Honestly, is there a safe place to live in New Orleans? (Baton Rouge: apartments, rent)

[mading6]

Originally Posted by kvd

2015 -I see this thread was some time ago, however I am writing this for anyone new that comes across it. New Orleans is dangerous. I was born and raised here. I lived uptown, downtown, mid city. I have lived in the Treme', the Marigny and most recently near Tulane University which is near Audubon Park. I have seen horrible things in this city first hand. Although none of my personal friends have been murdered, just about everyone I know has been the target of a random crime from ranging from being robbed at gunpoint, having their house broken into, or having their car stolen and much much more. All of the bad neighborhoods are only blocks from the good neighborhoods. Tulane University students are targeted because they are arriving from all over the country and are clueless as to just how bad the city is and how to behave as a result. Regardless of it's beautiful architecture and rich culture you need to think twice before moving to Nola especially with kids. There are only 3 free decent charter schools that have very long waiting lists. If you don't get your child in for kindergarten than your chances are slim. Kids usually have to test in, (with the exception of living in district for 1 only of the schools) so if your child isn't an above average child intellectually then the school rating for the other public or charter schools in the community are like 2 or 3. I recently moved to Mandeville, which is safe, and has great school systems for my elementary age child. I moved out of uptown last year after there were 4 home invasions within 5 blocks of my house within a 1 week time period. I thought it was a bit much when walking my kindergartner to the best charter school that everyone dies to get their kid in----had to be guarded by 2 NOPD as a result of the crimes that month. This neighborhood is riddled with crime and although it doesn't always make the news, it makes Tulane student's emails regularly for warnings.

And that really nice safe neighborhood right near Audubon park people spoke about previously in this thread has experienced several robberies recently. There was a couple robbed at gunpoint taking in their groceries in the middle of the afternoon a couple of months ago here.

There has been a huge influx of out of towners to New Orleans since the hurricane. Ignorance is bliss. The city is very dangerous and always has been. The difference between Nola and other cities is there are no good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods. There are "good blocks" only a short distance from "really bad blocks". One reason for this is in History when they had plantation owners who built slave quarters nearby. If you are taking your trash out at 2AM in New Orleans....you better do it quick.

I agree with everything you say!

[DanArt]

The deal is that it takes one good person to make any changes to a place. You have to ask yourself what kind of activity are they talking and from what who and where.

In my area people are only committing activities only because everyone feels it is safe. It is like the whole gratification affect is having a backfire. Property owners ( lease holders ) are talking stupidity when it comes to public-assistance housing ( housing for homeless ) as if that solves the problem when in reality people can travel back and forth within an area less then four miles in minutes. These are young people who know nothing past 2010 we are talking about not ex-convicts. That being said it is in my opinion law officials ( like police ) and other city employees are also part of "activity" that might make the area unsafe as they have the most resources.

Good people you need to keep around even if you have to beg them or lure them with leverage. Otherwise you might end up with a bunch of foreigners looking at your children as targets.

[CaseyLF]

Has it gotten better?

[aab7855]

Originally Posted by CaseyLF

Has it gotten better?

Lots of places have improved--most of Uptown, lots of Mid-City, parts of Algiers, most of Gentilly. Lakeview has always been super safe.

That being said, New Orleans is still a hard place. I grew up there, and even though I had a pretty easy life, I rubbed shoulders with everybody and went everywhere, so the current state of the place seems laughably safe to me now...but that´s just not the real situation when you compare New Orleans to national averages or anything, it´s all relative and all stuck in my own mind from my past experiences.

The issue now is how the deep-seated poverty and other social problems are only being pushed to other places, swept under the rug if you will. New Orleans East wasn´t such a terrible place to live decades ago, but it´s bad, bad now (with the exceptions of a few gated subdivisions). Parts of Jefferson Parish are getting hot (especially spots on the West Bank).

The "hip" areas that are quickly becoming unrecognizable due to gentrification may be safer, but some of the newcomers shouldn´t be surprised if they get robbed or something. The social fabric of a lot of places is being torn, and people aren´t happy about it. Even if the locals aren´t thinking that hard about it all, the fact remains: when Illinois Brad gets out of his Subaru to go to his house in the Bywater or the 7th Ward at midnight, he´s a soft target. No brainer there.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by aab7855

Lots of places have improved--most of Uptown, lots of Mid-City, parts of Algiers, most of Gentilly. Lakeview has always been super safe.

That being said, New Orleans is still a hard place. I grew up there, and even though I had a pretty easy life, I rubbed shoulders with everybody and went everywhere, so the current state of the place seems laughably safe to me now...but that´s just not the real situation when you compare New Orleans to national averages or anything, it´s all relative and all stuck in my own mind from my past experiences.

The issue now is how the deep-seated poverty and other social problems are only being pushed to other places, swept under the rug if you will. New Orleans East wasn´t such a terrible place to live decades ago, but it´s bad, bad now (with the exceptions of a few gated subdivisions). Parts of Jefferson Parish are getting hot (especially spots on the West Bank).

The "hip" areas that are quickly becoming unrecognizable due to gentrification may be safer, but some of the newcomers shouldn´t be surprised if they get robbed or something. The social fabric of a lot of places is being torn, and people aren´t happy about it. Even if the locals aren´t thinking that hard about it all, the fact remains: when Illinois Brad gets out of his Subaru to go to his house in the Bywater or the 7th Ward at midnight, he´s a soft target. No brainer there.

Not if Brad grew up in Chicago lol.
The ghetto areas here in Denver are laughable. And I wasn't "in the streets" until 2008 ish.

[aab7855]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

Not if Brad grew up in Chicago lol.
The ghetto areas here in Denver are laughable. And I wasn't "in the streets" until 2008 ish.

Hahah true. Let´s say...Wyoming Brad. That sounds better.

[Charming Mosquito]

LOL True. Everytime I visit an area that gets a bad reputation, I rarely see it because I'm from New Orleans. Also, crime aside, people in N.O. are just plain rude. The way of life may be unique when compared to other cities, but it's certainly not charming. Employees of businesses will treat you as if you're bothering them. Customer service is non-existent, even in the tourist areas. There's more corruption in government than on the streets. Literally. It's a hardness there that boarders on misery. I couldn't imagine living where I do now, and encountering people like that.

[Lizap]

Originally Posted by Charming Mosquito

LOL True. Everytime I visit an area that gets a bad reputation, I rarely see it because I'm from New Orleans. Also, crime aside, people in N.O. are just plain rude. The way of life may be unique when compared to other cities, but it's certainly not charming. Employees of businesses will treat you as if you're bothering them. Customer service is non-existent, even in the tourist areas. There's more corruption in government than on the streets. Literally. It's a hardness there that boarders on misery. I couldn't imagine living where I do now, and encountering people like that.

LOL, completely disagree. I don't see people in NOLA as rude at all. Also, don't agree with your observations on customer service.

[RayNagin504]

There is no safe place in New Orleans.

[AcresHomes44]

New Orleans is safe if you aren't involve in the gangster life. The bulk of crime that happens in New Orleans is attributed to personal vendettas and botched drug deals. At the same time, you can be minding your business when some lowlife jacks you at gunpoint. New Orleans is a lot safer than pre-Katrina: Pre-Katrina, New Orleans was on pace for 300 or so murders, which would've meant that New Orleans would still be murder capital as of that year. When the projects were torn down, that was another factor in the decline of N.O.'s crime because the criminals didn't have free reign in or around the projects, i.e. gentrification. Compare New Orleans' crime now with pre-Katrina (and even during the 90s, when New Orleans held the infamous title of "Murder Capital" of the US) and there's a big difference.