Tired of suburban life.... (New Orleans, Metairie: renting, insurance, crime)

[dal2aus]

After relocating here 3 months ago, my husband & I are getting more acquainted with the city. We're renting in west Metairie, and realizing that it's too far from what the "real" New Orleans has to offer. However, we don't want to give up the family-oriented neighborhood feel & don't want to overspend to buy a house. Safety, of course, is a big concern.

In my research, I came across the Marleyville/Fontainebleu (sp?) area. This area seems really nice, convenient to the fun amenities & may actually be affordable for us. Is this area as peaceful as it seems, particularly around Vincennes Place?

[rburnett]

Marleyville/Fontainbleu is a nice area, but it can get expensive.

Also look at Broadmoor, especially between Nashville and Napolean. Very safe area and pretty reasonable prices compared to Uptown and Fontainbleu. It has the same quiet peaceful, dare I say, suburban feel. Also, youre less than 10 minuites from all the best places in the city, right in the middle of everything (one of the easiest commutes downtown).

Broadmoor wasn't our first choice, because there was no streetcar and it's not as walkable as other areas. It's more bikeable. than walkable. However, if public transportation and walkability aren't real high priorities, then this is the perfect neighborhood.

[thepointykitty]

My husband and I lived right off Fontainebleu near Nashville for six months when we first moved here. There were a lot of families out and about, and we really enjoyed walking around there. It was very quiet almost all the time. We prefer Riverbend, where we live now, mainly because it's near the streetcar line and we can walk to restaurants and a few stores, but it's still a very peaceful area. I think the Maple Street/Carrollton area nearby would be perfect for a family, but I don't know about the home prices.

[dal2aus]

Streetcar access is not that big of a deal, but sitting in traffic to get home from work in the CBD is wearing on me. Also, it's hard to enjoy the city during the weeknights when you have to go all the way to Metairie/Kenner to let the dog out, you know what I mean? The listings for Fontainebleau (especially around Nashville, thank you Kitty), seem within our budget.

Are there boundaries around Broadmoor that might be "safer" than others? I've learned that New Orleans crime is very much street-to-street. I've checked out Brooadmoor, but it's such a large area that I don't know where the "safer" boundaries are. In my driving around, it seems very haphazard.

[thepointykitty]

I honestly felt very safe between Fontainebleu and Claiborne/ Napoleon and S. Carrollton. I think we walked most of that during the six months we lived there. That should give you a relatively big area when you look at it on a map. I personally LOVE Octavia, Nashville, Audubon, and a bunch of other streets whose names I don't recall right now. There are some nice places on the other side of Fontainebleu, but I'm not as familiar with that area.

We walked down Fontainebleau to Calhoun a lot - there's a little pocket of restaurants and shops over there (near Claiborne).

[rburnett]

Originally Posted by dal2aus

Are there boundaries around Broadmoor that might be "safer" than others? I've learned that New Orleans crime is very much street-to-street. I've checked out Brooadmoor, but it's such a large area that I don't know where the "safer" boundaries are. In my driving around, it seems very haphazard.

The area between Nashville and Napolean, Claiborne and Fontainbleu is the safest area of Broadmoor. The other side of Fontainbleu is hit and miss and between Napolean and Toledano, it starts to go downhill.

[Abraham Walker]

The one thing I dislike about Fontainebleau is the lack of restaurants.

Check out the crime maps available on the cities website. Moderator cut: not allowed . East of Fontainebleau can be hit or miss. With enough research you should be fine.

Side Note: I would suggest getting your flood insurance quote before you place your offer on the property. You may run into a problem with properties that have had multiple flood insurance claims.

Goodluck with your search and be sure to update the forum with your decision.