LAKE CHARLES-input (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport: low crime, home, movies)

[5star]

I have a job offer in Lake Charles.Moving from the s/fla area.Is there any type of nightlife?I heard about the hurricane damage ,so i am use to that living in south florida.How far ifs the drive to Houston?Would it be a good move for a male single mid 40s?I am not a party person but do like to get out on occasions, do Lake Charles offer any of that? Thanks any advice appreciated.

[JROC676]

Lake Charles is (next to Shreveport/Monroe and Alexandria) probably the worst place to move. It is totally blue collar and polluted. We call it the toilet of Louisiana. There is no night life besides a cowboy bar and it is a relatively small city. Try Lafayette, Baton Rouge or New Orleans. Lake Charles is East Texas, Shreveport if Arkansas and Monroe is Mississippi.

[Siren111]

FYI...Lake Charles is NOT a cesspool...in fact, it's a quiet and warm city with low crime and really nice places to spend time outside.

As for nightlife, LaBerge Du Lac Casino hosts outdoor parties, and there's a few places to go out. BUT, if you're looking for bigger kinds of fun, a drive into Houston or over to Lafayette is really not that far!

Whoever posted that really must hate it here...he needs to leave then...

Brenda

[WendyW.]

I live right outside Lake Charles. We are country people so live we in a rural area but Lake Charles is where I do most of my business and shopping. It's a great place. It is not dirty or trashy AT ALL.
The population has grown quite a bit since Katrina and Rita and I blame the rise in crime on that, but overall it is no where near as bad as some of the bigger cities.
It is 2 1/2 to 3 hrs to Houston. We actually go there often too. We like the museums and such.
I think Lake Charles has alot to offer an almost middle aged single man. I know for a fact there is more than one bar. Lots of good restaurants, movies, bowling, casinos, beaches, about 30 minutes from Delta Downs in Vinton and about an hour from the Gulf of Mexico.
We have so many festivals and fun things here in Southwest Louisiana. Lake Charles is less than a days drive from most everything. As a matter of fact Contraband Days is coming up real soon. I'm sure you could look that up somewhere.
Good Luck.

[JROC676]

About population rises- the new MSA stats came out last week. Only Lafayette and Baton Rouge grew above the national average of 6%. LC and other metro areas either lost or gained below the average.

[SBCmetroguy]

Wow, you just managed to knock four decent cities in one breath. And you were incorrect on all accounts. While I'm not a fan of the economies of either Monroe or Alexandria at present, both are decent cities. Shreveport and Lake Charles, however, both have booming economies and vibrant casino districts. Where are you from? What does your city offer?

And post the new stats, please, if they exist... because it has been estimated by the Census Bureau that Bossier City has been growing at 7-8% every year since 2000. The city of Baton Rouge has only gained residents due to Katrina. Before Katrina, Baton Rouge was losing residents to the suburbs at a similar rate as Shreveport. Crime in Baton Rouge is considerably higher than Shreveport (per capita) making it a more dangerous place to live. STILL, you won't find me bashing Baton Rouge, because for a city that's lacking any kind of skyline it's a decent place.

[WendyW.]

Here are some statistics for Calcasieu Parish http://popest.org/popestla2006/files...rveyReport.pdf

[Cajungurl79]

If you like the outdoors - you will love Lake Charles. It's quiet - but within spitting distance of Houston. Which is nice because when you want to party you can and when you want to go home - the party isn't at your doorstep.

[mrkool]

One poster referred to Lake Charles as having "low crime." Funny. I think that is an untrue statement based on not only the statistics, but a personal conversation I had with a Calcasieu parish deputy sheriff.
You've got to be careful about people giving out deceptive information in these forums. I think sometimes people let their own hometown biases cloud their versions of reality.

[ral31]

Lake Charles might have a high crime rate overall. But, like most cities, only certain areas have high crime. If you want to avoid the crime, choose southwest Lake Charles. But remember, the farther south you go, the higher the hurricane risk gets. The north side of Lake Charles seems to have the worst crime. Sulphur, to the west of Lake Charles, has a significantly lower crime rate than Lake Charles. Moss Bluff, to the north, is also probably a nice, low crime location.

Lake Charles is recovering well from Hurricane Rita and has emerged as one of the best economies in the state.