any marylanders here that have been to or lived in New Orleans? (Baltimore: crime)

[thealfa]

I am trying to move to New Orleans. I am in Maryland. Does any of Maryland's cities or counties resemble a New Orleans? Does New Orleans feel like PG County or Baltimore? Does the state of Louisiana have a more happy feel to it than Maryland. I think Maryland can be bleak and cold in winters. The counties tend to be ghetto (PG and Baltimore County, and others as well). I just need to know New Orleans and Louisiana is not a Maryland or have any resemblance at all when it comes to atmosphere of the place and attitude of the people.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by thealfa

I am trying to move to New Orleans. I am in Maryland. Does any of Maryland's cities or counties resemble a New Orleans? Does New Orleans feel like PG County or Baltimore? Does the state of Louisiana have a more happy feel to it than Maryland. I think Maryland can be bleak and cold in winters. The counties tend to be ghetto (PG and Baltimore County, and others as well). I just need to know New Orleans and Louisiana is not a Maryland or have any resemblance at all when it comes to atmosphere of the place and attitude of the people.

If you think baltimore and PG counties are ghetto, and you do not like them, you will not like New Orleans.

If you're into a culture of unbelievable live music, bars and clubs that never close and amazing food, you'll love New Orleans.

Of all communities in the state New Orleans is most like Baltimore City.

Louisiana is substantially less wealthy than MD. New Orleans had many urban problems before Hurricane Katrina and different ones after the storm.

It's also like Baltimore City in that if you avoid the bad areas you'll be safe.

I love N.O. but I couldn't live there because of the oppressively hot and humid summers.

I think you should think about what type of place you are looking for (urban, rural, suburban?) in what climate, and will the area present a way for you to earn money (i.e. could you get a job there).

Trying to find a place based on what you don't like is harder.

[AlicynD]

I just got back from New Orleans and loved it! I'm going to totally agree with the above poster, it reminds me a lot of Baltimore but with a bit more "charm" and "culture" (probably because it is a bit different than here so it was something new) for all of the reasons above...music, food, etc. I couldn't personally see myself living there but it is a fun place to visit. The people are friendly. It seems that a lot of the people living and working, specifically in the French Quarter area, are not from there and are living in NO as an interim. A lot of food service and hospitality.

[thealfa]

I actually like Baltimore better than PG County (it's a county!). Anyway, there was a thread in New Orleans forum about if Baltimore and New Orleans are much alike, and the answers I've seen were shockingly different than yours. People said NO WAY New Orleans is the same or similar to Baltimore. But you're saying yes, it's both pretty ghetto. One response about that thread was in New Orleans you can actually walk and feel safer, and Baltimore you can't without feeling like you're about to get gang raped.

I understand New Orleans is a friendly city? I feel there's anger in Baltimore City. Correct? Have you ever noticed this? I am a warm climate person, so it might serve me well to move to New Orleans. I was just asking a question here to hear first hand from people who have been to the deep south as I have not.

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

If you think baltimore and PG counties are ghetto, and you do not like them, you will not like New Orleans.

If you're into a culture of unbelievable live music, bars and clubs that never close and amazing food, you'll love New Orleans.

Of all communities in the state New Orleans is most like Baltimore City.

Louisiana is substantially less wealthy than MD. New Orleans had many urban problems before Hurricane Katrina and different ones after the storm.

It's also like Baltimore City in that if you avoid the bad areas you'll be safe.

I love N.O. but I couldn't live there because of the oppressively hot and humid summers.

I think you should think about what type of place you are looking for (urban, rural, suburban?) in what climate, and will the area present a way for you to earn money (i.e. could you get a job there).

Trying to find a place based on what you don't like is harder.

[AlicynD]

I'd like to clarify that my post was not referring to crime, "ghetto", or any of that. I was referring to simply the feel I got from New Orleans. It is really hard to explain unless you've been there. In regards to walking around and feeling safer...I think a lot of it has to do with comfort. When I was visiting NO I felt fairly safe but there were a couple of times when I wasn't sure. It had more to do with me not being from the area and not knowing where I really was, more so than anything else. If I lived there for a while I would probably feel fine. When I'm walking in certain areas of Baltimore I feel pretty safe but I'm sure some "visitors" may not....again all has to do with familiarity and comfort. You know flight and hotel stay are not that expensive in NO, especially if you go outside of Mardi Gras period so I would suggest you visit before moving there and you'll know whether or not you like it.

[thealfa]

yeah but isn't New Orleans supposed to be better off when it coems to people's attitudes compared to the northeastern ways of Maryland? NOLA didn't ranked as an "angry" city compared to D.C. and Baltimore (PG county is in between so you get a bit of that anger in the burbs).

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

If you think baltimore and PG counties are ghetto, and you do not like them, you will not like New Orleans.

If you're into a culture of unbelievable live music, bars and clubs that never close and amazing food, you'll love New Orleans.

Of all communities in the state New Orleans is most like Baltimore City.

Louisiana is substantially less wealthy than MD. New Orleans had many urban problems before Hurricane Katrina and different ones after the storm.

It's also like Baltimore City in that if you avoid the bad areas you'll be safe.

I love N.O. but I couldn't live there because of the oppressively hot and humid summers.

I think you should think about what type of place you are looking for (urban, rural, suburban?) in what climate, and will the area present a way for you to earn money (i.e. could you get a job there).

Trying to find a place based on what you don't like is harder.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by thealfa

I am trying to move to New Orleans. I am in Maryland. Does any of Maryland's cities or counties resemble a New Orleans? Does New Orleans feel like PG County or Baltimore? Does the state of Louisiana have a more happy feel to it than Maryland. I think Maryland can be bleak and cold in winters. The counties tend to be ghetto (PG and Baltimore County, and others as well). I just need to know New Orleans and Louisiana is not a Maryland or have any resemblance at all when it comes to atmosphere of the place and attitude of the people.

I was born in Metarie, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans and moved here in 8th grade. Louisiana is much better with better government, you don't have to deal with the liberals AS MUCH.

HOWEVER, the city of New Orleans of course is the place in Louisiana most similar to Baltimore. Both have a lot of local government corruption, a lot of crime and urban decay though in New Orleans the bad areas seem to be better separated from the good, at least back then, while in Baltimore there really is no truly good area and crime is everywhere. Yes, even the inner harbor after dark is not safe and gangs have had shootouts in Harborplace.

The closest Maryland ever gets to Louisiana or the Deep South culturally is the Eastern Shore, particularly the lower Eastern Shore, and some on the Eastern Shore have Southern accents and you see Confederate flags there too. Louisiana does have hot summers but I prefer heat over cold, I'm used to it, I remember when i was in Las Vegas during the summer all the folks from NJ were complainin about the heat while you see cars with Louisiana and Arkansas plates driving down the street with the windows down. Most of Louisiana is very friendly like the Eastern Shore.

Louisiana IS very Christian and conservative. If your a liberal there, its kinda like being a conservative and being a Christian in Montgomery County or HOward County. One thing though moving to Louisiana or anywhere more "southern" than Baltimore City or MoCo, don't try to lecture people on things like saying happy holidays vs Merry Christmas or about the Confederate flag, that is seen as arrogant especially coming from a newcomer. Don't be offended if someone asks you what church you go to, stuff like that. Also, do not assume someone is racist just because they have Confederate flags, to us it means pride in being southern and sometimes it also means being supporting smaller government and a rural lifestyle and small town values. You don't see it much in the city of New Orleans but its more common in the suburbs and in the small towns. I been all over the South and seen people with rebel flags who are in interracial relationships with Asians and Hispanics. Also courtesy and hospitality is important, at least it was when I lived there. Try to remember to say sir or ma'am especially when speaking to someone older than yourself. Also do not remind us that you won the Civil War or be disrespectful about that. I dont' know if its typical, but when I visited Stonewall Jackson's memorial site in Virginia, there was a van from Massachusetts and the people were very disrespectful and mocking him. I don't know if this is common behavior for northerners but that is very offensive.

Needless to say the food is much better in Louisiana, both the New Orleans Creole cuisine and the country/southern style cooking you find elsewhere in the state. There IS a lot of seafood in both Louisiana and Maryland so thats another similarity I guess.