My New Home Wish List.... (New Orleans, Metairie: real estate, renters, crime)

[ChristiAustin]

Hi everyone -

We are moving to New Orleans in the next couple of months. We have 2 kids (8 and 3), and my husband will be working on building a hospital in the CBD/Mid-City area. I have been reading this forum for awhile and have found the advice absolutely invaluable so far, but I still have some specific questions, as we will be heading down to do some house-hunting soon.

First of all, I have a "wish list" of everything we could want in a neighborhood in New Orleans, in a perfect world of course. Do you think there are any neighborhoods/suburbs out there that will get us close? If so, where, as specific as possible? Even down to street-level if need be, as right now the only thing I have to go on are maps. I know this is a common thread on this forum, but any more recent info you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!:

- safe, safe, safe
- good public/charter school district
-no more than 45 minute commute to CBD/Mid-City
-family-oriented with pools, parks, recreation for the kids (and us)
-3 bedroom house/townhome in the $1500 - 1800 rent range (we will not buy right away, we want to get the lay of the land first)
-(This one is just personal preference on my part) - CHARACTER. If it would be at all possible to find something with the above features but still maintain some personality and character of your rich city, even better! If not, that's okay too, but this is a wish list after all.

Second, what is the real deal with Slidell? I've heard both good and bad. Lately more bad, such as "it's not the town it used to be", "crime has risen dramatically", it's "redneck" (not sure what that means). Any advice/thoughts on Slidell?

And finally, what is the real commute time from Mandeville to CBD/Mid-City? Lots of people are telling us to look on the north shore, but it seems to me that the commute could get old pretty quick. Do people use that "express ferry"? Is it a viable option? Thanks in advance for everything!

[HylianTom]

As far as "character" goes, most of what they're building over in Mandeville (and most other exurban areas) looks like cookie-cutter soul-less sprawlcrap that one would find in Houston or Atlanta. Sure, the new subdivisions will look nice for the first decade or two, but - as is usually the case - it'll start to get run-down and ugly. It's like the example of Kenner: Kenner looked cute and clean and appealing and woodsy at first too just a few decades ago; now, it just looks sad and downtrodden, even in the so-called "nice" areas.

Then there's the commuting issue. As the global oil supply-vs-demand situation tightens in the coming years, gas prices are only going to go higher and higher into the future, to the point where fuel costs consume more and more of your income. A 40-minute commute from the north shore four or five days a week will not only get old psychologically, but also financially. Just some big things to consider..

[thepointykitty]

Other folks on here can tell you more about schools, but I really don't think you have to go outside the city for what you want. Broadmoor, Carrollton/Riverbend, and other "safe" parts of Uptown are full of families, and most of Mid-City itself is really nice. Also check out Bayou St. John, right by Mid-City. Gorgeous!

If I had to go live outside the city, Old Jefferson is the only place I might feel happy in. It's right by the river, just outside New Orleans, and has a lot more character than the "cookie-cutter soul-less sprawlcrap" (good description, HylianTom) in most of the other suburban areas. If it were a choice of living in sprawl or going back to Atlanta (the city itself, not the suburbs - sprawl is rampant there, too) I would go right back to Atlanta. I'm mainly emphasizing this because you mentioned wanting to live in an area with character.

[rburnett]

Why deal with that commute when you don't have to? 45 min?!...how about less than 5. Look at Mid-City and Fauborug St. John, they're relatively safe walkable areas that are close to the hospital site and everything else. You should easily be able to find a 3br in that price range.

If safety is your utmost concern, I think Broadmoor (mainly between Nashville and Napolean) would be a great area to look at. This is an even safer area that is often overlooked. It's not as walkable or pretty as other areas Uptown, but the prices are much more reasonable. Again, for that price range, a nice 3br should be easy.

[ChristiAustin]

Wow this is such great input so far - many of these neighborhoods are new names to me, and sound like they are right up my alley, which I really appreciate! A 5-minute commute would be a dream - we are coming from Northern Colorado, where we drive everywhere for everything, so that's the frame of reference I'm coming from when indicating up to 45 minutes.
As for the cookie-cutter sprawcrap, I wholeheartedly agree - I mean, c'mon, this is NEW ORLEANS! It would be such a disservice and wasted experience for both us and our children, otherwise. That's just my opinion, but we aren't going to go somewhere as culturally rich as New Orleans to just dip our toes in the water..
Thanks again and keep 'em coming!

[Abraham Walker]

I think it's a great idea to rent before you buy in a New Orleans.

Safety: You can find out information about crime stats for the neighborhood you are interested in on nola.gov website. Here's the link: The City of New Orleans: Crime Maps.

Schools: GreatSchools.org is a great starting place to start your research for a school for you 2 children. Yo can expect to pay between $140 - $180 per week in child care expense for your 3 year old if he is not eligible for a Pre-K 4 program next school year.

Commute: In my opinion it takes 15 - 20 minutes just to get to the Causeway exit from Mid City during evening rush hour. (It's always a hassle showing housing between 5 -6pm in Metairie) I would estimate a hour long commute back home if you decide to live on the Northshore. Keep in mind that New Orleans proper will always be 45mins - hour away.

Parks, Pools, and Recreation - Don't know if you will be able to find a club house setting in the city without paying for it. City Park and Audubon Park are great this time of year. We try to bring the kids there once a month. There is a great website by Play NOLA to find out information intramural sports for adults.

Rent -I always advise future renters to scan craigslist daily for rentals that meet their criteria. A large percentage of landlords do not use a real estate agent because craigslist is so successful. I would also contact the major property managers in the city to get a copy of their individual lists of properties they maintain.

I hope this helps. Make sure you come back to the forum and post an update.

[Drouzin]

LOL and here I was thinking, "Oh man, I could do a room with a pool and another room with a two story library, or a swamp themed room sans the humidity or a Hell's Kitchen theme..." That would be my new home wish list and then I read your post and went, "oh duh." I loved living in Mid-City back when. On the Endymion route, a few blocks away from City Park, and ten minutes' drive from all that Metairie and Lakeview shopping, (well Lakeview before the storm that is). All that matters was within my grasp. Sigh.

[Neworleansisprettygood]

Safe, Safe, Safe means northshore. Anywhere on the South Shore is only going to count as 2 out of 3 on a safety scale.

I live in Mid-City and love it, but I'm 27, unmarried, and no kids.

The best public high school in Louisiana and probably top 10 in the country is located in Lakeview, which is very safe. However, don't know about elementary schools in that area... 95% of people who can afford to send their kids to private school do, at least at that level.

If I were you, I would look at Lakeview and just accept that decent schooling for 2 kids may set you back 8-10k a year. Otherwise, you really would have to look at the Northshore, which is ultra-safe with good schools and actually fairly cheap- because it's 45 minutes from downtown on a good day.

[Neworleansisprettygood]

Another alternative would be Algiers. I'll get hit with a lot of east bank snobbery for this one, but I grew up in Algiers and loved it. Still part of the city of New Orleans and there are probably 15 square miles or so of the most typical "suburban" type development, all while being 15 minutes from the CBD and French Quarter. Just get used to being called a "wanker".

[rburnett]

There's nothing wrong with Algiers or the westbank in general, but it's the bridge to get there that is the problem. Yes, it's technically pretty close to downtown, but that whole area feels so far away because that bridge is such an impediment. Traffic can be a nightmare in both directions during certain times of the day. Having to go across that bridge every day can take it's toll (literally ).

I'm not trying to talk bad about the westbank here, but the bridge traffic is something you should definately factor in to any housing decicsion.