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I went on a "best places to retire" web site and two Louisiana locations kept coming up in the top ten: Natchitoches and Monroe.
No doubt my aversion to snow and my preference for a low cost of living produced these results.
I think, after reading the comments on the board here-- and I deeply appreciate the frankness of the posters-- that good food is not a sufficient reason to retire to LA! The "best place to retire" algorithm must be something like MapQuest. It sometimes sends you the wrong way.
I lived 30 years in Louisiana and finally got the opportunity to leave with a company transfer 2 years ago. I have not once regretted leaving. I had 4 children and reared them all telling them to leave Louisiana as soon as they could. They all went to college and moved away and are doing fine.
Louisiana is a great place to visit but live there??? no way. I lived in the north part of the state (different culture than the southern part) but loved to visit the southern part. The policitians have been corrupt since its inception (former Gov. Edwards was indicted so many times even when in office and finally was sent to prison for his corruption).
Schools are terrible Louisiana. If you want a decent education for your children you must send them to private schools. I sure wouldn't go if I had kids and couldn't afford private schools.
I'm not saying Loiusiana has the best schools, but I received a good education there, and when I moved to Los Angeles, had no problem finding a good job. My teachers cared deeply about me and my future, and I am thinking of becoming a teacher as a second career, thanks to their good example. I think the Louisiana teachers don't receive enough support from administration, and yet, they still care about the kids and do their best to instruct them properly. Any place is what you make it. You're not going to get any more out of it than you put into it. We need more people who are willing to stay and help transform bad situations instead of bailing out of them. That's the lesson I learned living away from Louisiana.
I'm a New Orleanian. I grew up here. I went to LSU and SLU. I've lived in 7 other US cities from Raleigh to Vail, I have always come home, and I will always be a New Orleanian. BUT... there are some things about this part of Louisiana that make your question a tricky one to answer.
This is a really cool place to live if you aren't trying to raise a family. The crime and lack of a plan to fix it can be a little scarey. My kids, who are very young, understand what it means to "be aware of your environment". It is out of necessity that I have taught them to look around for strangers before getting out of the car to go inside, and I live in a really nice area Uptown.
In Greater New Orleans (New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, St. Bernard/Chalmette, Slidell, New Orleans East, Gentilly)these are some of the major drawbacks...
The crime, the lack of political leadership, the corruption, the school board, the public education system, the cost of private education, the drug related violent crime, the public transportation or lack of, the high taxes, the outrageous cost of insurance, hurricanes, flooding - both hurricane related and not hurricane related, the houses sink, there aren't too many little pocket parks and community centers that don't feel somewhat dangerous at times, the HEAT, and despite the arguments that I will get to the contrary... it is a breeding ground for alcoholism because people only need to awaken from the night before to have cause for celebration. We drink around the clock.
The great things about New Orleans...
The people - all races, creeds, religions and ages are unique and wonderful. THE FOOD - It is why we are the most obese city in the country. The lifestyle - We drink around the clock. No place in the world has the festivals that we have in Louisiana, and we do them well. The music sets a rhythm for this city that is hypnotic and magical, so much so that you forget that you are soaked in sweat when you are dancing in the street for Mid-Summer Mardi Gras. The Saints - a team that just can't make it to the Super Bowl, but when we asked them for a Homecoming Game in September 2006, they delivered with a force stronger than a hurricane. The politicians... where else in the world is the political history of a place so interesting and entertaining. We've sent our governor to jail and our insurance commissioner (actually 3 of them, I think). We elected the dumbest woman in the state (sorry to any KB fans out there) to fill the most corrupt position and we sat back and watched her perform with the insatiability of an American Idol audience. We have a wonderful sense of humor!!! And we have a wonderful sense of life.
So... best of luck and I hope you love it in Louisiana, but you might consider visiting first for a couple of weeks first.
I live in Jackson, Louisiana and would only recommend it to those that are in retirement age. It's a beautiful place, especially if you live in the country.
The school here is combined with the one in Clinton, and NOT worth crap. I graduated from Jackson High, but at that time we had teachers that were concerned about their students. Now, most of the teachers are more concerned with their salaries than the students themselves.
As for Zachary Schools being rated #1, I myself have to question that because I've had way too many friends tell me NOT to put my kids there.
I'm a New Orleanian. I grew up here. I went to LSU and SLU. I've lived in 7 other US cities from Raleigh to Vail, I have always come home, and I will always be a New Orleanian. BUT... there are some things about this part of Louisiana that make your question a tricky one to answer.
This is a really cool place to live if you aren't trying to raise a family. The crime and lack of a plan to fix it can be a little scarey. My kids, who are very young, understand what it means to "be aware of your environment". It is out of necessity that I have taught them to look around for strangers before getting out of the car to go inside, and I live in a really nice area Uptown.
In Greater New Orleans (New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, St. Bernard/Chalmette, Slidell, New Orleans East, Gentilly)these are some of the major drawbacks...
The crime, the lack of political leadership, the corruption, the school board, the public education system, the cost of private education, the drug related violent crime, the public transportation or lack of, the high taxes, the outrageous cost of insurance, hurricanes, flooding - both hurricane related and not hurricane related, the houses sink, there aren't too many little pocket parks and community centers that don't feel somewhat dangerous at times, the HEAT, and despite the arguments that I will get to the contrary... it is a breeding ground for alcoholism because people only need to awaken from the night before to have cause for celebration. We drink around the clock.
The great things about New Orleans...
The people - all races, creeds, religions and ages are unique and wonderful. THE FOOD - It is why we are the most obese city in the country. The lifestyle - We drink around the clock. No place in the world has the festivals that we have in Louisiana, and we do them well. The music sets a rhythm for this city that is hypnotic and magical, so much so that you forget that you are soaked in sweat when you are dancing in the street for Mid-Summer Mardi Gras. The Saints - a team that just can't make it to the Super Bowl, but when we asked them for a Homecoming Game in September 2006, they delivered with a force stronger than a hurricane. The politicians... where else in the world is the political history of a place so interesting and entertaining. We've sent our governor to jail and our insurance commissioner (actually 3 of them, I think). We elected the dumbest woman in the state (sorry to any KB fans out there) to fill the most corrupt position and we sat back and watched her perform with the insatiability of an American Idol audience. We have a wonderful sense of humor!!! And we have a wonderful sense of life.
So... best of luck and I hope you love it in Louisiana, but you might consider visiting first for a couple of weeks first.
The Saints finally made it to the top. Let that be a lesson to anyone giving up on something or thinking its hopeless to change.
Never say never. This state can be destined for greatness if we all work hard to make it happen. The problem is a lot of people just dont try. They move away and say its a lost cause. Im proud of this state. Its NOT a lost cause. Its one of the most unique places in the US. Sure other states have better things to offer citizens. they are standardized to the point of boredom. Some of the things we enjoy about this state and its culture have negative repercussions. Thats the price to pay for being unique sometimes. Several major cities are making huge progress towards national respectability. I hope it continues that direction. I know we can do it.
I live in Lake Charles and I will say that Louisian has it's pros and it's cons. I love the unique culture and atmosphere that the state has and the unique history it has compared to other states. The food is incredible, and I love the small town talk. We are very family oriented and we like to have fun. On the other hand though, unless you live in Baton Rouge or New Orleans, or Shreveport, there are not much job opportunities past the plants, hospitals, insurance, or real estate. Many young professionals must leave to find work in their areas of study. Now on the other hand, if you are retired, you may enjoy it. But summers, espeically in the southern part of the state are brutal, being so close to the gulf. Why don't you come spend some time here and then decide for yourself if you think moving down here is a good idea?
Also, Id like to point out that while far from perfect, Lafayette is a great example of what happens when people actually try to turn Louisiana into a great place to live and work. It has a lot of growing pains and the overall quality of life still lags behind other states, but Lafayette is trying to attract high tech jobs, attain a wealthier stable population, and improve itself in many other ways. People like to complain about the problems with the state and then they just LEAVE it behind. Thats not how you improve an area. You improve it by staying and doing your part to make it into the image of what people expect. You improve it by adding your intelligence and wisdom, and reducing the brain drain. The point is, you can live a happy lifestyle here in Louisiana but you have got to be prepared to sacrifice some things to help make it great. It will get there one day if enough people care to change it. It will never change if you just push it to the side and call it hopeless.
What is Lafayette doing? Do they have a Redevelopment authority or DDD? Not much big news comes along out of Lafayette. Love that city and I'd like to hear and see more being done there.
What is Lafayette doing? Do they have a Redevelopment authority or DDD? Not much big news comes along out of Lafayette. Love that city and I'd like to hear and see more being done there.
well for one thing, they are attracting high tech jobs to the area. LITE center, Aviation training center, high speed fiber networks, high ranking computer science/tech programs at ULL, etc. Health care is increasingly important to the area, and a lot of small businesses are coming in. Roads are being widened and new routes being planned and built to help traffic flow. The Northside is under a bit of a renaissance. The city leaders right now seem to know what they are doing. You can definitely tell Lafayette has great plans in store.
Not much news is posted here about the city, glad to hear its getting so many things. Traffic will be a problem in the future, no doubt. I haven't driven around enough to get a feel for the traffic but I've heard it's built around a strange grid. Do you think the I-49 extension will help significantly?
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From Europe to European
