoun County and Fairfax County VIRGINIA) I mean, less sq footage and yet they are in the mid-$300s to $400s? What kind of jobs are there that warrant this housing prices in a deperate market and hurricane-target area? I need some feedback and maybe get more excited about relocating there - or - put more pressure on the spouse to find another job and stay put where we are.... THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR UNBIASED AND not-so-harsh FEEDBACK/reply.

This is like Your fourth post on the same subject and as high class as You try to sound You still haven't figured out that You need to stay out of Louisiana.With Your attitude you will probably never be happy around us Rednecks so I suggest You look for work where You are . How do You expect to come down here and find HAPPINESS in a place You already dislike?

[anothertiger]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

No talking at lunch?? What school was this at???? My kids went to the stuffy Catholic Schools and even they never had a rule as silly as that.

Most of EBR public schools....

It's been only a little over year now (since we moved from one of the New England states), but the public education seems to be in trouble here in Baton Rouge. Not due to teachers or budgets.. Terrible administrations in EBR..

Just my 2 cents

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by felineone

Prairieville Middle

Never heard of such a silly thing. I'm sorry the kids had to endure that.

[AshleyPo]

Jamaica, I really can't tell you what you should do, but, my wife is from Houston, Tx. and I lived there for about 8 years. That was a very fast community no matter where in Houston you could live. We moved back to my home town area about 35 years ago and my wife wasn't sure about moving to a slow paced environment. Today, if I wanted to get her to move elsewhere, she wouldn't move for any reason. If I wanted to move, I would have to just leave her or get a divorce. We live in the country about 30 miles Northwest of Baton Rouge in a rural area called Jarreau which is near New Roads, Louisiana. If you Google New Roads, La. you will find a lot of information about this area. The only bad problem is the public schools, however, there is a private school "Catholic High of Pointe Coupee" which I graduated from which is a very good school. There is also another private school called False River Academy, but, I don't know much about it. You can probably check it out with Google. I live here and don't think I could be happy anywhere else. Good luck with your decision.

[fbbertusa]

What is it that You really want someone to explain to You?

[pbtoups]

Originally Posted by Jamaica Manila

Thank you all for your insight and feedback, both sides. It seems like what we've heard and researched is pretty accurate. It could be fun to try a new culture but with a child in her Wyoung elementary years, it has to be sound and stable schooling also... We need to come over and see it for ourselves... THANKS AGAIN!

When my son was in the 8th grade parents of a friend of his ask us about the school my son was attending at the time (they drove their son 45 miles one way each day to a school everyone said was superior) Their question was about the local Catholic School our children attended. I will tell you what I told them...your child will become what she is destined to become once she gets into College. Now, that is not to say that an excellent foundation is not good, it is simply to say that the real girl and all she is destined to be will not be stymied by schools in either Zachary or Baton Rouge. I have lived in Virginia, in DC, and in California, and I can tell you that here, when you meet someone, you actually meet the real person. Here your friends and neighbors will truly be happy for your successes and do their best to help you through the bad. In those other locations your successes are resented and everyone is too busy to notice otherwise. You can best determine what category you fit in, but I feel that you would be very happy to fit into the Louisiana population. Good luck.