Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Louisiana
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-03-2019, 06:30 PM
 
7 posts, read 6,920 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some information on life in Covington. I'm a NYC school teacher and looking to escape NY for Louisiana. My husband is scheduled to meet with New Orleans Police Dept. and if tests are passed we would move in December. I would apply to teach in St. Tammany Parrish. I'd like to know what cost of living is like. Would we survive on a combined salary of 100k? If anyone is in the police dept. Or schools; what is the health insurance like? Obviously i am very nervous about making a big move like this so I wanted to hear from residents. I have 2 children ages 6 and 4. Thank you for any information!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-03-2019, 07:30 PM
 
Location: Phoenix
29,751 posts, read 18,615,199 times
Reputation: 25752
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooke17 View Post
Hi all, I'm hoping to get some information on life in Covington. I'm a NYC school teacher and looking to escape NY for Louisiana. My husband is scheduled to meet with New Orleans Police Dept. and if tests are passed we would move in December. I would apply to teach in St. Tammany Parrish. I'd like to know what cost of living is like. Would we survive on a combined salary of 100k? If anyone is in the police dept. Or schools; what is the health insurance like? Obviously i am very nervous about making a big move like this so I wanted to hear from residents. I have 2 children ages 6 and 4. Thank you for any information!
Covington and Mandeville are about as good as it gets in Louisiana. COL would be very cheap compared to NYC. New Orleans is no joke for crime though, your husband I would would worry about.

Medical care in the area is good.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-04-2019, 01:16 PM
 
1,948 posts, read 907,772 times
Reputation: 1453
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooke17 View Post
Hi all, I'm hoping to get some information on life in Covington. I'm a NYC school teacher and looking to escape NY for Louisiana. My husband is scheduled to meet with New Orleans Police Dept. and if tests are passed we would move in December. I would apply to teach in St. Tammany Parrish. I'd like to know what cost of living is like. Would we survive on a combined salary of 100k? If anyone is in the police dept. Or schools; what is the health insurance like? Obviously i am very nervous about making a big move like this so I wanted to hear from residents. I have 2 children ages 6 and 4. Thank you for any information!
I'll be completely honest with you, why the HECK do you want to move to Louisiana, out of all places? Honestly, I think it absolutely sucks here. The schools are among the worst in the nation, there is high crime rate, the roads are in poor condition, and you are stuck right in hurricane alley.

Not to be so negative, but these are all truths. I moved here from PA for work about 4 years ago and I can't wait to get out. Plus, moving from NY state will be a drastic change. Everything is flat here, it's very humid every day. It's hot from May thru November. The bugs are nasty and the taxes are high. There is local sales tax on everything and a 6% income tax on income over $50,000. If I were you, I'd look elsewhere. There are better options. Yes, the cost of living is lower, but you get nothing for it!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-04-2019, 07:13 PM
 
Location: Phoenix
29,751 posts, read 18,615,199 times
Reputation: 25752
Quote:
Originally Posted by sluggermatt15 View Post
I'll be completely honest with you, why the HECK do you want to move to Louisiana, out of all places? Honestly, I think it absolutely sucks here. The schools are among the worst in the nation, there is high crime rate, the roads are in poor condition, and you are stuck right in hurricane alley.

Not to be so negative, but these are all truths. I moved here from PA for work about 4 years ago and I can't wait to get out. Plus, moving from NY state will be a drastic change. Everything is flat here, it's very humid every day. It's hot from May thru November. The bugs are nasty and the taxes are high. There is local sales tax on everything and a 6% income tax on income over $50,000. If I were you, I'd look elsewhere. There are better options. Yes, the cost of living is lower, but you get nothing for it!
Now I agree with you on your points but why can't you leave yesterday? I grew up near Covington and left after graduating university never to return except for visits. I will say that I think it's a fun place even with all of the noted and legit negatives.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-04-2019, 07:18 PM
 
1,096 posts, read 1,038,277 times
Reputation: 1745
The schools are the best... for Louisiana.

But Louisiana ranks 50th or 49th for education quality out of the nation, with Mississippi a close rival.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-04-2019, 07:31 PM
 
Location: Phoenix
29,751 posts, read 18,615,199 times
Reputation: 25752
Quote:
Originally Posted by ApePeeD View Post
The schools are the best... for Louisiana.

But Louisiana ranks 50th or 49th for education quality out of the nation, with Mississippi a close rival.
Yeah, you need private schools to get a good education in Louisiana unfortunately.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-05-2019, 10:57 AM
 
1,948 posts, read 907,772 times
Reputation: 1453
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tall Traveler View Post
Now I agree with you on your points but why can't you leave yesterday? I grew up near Covington and left after graduating university never to return except for visits. I will say that I think it's a fun place even with all of the noted and legit negatives.
Good job, great pay, even better retirement. Or I'd be gone with the wind.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2019, 10:19 AM
 
7 posts, read 6,920 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks for all the feedback so far. We chose Louisiana as an option because we want that change from New York. I'm on Long Island and we have the highest property taxes and expensive homes that are dumps. My husband applied to New Orleans police because of the decent pay and I'm an english teacher. Having a change from NY is key here and I don't think I need to go into further details regarding why we want to escape, you can get the picture. I was mostly concerned about the health insurance because the rates for St Tammany seem awfully high for such a low salary. What makes the schools bad? Is it low test scores, not enough resources etc. Does Covington have a small town vibe? Nice people? Trying to stay away from the nastiness where I am now. Thanks again for info!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2019, 03:19 PM
 
1,948 posts, read 907,772 times
Reputation: 1453
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooke17 View Post
Thanks for all the feedback so far. We chose Louisiana as an option because we want that change from New York. I'm on Long Island and we have the highest property taxes and expensive homes that are dumps. My husband applied to New Orleans police because of the decent pay and I'm an english teacher. Having a change from NY is key here and I don't think I need to go into further details regarding why we want to escape, you can get the picture. I was mostly concerned about the health insurance because the rates for St Tammany seem awfully high for such a low salary. What makes the schools bad? Is it low test scores, not enough resources etc. Does Covington have a small town vibe? Nice people? Trying to stay away from the nastiness where I am now. Thanks again for info!
You are going to find out that you really aren't escaping the taxes.

Sales tax is 10-11% on items that aren't exempt by the state... but the local sales tax is levied on everything. Not sure what it is for St. Tammany Parish, but typically at least 4-5%.

You're going to pay 6% in state income tax on all income over $50,000.

Yes, the property taxes are lower than New York state, but you get virtually nothing for them. The schools and education system is in the bottom 5 of all 50 states because there is little money that is invested in education. The teachers don't get paid worth a nut and the kids are horrible. My wife was a teacher and she could only take it for 3 months. She had to quit cause she hated it, the kids didn't want to learn, and they were uncontrollable. I don't have kids, but if I did, I would NOT send them to school in Louisiana.

"Stay away from the nastiness.." lol well since you're from way up north, you're going to get flack for living in Louisiana. To everyone you're a yankee.

Do you like the heat and humidity? Because it is hot here from May thru at least October, sometimes well into November. It's going to be a HUGE climate and landscape change from Long Island. And I don't mean New York State hot, I mean unbearably hot and humid. Louisiana has some of the worst humidity in the continental US.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2019, 03:22 PM
 
1,948 posts, read 907,772 times
Reputation: 1453
OP I would suggest at least visiting the state and area to see what you're getting yourself into. Don't come all the way here only to regret it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Louisiana

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top