Relocating to Nola to work on Poydras St. Need Help (New Orleans: apartments, to rent)

[Accountingpains]

Hi,

I'm 24 years old and moving to New Orleans this fall to advance my career. I have a few questions about budgeting for the move, but i'll give you a little background information first. My new job's salary is $53,000 and is in the One Shell Square Tower. I drive a mid sized car and do not mind commuting.

Here are a few of my questions and concerns:

1. Would it be better to rent an apartment near Poydras, or rent around West Bank/Metarie area?

2. How much does electricity bills usually average in these areas for an ~800 square foot apartment?

3. Parking? I find this the most confusing issue.
If I move close to Poydras, where do I park since most apartments do not have road side parking?
If I move to the West Bank area, where should I park and how much does that cost?

4. Street cars? How does that exactly work? You just catch it on the street like a bus? (could I drive to a location, park, then catch a street car?)

Thanks so much for any help you could give me.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

My son worked in that building some years ago and he paid for monthly parking in a lot nearby. Yes, streetcars are just like buses, with regular stops and a conductor. Can't help with the other questions as I've been gone too long.

[rburnett]

1. There are MANY more options besides these two. Why limit yourself? What kind of neighborhood do you want? Do you want to be walking distance to a _____? Do you want a more conservative/liberal/yuppie/hipster/artsy area? Do you have to have off street parking? Do you want to be close to nightlife? Do you prefer the suburbs?

2. In the city, your electricity and gas will be combined on one bill. I average $96 for 1200sq/ft. Outside of the city it will be slightly cheaper and your gas and electricity will be separate. My average bill in Metairie for a similar size house was $70.

3. Parking will cost you in the CBD/Warehouse district. You’ll be looking at $100/month minimum for a contract parking spot if your building does not come with one. Most other neighborhoods within the city, parking is a non-issue.

4. The streetcar works exactly like a bus, only slower. They have a stop every few blocks or so. While the streetcars are slower, they run more frequently and are almost 24/7 while most bus lines are done by 10pm (a few will run till midnight)

If you can find a place in the city close to a decent bus line, you can commute downtown by transit and use your car/bike for everything else if you choose. Don’t get hung up on the streetcars, especially St. Charles. I know it's pretty, but it has loads of tourists every day of the week which slows it down considerably and makes it less reliable. The Canal Streetcar is much better in this regard, as it is mostly commuters.

If you plan on commuting by car from the suburbs, expect to pay at least $75 a month for a daytime contract parking space. The closer you are to Poydras the more expensive. Some garages can be $200/month. The cheap parking is going to be close to Howard ave or the expressway.

I take the Canal Streetcar to work downtown from my house in Mid-City. It's SOOO much nicer than dealing with driving and the traffic down there. I use my car on weekends to do other things.

[Accountingpains]

Originally Posted by rburnett

1. There are MANY more options besides these two. Why limit yourself? What kind of neighborhood do you want? Do you want to be walking distance to a _____? Do you want a more conservative/liberal/yuppie/hipster/artsy area? Do you have to have off street parking? Do you want to be close to nightlife? Do you prefer the suburbs?

2. In the city, your electricity and gas will be combined on one bill. I average $96 for 1200sq/ft. Outside of the city it will be slightly cheaper and your gas and electricity will be separate. My average bill in Metairie for a similar size house was $70.

3. Parking will cost you in the CBD/Warehouse district. You’ll be looking at $100/month minimum for a contract parking spot if your building does not come with one. Most other neighborhoods within the city, parking is a non-issue.

4. The streetcar works exactly like a bus, only slower. They have a stop every few blocks or so. While the streetcars are slower, they run more frequently and are almost 24/7 while most bus lines are done by 10pm (a few will run till midnight)

If you can find a place in the city close to a decent bus line, you can commute downtown by transit and use your car/bike for everything else if you choose. Don’t get hung up on the streetcars, especially St. Charles. I know it's pretty, but it has loads of tourists every day of the week which slows it down considerably and makes it less reliable. The Canal Streetcar is much better in this regard, as it is mostly commuters.

If you plan on commuting by car from the suburbs, expect to pay at least $75 a month for a daytime contract parking space. The closer you are to Poydras the more expensive. Some garages can be $200/month. The cheap parking is going to be close to Howard ave or the expressway.

I take the Canal Streetcar to work downtown from my house in Mid-City. It's SOOO much nicer than dealing with driving and the traffic down there. I use my car on weekends to do other things.

Thanks, that's a lot of great information!

To answer your question about limiting myself to a certain area; I don't really have much of a preference, besides fitting into my budget ($1,000/month to split between rent and parking). I do like being near the lake, or an artsy part of the city. I'm just looking for an area that is safe and able to park my car.

I do hear that Mid-City is the best part of the city to live, if you work in the CBD.

[rburnett]

Originally Posted by Accountingpains

Thanks, that's a lot of great information!

To answer your question about limiting myself to a certain area; I don't really have much of a preference, besides fitting into my budget ($1,000/month to split between rent and parking). I do like being near the lake, or an artsy part of the city. I'm just looking for an area that is safe and able to park my car.

I do hear that Mid-City is the best part of the city to live, if you work in the CBD.

Near the lake and artsy are two completely different parts of the city. The lakefront is a mostly residential suburban type area with single family homes. You won't find may people your age out there unless they're still living with their parents. There are some complexes near West End blvd., but most are condos. On the plus side, the neighborhood is extremely safe, off street parking is a given, you'll have easy access to the lakefront/lakeshore drive, the yacht harbor and boat launches if that's what floats your boat. Pun intended.

Artsy would be the Marigny/Bywater or the Warehouse District with the latter being more high end galleries, white linen nights and posh warehouse lofts. The Marigny/Bywater is the epicenter of the art community here. It's where most artists and musicians live, so it has a definite bohemian/hipster vibe to it. Frenchmen St. in the Marigny is where most of the traditional music clubs are located while the rest of the area is sprinkled with cool bars and restaurants. The St. Claude corridor also has some cool bars with live music. You will find a good amount of single people your age. On the downside, there will be more crime here, but nothing un-manageable. Parking will most likely be on the street. The further away you are from the French Quarter, the less of an issue that will be.

Mid-City and Uptown are great options too as they are a good middle ground.

See:https://www.city-data.com/forum/new-o...need-help.html
https://www.city-data.com/forum/new-o...moving-no.html
https://www.city-data.com/forum/new-o...l#post28336236

[bmalbert]

Originally Posted by Accountingpains

Hi,

I'm 24 years old and moving to New Orleans this fall to advance my career. I have a few questions about budgeting for the move, but i'll give you a little background information first. My new job's salary is $53,000 and is in the One Shell Square Tower. I drive a mid sized car and do not mind commuting.

Here are a few of my questions and concerns:

1. Would it be better to rent an apartment near Poydras, or rent around West Bank/Metarie area?

2. How much does electricity bills usually average in these areas for an ~800 square foot apartment?

3. Parking? I find this the most confusing issue.
If I move close to Poydras, where do I park since most apartments do not have road side parking?
If I move to the West Bank area, where should I park and how much does that cost?

4. Street cars? How does that exactly work? You just catch it on the street like a bus? (could I drive to a location, park, then catch a street car?)

Thanks so much for any help you could give me.

rburnett summed up the possibilities for you pretty well, but allow me to add some suggestions as well.


I saw you mention that you didn't have a car/vehicle. In that case I'd definitely recommend the Bywater area, which has that artsy feel you're looking for, and isn't that far away. The only downside to this is to get there from Poydras everyday you'd have to either catch an $8 or so dollar cab ride, or catch the bus through a mixed part of town.

Alternatively you can also look at the Garden District, particularly near St. Charles as you can hop on the Street Car. You won't be in the artsy area, the Garden District is a mixed bag (you'll also be in Mardi Gras central) but there are lots of apartments and you'd be about a 15-20 minute street car ride to work. For example there are these apartments right on St Charles The Georgian Apartments | New Orleans, Louisiana | First-Class Upscale Living. I believe they have studio-1brs in the $1000/range but if that's over your range there are other options.

Whether you choose the Bywater area (which I personally love) or the Garden District you should be able to find options.

I can't speak for your particular situation as far as utilities go, but I live in a 3 BR, 2 BA apartment in Metairie, with 3 people and we pay about $120 a month in utility bills, and I work from home so I'm home all day.

As rburnett mentioned the street car functions just like a bus so you could just buy a monthly RTA pass and be ok, however there aren't really park and ride options, so I'd advise getting as close to the street car line as possible to avoid a long walk.

[haywiremac]

If you are going to drive to the streetcar, you might as well just drive to wherever the streetcar is going. It travels at a speed of about 10 miles/hour, sometimes less. The busses in NOLA are generally either unreliable or only come once every 40 mins/1 hour. Your best bet is to get a bike. Biking is by far the cheapest and fastest way to get around the city.

[Mwahfromtheheart]

Originally Posted by haywiremac

If you are going to drive to the streetcar, you might as well just drive to wherever the streetcar is going. It travels at a speed of about 10 miles/hour, sometimes less. The busses in NOLA are generally either unreliable or only come once every 40 mins/1 hour. Your best bet is to get a bike. Biking is by far the cheapest and fastest way to get around the city.

However, it does rain about once a week on average here and you don't want to show up to work sweaty during the summer... so a bike might be a good idea some days, but not others.