Moving from England to Louisiana just a few questions! (New Orleans: rental, low crime)

[tyfinnlou]

Hi, my husband and i could well be moving to Louisiana in the next few months due to work relocation and we were wondering which places have the best schools,less crime, better neighbourhoods etc. We have been looking at manderville in particular.Has anyone any info for us about there? We are a bi racial couple too (Im white while hubby is of jamacian/white decent) and we have 3 children aged 4,2 and 1 so we need somewhere where there is a large-ish family presence.Also my husband would be working in the stennis space centre area so would be commuting a fair way if theres any where inbetween thats ok. Any info would be great. Thanks

[ShreveportNative]

I'm from north LA, so I'm not as familiar w/ the area you are relocating to, but you might want to look at Covington. I had relatives that lived there years ago & liked it for the larger lots and stable neighborhoods. It has grown considerably since then as many New Orleans natives moved to the north shore of the lake. This site has links on the pages of the cities where you can access housing, crime, & many other useful stats. Look for areas that have the lowest crime possible & a high percentage of owner occupied housing. It also has links for small towns. Go to the home page of the site to access these. For info. on specific cities, Google them & look for their home site.

While I love the richness of the culture & history of New Orleans, if you are interested in low crime, you might want to avoid it. Unfortunately, it will take years for the city to stabilize after the hurricane. It was hurt very badly w/ many neighborhoods & infrastructure completely destroyed. After you relocate I can highly recommend sampling New Orleans’ world-class restaurants, cuisine, festivals, & culture. It is truly unique & is one of the few U.S. cities w/ a European feel (French Quarter). When you have time, drive down St. Charles & savor the grand & historic houses in the garden district & uptown neighborhood.

I don’t know if you got much news of the hurricanes several years ago that devastated the coastal areas, but I would be a bit nervous about being right on the coast or within a few miles of the gulf. Being inland 10-20 miles can make a huge difference w/ a big storm. You didn’t mention if you were interested in buying a home. If so, if you may want to rent first as this may give you a good opportunity to look at nearby communities. While there aren’t any large cities nearby except New Orleans, I knew someone who had a home w/ a generous several acre lot in a very nice subdivision in southern Mississippi that was primarily designed for retirees. Realtors can help w/ rental or purchasing. You can email a realtor as well as access realtor web sites to view properties whether for rental or purchase. Rents are probably higher than normal w/ the loss of housing that has not been replenished after the hurricane, so you can probably buy a decent house for what rent will be. Don’t buy w/o viewing in person if at all possible.

As for your family being bi-racial, in south LA this is not unusual as the area has long had a mix of multiple cultures, so you will not be in a unique position. It is possible to encounter people who aren’t enlightened about this & are still living in the past, but the issues that were once largely delineated along racial lines are increasingly defined by education or lack of it & income levels regardless of race.

About schools, you may be able to Google the city & school test scores to get an idea. A realtor can be helpful about this. Check this site & other demographic sites about school performance. Private schools are expensive, & it could be worth it to select a slightly more expensive home in an area w/ a good school district if you have access to a quality public school.

Have you checked to see if Stennis have someone who can assist w/ relocation for neighborhood or realtor referrals?

[Future Mrs.Billy Thompson]

While I love the richness of the culture & history of New Orleans, if you are interested in low crime, you might want to avoid it.

I agree with that!! I love New Orleans, But now you couldn't pay me to even drive there for a quick visit,look,etc...
I also think Covington would be your best location to look at,also Mandeville is not a bad idea either,its alot smaller than Covington, but it has alot of conviences near by. Good luck and about the racism, you find that just about everywhere, but the Haters are the ignorant ones~!

[tyfinnlou]

Thanks for the replies. I think we'll definitly have a look at covington.
If we do move out there i think my husbands company let us come out there and have a look around before we would actually move so it would be good to have a few good places in mind instead of blindly looking around trying to find an area.We would probably rent at 1st but then we would buy after finding a good area. You've also put my mind at ease with the racial thing to ive had so many people telling me how bad it is there i was a little worried! in England we have very little if any problems.

[Shygal]

Hey tyfinnlou! You should move to Covington. I've lived there and my relatives also, live there. Its a wonderful place!! The school system is "GREAT"!

[Monj737]

welcome to la. and st Tammany parish. i have lived in covington and Mandy. now live in slidell. best schools are in Mandy, with slidell next. slidell is closest to stennis app. 30 minutes. the race issue, the best place of the 3 cities would be slidell, then mandy. it could get you a occasional stare, but things are much more relaxed than the past years. good luck, let me know if you need more info.

[tyfinnlou]

Thank you for the info Monj737.Do you know of the better places to live in in these cities? Or any that we should avoid!!?

[Monj737]

yes i do. me and my wife have lived in and around these areas for 30 or so years. to much info to type, but if you want to contact me by phone email me: monj737@hotmail.com my wife's best friend works at stennis and also is from england.

[ShreveportNative]

It is clear from your several comments that you are very worried about the racial dynamics, & I understand this, moving from England. Keep in mind that the locals that are educated & enlightened & not living in another century ignore things that are annoying/embarrassing from the uneducated/unenlightened whom we occassionally encounter.

I hope that while you will undoubtedly encounter numerous things that will be culture shock, that you will also encounter an equal or greater number of rich experiences that you will treasure. This is an area of the U.S. that has a very unique rich culture & cuisine.

[tyfinnlou]

Hi thanks for that reply ShreveportNative It is one of the things i worry about as we have 3 small children and i just dont want them to be a target.It didnt really come up when we decided to go for it but since we have had a few people say stuff it got me a bit worried. Dont know if theyre just trying to put us off or not and keep us here!!
I really cant wait to see if we are definitly coming over as ive been searching online and it looks so nice over there!We should know soon so heres hoping!
Yes i think we will be in for a culture shock but i like change and hopefully this one will be for the better.
I cant wait to try the food either ill have to get myself in some lessons on how to do it properly!!