relocating from Montana (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport: home, job market, neighborhoods)

[Lizard]

I have to agree with the writer who suggested the Bossier area. It is perhaps the fastest growing area of the state if that is what you're interested in. Natchitoches is a lovely small college town with a lot or civic pride. My husband is a realtor in the Shreveport/Bossier area and knows the market really well. Housing is rather expensive here compared to even the Dallas area but there are a lot of new subdivisions in most all price ranges. I have lived in the southern part of the state as well as the Alexandria and Monroe area, and every section has its advantages. It just depends on your priorities. Should you choose the northwest corridor, we welcome you.

[hdwell]

Montana Folks-I live in the shreveport-bossier city area and its really not too bad. It's probably most like the rest of the country of the places in louisiana. The rest of the state is rather peculiar in its way of life and may take some getting use to. As a lifelong resident of louisiana, I am trying to get up to Colorado to live. Louisiana has some fine wonderful people in all the areas of the state, but the politicians really suck!

[Cowboybootnut]

I lived in Shreveport for 10 years, and happiness was Shreveport in my rear-view mirror as I moved to Texas.

There are good things about Shreveport, good hospitals, colleges, stores and restaurants. But there are high-crime areas throughout the city, and the downtown area is DEAD, the casinos have only provided low-paying jobs and there is not a lot of high-tech industry there to replace the decline in oil jobs.

The people are great though, and I made good friends there.

[Frank_Sinatra]

I vote for (a) staying in MT, or (b) moving elsewhere. Why? This state SUCKS!

I mean, really...is a Wal-Mart and a Taco Bell worth moving here? Do you want to be around inbred rednecks? Would you like to live in squalor? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, well, LA may just be for you after all. Of course, you might also consider Mississippi, Alabama, or Arkansas.

[okiejoe]

I was born and raised in Denham Springs, a Baton Rouge suburb. I left in 1978 and have since lived in Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico and currently in Oklahoma. If I were moving back to Louisiana, there are only a few places I would ever consider: 1) Lafayette 2) Ruston 3) Denham Springs 4) North shore of Lake Ponchartrain -- Mandeville, Covington, Slidell 5) Pineville. I've been to all 64 of the state's parishes and those are the only places that make my list. Of course, like most people, I'm subjective. For some more objective info check out the following links:

http://www.muninetguide.com/

http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/pages/18.html (broken link)

And, of course, the "lists" on this site itself:

//www.city-data.com/toplists.html

Overall, Louisiana doesn't fare very well on most of these indices, but there are exceptions.

[OutofLouisiana]

I'd have to agree with some of the other posters that Lafayette is really one of the nicer areas in Louisianan but I have to qualify that somewhat, Lafayette is called the "Hub City" because of a the wonderful little towns surrounding the city. To me, Breaux Bridge is one of the nicer ones. There is a distinct cultural difference between northern Louisiana and anything south of Alexandria. If you like Acadian or "Cajun" culture then Lafayette and anything southeast of it is the place to be. However the reason my "handle" says OutofLouisiana is that we were wiped out by Katrina and moved to the Lafayette area and then got hit by Rita. I don't want to go through that again. Good luck to you!

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by omicronkappa278

Wow, I do not know that we are supposed to fight on this board...

[CUT] The highrise office buildings in Shreveport run an average occupancy rate of 85%. Contact the Downtown Development Authority if you require proof of that.

[CUT] Wikipedia is known the web over to be a horrible source of information. Addison, TX. Madison, WI also claims to have the most restaurants per capita, if you believe that.

Never once did I dispute that Lafayette has a lot to offer, but it's no metropolis. Neither is Shreveport for that matter, but Shreveport is not what you made it out to be. Lafayette is a new city, more or less. Most of that city's growth has come in the last few years. Shreveport has built its way up, then down, and now back up again. The city has been through a lot and deserves better than to be completely ragged on a national forum .[CUT]

Originally Posted by Cowboybootnut

I lived in Shreveport for 10 years, and happiness was Shreveport in my rear-view mirror as I moved to Texas.

There are high-crime areas throughout every city.

Also, what gives you the impression the downtown area is dead? On the weekdays it's very much alive and well with business people and others who are passing through. In the evenings, it dies down just the same as the downtown areas of most other cities. That's nothing unique to Shreveport. The riverfront is still part of downtown, and that area is active all hours of the day and night. There's never a dull moment in that area of downtown, so to lump "downtown" into one big category because of a few "dead" spots is ignorant of the actual truth.

There is not a lot of high-tech industry in Shreveport but that is changing. A huge portion of the local economy these days is in the casino industry, and casino jobs are anything but low-paying jobs. You could take a job as a janitor in most cities in the United States and make a certain wage, but go to a casino and take the same job and you will see that the wage paid is quite a bit higher.

There is a huge steel mill looking to locate at the Port of Shreveport-Bossier, and our area is one of three finalists in the nation. These are not low-paying jobs, but rather starting wages of about $50,000. These are also "high-tech" jobs, because they require extensive knowledge of computer systems. Your typical steel mill worker wouldn't be qualified for these jobs.

Shreveport is a great place. I'm sad that you dislike it as much as you do. On the bright side, however, we're glad to see that the people who hate living here so much are moving out. That gives us a chance for a fresh start with the new people moving in.

Originally Posted by OutofLouisiana

I'd have to agree with some of the other posters that Lafayette is really one of the nicer areas in ...

So where are you living these days?

It's a shame two different storms drove you out of the state, but I know I wouldn't want to go through that even once... let alone twice. Or every year.

[p3andcalsmom]

I am not a native Louisiana resident. I moved here about 10 years ago, from NY, after I was married. My husband is a native. We lived in Crowley, which is about 20 minutes from Lafayette. Crowley is small town, but we go to Lafayette for EVERYTHING. I love Lafayette, and it's great if you like more of a big town feeling.And, it does have just about anything you need. Currently, we live in Baton Rouge, which is crowded and overpriced right now, due to Katrina. We will be moving back to Crowley in a few years when my husband finishes his residency. I will NOT be moving back North. The people here are so kind and fun and the cost of living is so much more reasonable. I live SO much better in LA than my friends do in NY. Besides the hurricanes and hot weather ( I have learned to love my AC) I love Louisiana and everyone I have met here, does as well! (PS--my brother moved as well after coming to our wedding (in Lafayette). Said it was the most fun he'd ever had!)

[tangiriver]

Actually I would live in Natchez, Mississippi. Natchez directly across the river from Louisiana on the Mississippi River. If you are looking for southern charm in a city of about 20,000 with everything you can find in large cities Natchez the place you are looking for. There's a website you might find helpful, with homes available listed with prices, and other additional information.
Go To: [url]removed[/url]
Good Luck!

[grndtikal]

Originally Posted by teresa

We are considering relocating to Louisiana from Montana. We are looking in the Pineville area (where my husband grew up) as well as Natchitoches (halfway between his old friends in Pineville and his grandchildren in Shreveport) My question: If you could choose anywhere in Louisiana to live where would you go and why? hope to here from someone!! Thanks.

Baton rouge area LAFEYETTE