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I'm applying to grad schools in Louisiana, so I started reading all the posts about the different towns/cities with the colleges (LSU and University of Louisiana) that interest me: Monroe, Shreveport, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge. I was feeling very positive about the move until I read all the negative information about these places from locals, i.e., Monroe smells and has terrible crime, Shreveport and Baton Rouge aren't safe, and Lafayette is expensive with terrible traffic.
Can I please get some objective feedback about where to live? I'm looking for a mid-sized town/small city that has character - vibrant downtown, artsy, friendly. I'm a SWF, so I want to be able to rent an apartment in a safe neighborhood, preferably within walking distance of school and/or stores, restaurants, etc., although I don't mind driving. I lived in Philadelphia for many years, so my view of "high crime rate" is probably a bit different than those who haven't lived in a big city.
Any suggestions and information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
Lafayette is no more expensive to live in than any other Louisiana city; and while Shreveport and Baton Rouge have high per-capita crime rates, in both of these cities you can find good neighborhoods. As a general rule of thumb, the thing to do in any city is just to steer clear of seedy-looking areas and you'll be fine.
We'd like to have you in Shreveport, and no doubt Monroe, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge would like to have you as well.
There was actually a report tonight of a new automobile manufacturer who is going to announce soon their plans to open a facility in Monroe, creating about 10,000 vehicles per year. We'll see how that pans out, but it is a good sign that Monroe MIGHT finally be on the verge of a much-needed economic recovery.
As far as my area, Shreveport, I feel we have a lot to offer and invite you to at least check it out for yourself.
I'm applying to grad schools in Louisiana, so I started reading all the posts about the different towns/cities with the colleges (LSU and University of Louisiana) that interest me: Monroe, Shreveport, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge. I was feeling very positive about the move until I read all the negative information about these places from locals, i.e., Monroe smells and has terrible crime, Shreveport and Baton Rouge aren't safe, and Lafayette is expensive with terrible traffic.
Can I please get some objective feedback about where to live? I'm looking for a mid-sized town/small city that has character - vibrant downtown, artsy, friendly. I'm a SWF, so I want to be able to rent an apartment in a safe neighborhood, preferably within walking distance of school and/or stores, restaurants, etc., although I don't mind driving. I lived in Philadelphia for many years, so my view of "high crime rate" is probably a bit different than those who haven't lived in a big city.
Any suggestions and information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
Baton Rouge IS safe. There are just well-defined areas you don't want to be in at night. And I bet Shreveport gets a bad rap as well.
But if you only will accept small towns, there are: Ruston (Louisiana Tech), Natchitoches (Northwestern), Thibodaux (Nicholls State), and Hammond (Southeastern).
Baton Rouge Is So Safe, And Clean Cut In Louisiana But They Kinda ........hmmm Basic And Original. Now Im From Northern Louisiana So Let Me Promote, I Am From The So-call "smelly" And "crime-stricten" Monroe. First Of All That Smell Is The Paper Mill In West Monroe, About 10 Miles Away From The College, Which Is In A Beautiful Area Surrounded By The Sexy Body Of Water Called Bayou Desiard. It Is A Decorated By Nice Restaurants With Famous Louisiana Dining And Fun. There Are Very Nice New Apartments Near The College In The Wonderful Districts Of Lakeshore, Swartz, And Town And Country Neighborhoods. Not Far Away From Bowling Alleys, More Lakes And Bayous And Clubs. The College Of Ulm Is On The Rise, Great In Pharmacy And Medicine. Now I Have A Surprise For U, This Is Coming From A Man Who Was Raise In What U Called "terrible Crime" Scene. The Crime Is On The South Side, And Take It From Me Its Nuthin Like It Use To Be, With The Stronger Police Presence. Shreveport Doesn't Really Have A College Like Environment, Im Mean Dam, Most Of There Students Come Here. Baton Rouge Its Okay, Lafayette Please, U Not Ready For Those Crazy Accents. I Love U Louisiana, But Im All About My Monroe First. Cuz We Monroe Pround!!!!!
Baton Rouge Is So Safe, And Clean Cut In Louisiana But They Kinda ........hmmm Basic And Original. Now Im From Northern Louisiana So Let Me Promote, I Am From The So-call "smelly" And "crime-stricten" Monroe. First Of All That Smell Is The Paper Mill In West Monroe, About 10 Miles Away From The College, Which Is In A Beautiful Area Surrounded By The Sexy Body Of Water Called Bayou Desiard. It Is A Decorated By Nice Restaurants With Famous Louisiana Dining And Fun. There Are Very Nice New Apartments Near The College In The Wonderful Districts Of Lakeshore, Swartz, And Town And Country Neighborhoods. Not Far Away From Bowling Alleys, More Lakes And Bayous And Clubs. The College Of Ulm Is On The Rise, Great In Pharmacy And Medicine. Now I Have A Surprise For U, This Is Coming From A Man Who Was Raise In What U Called "terrible Crime" Scene. The Crime Is On The South Side, And Take It From Me Its Nuthin Like It Use To Be, With The Stronger Police Presence. Shreveport Doesn't Really Have A College Like Environment, Im Mean Dam, Most Of There Students Come Here. Baton Rouge Its Okay, Lafayette Please, U Not Ready For Those Crazy Accents. I Love U Louisiana, But Im All About My Monroe First. Cuz We Monroe Pround!!!!!
Actually, MOST of the students in the Shreveport-Bossier area attend one of the following Shreveport-Bossier colleges: Centenary, LSUS, BPCC, Southern, LSUHSC, or Northwestern School of Nursing. Let's not forget that Louisiana Tech also has a satellite campus here, as does Southern Illinois University (that one, I have no idea, but it's here.)
Outside of that, the remainder of the college students from this area who stay in Louisiana go to any number of schools across the state: Louisiana Tech, Northwestern, LSU, Tulane, etc. Actually not many of our students go to school in Monroe. I would be quite surprised it the actual number was higher than 1%.
Be proud of your hometown, but don't lie about Shreveport, don't bash the Cajun accent that many in their city of Lafayette are proud of, and I certainly can't see why you'd call Baton Rouge "basic and original." I think you meant to say unoriginal, but either way Baton Rouge is home to LSU and is very vibrant. Not exactly "basic" OR unoriginal.
Thanks so much for your positive responses! My initial thought about the negative comments on the other threads was "Stop complaining, there's crime everywhere!" Right now I live in a very small town in Amish Country in Pennsylvania, and it even has a "slummy" area with daily drug busts. No matter where I've lived, big city or tiny town, I knew to stay away from certain areas. I think for some folks, the grass is always greener...
Anyway, I appreciate y'all (I'm practicing my Southern accent ) confirming the wonderful things that I've read about Louisiana. Now I can look foward to a road trip to check out the scenery in person. If you have recommendations for neighborhoods that I might like to live in (a lot of the advice in other threads are for people with families), let me know. I saw Louisiana'sLegend list of areas - thanks so much! And, SBC, special thanks for being a voice of reason on many of the threads about Louisiana (I did notice!). I appreciated your candor and positive attitude about the area.
So, honestly, will this Northerner get a warm welcome in the South, or am I destined to always be a Yankee?
Thanks so much for your positive responses! My initial thought about the negative comments on the other threads was "Stop complaining, there's crime everywhere!" Right now I live in a very small town in Amish Country in Pennsylvania, and it even has a "slummy" area with daily drug busts. No matter where I've lived, big city or tiny town, I knew to stay away from certain areas. I think for some folks, the grass is always greener...
Anyway, I appreciate y'all (I'm practicing my Southern accent ) confirming the wonderful things that I've read about Louisiana. Now I can look foward to a road trip to check out the scenery in person. If you have recommendations for neighborhoods that I might like to live in (a lot of the advice in other threads are for people with families), let me know. I saw Louisiana'sLegend list of areas - thanks so much! And, SBC, special thanks for being a voice of reason on many of the threads about Louisiana (I did notice!). I appreciated your candor and positive attitude about the area.
So, honestly, will this Northerner get a warm welcome in the South, or am I destined to always be a Yankee?
What's a yankee?! No, all kidding aside, I think ANYWHERE in Louisiana you'll be fine. People will most certainly joke with you from time to time about being a "yankee," but for the most part no one cares. I remember years ago there was a popular bumper sticker around here that said "Yankee Go Home!" But I think that went away with the KKK. Basically it went into hiding, though it's never really gone away.
I always make fun of my wife. She was born in Illinois, so I call her a Yankee. But it's all in good fun... I've considered living in Chicago myself, so I'd have to make fun of myself. Even though Illinois is technically considered the Midwest, anyone from Arkansas north is a yankee. Even people in south Louisiana call us north Louisianians "yankees." But it's all in good fun, REALLY.
Good Luck moving to Louisiana! I really enjoy it here in Baton Rouge, although I miss all of my family terribly(they are in South Florida). Anyway, I feel very safe here with the exception of a few areas as in any town. I would reccommend areas in south Baton Rouge, around the Highland Raod, perkins or Bluebonnett area. The people are much friendlier than any northern state I have visited, so be ready to reciprocate the friendliess! It gets cold here and the summers are awesome with a lot of heat, but Blue Bayou Water Park is really a great summer water park for the entire family. Hope you like is here and welcome!
So, honestly, will this Northerner get a warm welcome in the South, or am I destined to always be a Yankee?
No, you're always destined to be a damn Yankee, but nothing wrong with that. Dh is from Boston and I'm from northern Indiana. We've been here since '78. The worst part of life in the deep south is the heat & humidity. Everything else is par for the course. Baton Rouge has been growing since we moved here, but the past 2 years (post-Katrina) have seen the most widespread growth. I wish it had been like this when I was in my 20s and first living here.
Of the towns you've listed Baton Rouge and Lafayette would be at the top of my list. Check 'em out and see how they fit.
You'll always be a "Yankee" but it's all in good fun here. We do like to pick on North Louisianians a lot about being from the "Frozen North", but it's really all for fun. There are several distinctly different areas of the state where the soul and flavor of the people are a lot different. Like New Orleans will always be New Orleans, it is a one of a kind area with its Creole background. Lafayette is the heart of Acadiana where a lot of schools still teach French as a second language and a small few still teach it as a first. Extreme northwest Louisiana has a more of a Texas feel to it although they still have Louisiana roots and celebrate Louisiana holidays and traditions. The whole border along Mississippi (northeast and southeast) feels too much like Mississippi for me. But they have their purpose as well.
I never went to school at LaTech, but I was there on several occasions for various clinics and they had a nice campus. Ruston is a fairly nice town as well, and you're only 30 minutes from Monroe, which has a lot, but it isn't a big city. It probably would serve Louisiana better to have LT in Shreveport-Bossier, but then again they already have a lot of satellite campuses, maybe even more than NOLA.
My favorite compuses in Louisiana (that I've spent any time at): LSU-BR, Northwest State in Nachitoches, ULL in Lafayette, LaTech and Nicholls in Thibodeaux.
Best of luck.
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I'm feeling better already!
) confirming the wonderful things that I've read about Louisiana. Now I can look foward to a road trip to check out the scenery in person. If you have recommendations for neighborhoods that I might like to live in (a lot of the advice in other threads are for people with families), let me know. I saw Louisiana'sLegend list of areas - thanks so much! And, SBC, special thanks for being a voice of reason on many of the threads about Louisiana (I did notice!). I appreciated your candor and positive attitude about the area. 
