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njkate - yes we did get sick and it left a 'bad taste' in our memories about the festival but there isn't much to do around here that fit our preferences so we will try it again.
As far as Baton Rouge is concerned, we absolutely love Louisiana and originally intended to move to New Orleans but I did some thinking about what is important to me when finding a relo option such as larger/cheaper property options, outdoor living potential, nice people, amazing cuisine and culture and the ability to bring my elderly mom. New Orleans is more expensive with many properties offering no backyards or parking, most likely will flood again (can't let mom go through that) and their future is still very unclear if not a complete standstill. Whereas Baton Rouge is centrally located (less than 90 mins from NO) is safer in regards to flooding issues, the people are unbelievable, there is so much opportunity - they are growing like crazy, you can get a 'personal size' mansion for under $300k and due to the La homestead rebate, you don't pay taxes on the first $75k of your home and are taxed on a portion of the remainder so for example you can get a $150k 3br 2ba on a good sized lot needing cosmetic repairs and your annual taxes would run about $750 or $1500 for that newly constructed mini mansion in a subdivision with stocked lake for fishing (see fsbobr dot com for examples). Naturally there are negatives such as crime (after living in Jersey City and near Newark, we’ll be fine), the education system is horrendous and you must go private (we don’t/won’t have kids so not an issue) and of course it’s pretty hot for a good part of the year (the devil would complain) but I won’t as I lay by my pool and outdoor bar/kitchen constructed with all the money saved by not living in NJ enjoying a cold beer and cracking crabs (btw, they have drive thru crawfish stands in Baton Rouge!).
Cool...good for you..BR is also a big college town...geaux Tigers