Alexandria, LA?

[Mrs. Bradbury]

My husband has been asked to interview for a job in Alexandria, LA. We were shocked to get a phone call asking him to come interview within hours of sending his resume via email, so this has taken us slightly by surprise. I am full of questions, some of which are:

1. Given all that's happened recently to Louisiana, are we crazy to consider moving there? Being aware of what the residents have been through in past years, I wonder if it's just a shell of a state. We currently live 3 states away so it's not something we can just "wing".

2. Is the Alexandria area a fun place to live? How are the schools? The economy? Standard of living? We're squarely middle class, on the low end, and don't mind it a bit.

3. If he decides to go for the interview, what should we do to scope out the place? I figure we will need to check out food prices and gas prices and quiz someone about utilities, and meet with a realtor to look at rental houses, but what else should be a clue as to whether we will like a place/can afford to live there?

Thanks for your help - we're ready for an adventure but want to do it responsibly.

 

[lastminutemom]

I really recommend the website Citydata

http://www.city-data.com/forum/louisiana/

Here is a link to the Lousiana forum...

 

[NotUrsula]

I can't tell you a LOT about it, but I grew up about 70 miles away, and I've been there often, most recently about 4 months ago. My college roommate was from Pineville. I can give you some background.

Alexandria (also known as "EH-LEK" for short) is the larger of twin cities; the other one is Pineville. These days it is all one larger metro area, with a total population of about 75K, not counting Ft. Polk. The original main industry was forestry -- it sits in the middle of an enormous tall pine forest. Alexandria grew as an Air Force town in the 40's, 50's and 60's, but suffered a major economic setback when England AFB was shut down in the early 1990's; however, they have done a good job of re-inventing the base, it is now the local airport and a large business park. There is still an enormous military presence in the area, however: Ft. Polk is about 40 miles outside of town, near Leesville. Ft. Polk is a large Army training base, and all of the military personnel coming in for training fly in through the Alexandria/Pineville airport.

Pineville's major industry is health care: it is famously the home of Central State Psychiatric Hospital. It is also the home of a large VA hospital and Huey P. Long Hospital, the central region state public health system hospital.

The geography of the area is all small rolling hills, there are several large lakes near the city which are very popular for waterskiing, boating, fishing, and hiking. There is also very good hunting for deer and turkey in the forests nearby. The land is mostly red clay. In general, it's a very affordable place to live.

I really can't tell you about the schools because no one I know who lives there right now has any kids still in school. I can say that as with all public schools in the Louisiana, they are underfunded. Louisiana as a whole is a poor state with a large homestead exemption limit; very few working-class people pay any property taxes at all, so the schools really can't operate on property tax revenue. Instead they depend a lot on sales taxes, drilling royalties and casino taxes.

The Alexandria/Pineville area is the beginning of what we South Louisiana natives call "up North", though technically it is Central Louisiana. The French influence fades there, and they don't celebrate Mardi Gras in a big way; kind of a token with only two parades the weekend before. There are also more Protestants than Catholics when you get that far north.

 

[Lear]

Alexandria sits far from the gulf and there is not a big impact from what happens at the gulf. As stated before much of the industry is based on lumber. As far as schools ask people when you are there, we have been told the schools in Pineville are better than Alexandria. You will find people very helpful. My husband was stationed at Fort Polk (Army base 1 hour away) and we often went to Alexandria.

 

[ENSOCK]

Louisiana is not a shell of a state. Yes, we have had a few hard years but we are a tough people and we will come back. Because of Katrina, our state did not fall as quickly as others into the recession. We still had insurance monies that helped our ecomony.
I personally do not live in Alex. but near Baton Rouge. Yes, the oil spill is hurting our fishing and the industry around the lower parts of the state but not that many people in the northern part of the state even feel the effects.
You can get a nice 3 bed/2 bath home for less than $200,000.00.

Good luck on your decision!

 

[Princess 'n LA]

Louisiana is NOT a shell of a state as portrayed by the media. Throughout the recent bad economy, LA has never been above the 6% unemployment rate (maybe there now due to the thousand of jobs that have been lost due to the President's drilling ban!!!), the housing market is above average for the US (prices have remained steady and far less foreclosures).

As far as Katrina goes, there is only a small part of NO that is still affected (and it wasn't that much to look at prior to the hurricane).

One thing you should know, Louisianians love to have fun! Always something to do within a few hours drive (LSU sports, state capital, historic buildings in BR; aquarium, zoo, citypark, NO Zephyrs minor league baseball, Saints!!!, Hornets, Bourbon Street, and food in New Orleans; Plantation homes along the Mississippi River; fishing, hunting (deer, duck, quail, turkey, etc) and you will never meet a stranger. If that is what you are looking for, give us a shot.

 

[SnowWhite607]

Not a shell of a state at all.

In Alexandria, the hurricanes wont bother you as much as they do us here on the coast. Also you are landlocked so the oil spill is a non issue for you.

There may be a casino there, I am not sure.

I cant help you with the school question, sorry.

 

[LSUmom4kids]

Louisiana is NOT a shell of a state as portrayed by the media. Throughout the recent bad economy, LA has never been above the 6% unemployment rate (maybe there now due to the thousand of jobs that have been lost due to the President's drilling ban!!!), the housing market is above average for the US (prices have remained steady and far less foreclosures).

As far as Katrina goes, there is only a small part of NO that is still affected (and it wasn't that much to look at prior to the hurricane).

One thing you should know, Louisianians love to have fun! Always something to do within a few hours drive (LSU sports, state capital, historic buildings in BR; aquarium, zoo, citypark, NO Zephyrs minor league baseball, Saints!!!, Hornets, Bourbon Street, and food in New Orleans; Plantation homes along the Mississippi River; fishing, hunting (deer, duck, quail, turkey, etc) and you will never meet a stranger. If that is what you are looking for, give us a shot.

Yes! Don't forget we have the WORLD'S BEST FOOD! Just can't get oysters locally right now; but I don't like them anyway!

No, I haven't seen any oil around here and I live in the metro New Orleans area. I don't think I could live anywhere else; except maybe at WDW!

We visited Alexandria/Pineville last weekend and it's about 3 hours from any coastline, so I don't think oil should be of any concern.

I don't have any first hand knowledge of the school system in that Parish, but the Parish we live in has very good public schools.

Unfortunately, most crime in the state is "thug on thug crime". Isn't that the case anywhere?

I think you should go visit Alexandria and see what you think. I think it's a beautiful part of the state, with hills! And far enough inland not to be affected by hurricanes; but close enough to drive to: (1) Baton Rouge, (2) New Orleans, (3) Dallas, (4) Memphis - for great day trips!

I'm working class and yes I do have to pay property taxes. The homestead exemption is only for the first $75,000 value of your home. You could probably get a nice house in Alexandria and pay minimal property taxes.

 

[bigmama67]

Last August I was invited to be a visiting playwright at the local theatre company and lead a two-day playwriting workshop. I stayed with the president of the board and his wife (very intelligent, friendly, and multi-faceted people) and met a number of interesting people in the local arts scene. I can tell you that any city of Alex's size which has a thriving creative community is likely to have a decent school system. Some of the people I spoke with were very frank about the dichotomy between African American and white residents, but I also got a real sense of pride in their community from every single person I spoke with.

I would consider moving there if the circumstances were right. I always welcome a new adventure!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I agree with the previous posters. Louisiana is not a shell of a state! Being inland, you should not be directly affected by hurricanes or the oil spill.

I suggest visiting and checking out the town. Your ideas are good for checking out prices on things in the area. While you do this, you'll also get a feel for the types of stores you will have available to you and if you find them comfortable or not.

My personal experience with "Moving Reconnaissance" trips is that your gut feelings will give you some direction while visiting.

Good luck in your decision!

By the way, I've only been in Louisiana for a year. I live here by choice. I chose to move here when I could have gone just about anywhere. I have yet to regret my decision - I love the food, the culture, and the people!

 

[ilovejack02]

My family is from the area. I can't give you a big heads up on schools but I don't think they have the greatest public schools in the state.

I know there is several Catholic private schools that my husband and all of his family attended , including my father in law . My best friend attended Alexandria Country Day school back in the 70;s it is still there and going strong from what I understand.

I don't find Alex ..or "elle ick " or Ellic as the locals say the prettiest town I have ever visited but if we had a chance to relocate I would consider the area. It is middle of the state, so close enough to visit , South La or North La very easily.

My real concern would be schools, if you find the public school system not up to your standards, which I have a feeling as I said, it is not the best in the state. Will you be able to afford private?

Housing in Louisiana is def not as expensive as other areas of the country , property taxes fairly low and given the area you shouldn't have an issue with high flood insurance prices as we do in the south.

As others have said hurricanes not a huge issue, you will get rain , but not near the problems we have.

Good luck !!!

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Thanks everyone for your replies! It really does help, and I also appreciate the link to the citydata website. That had some good information too.

I want to clarify what I meant by "shell of a state" because I don't want it to be taken the wrong way. You know how one major thing after another, not just everyday irritations and challenges, can happen and it just wears you down? I speak from experience . . . After everything the residents of LA have been through, I just wondered if the "life" had gone out of the state in general. I'm glad to hear you guys seem to be rolling with the punches, and I hope there aren't any more punches!

My gut tells me we would really enjoy it in LA. We'll see how this unfolds.

 

[ilovejack02]

Thanks everyone for your replies! It really does help, and I also appreciate the link to the citydata website. That had some good information too.

I want to clarify what I meant by "shell of a state" because I don't want it to be taken the wrong way. You know how one major thing after another, not just everyday irritations and challenges, can happen and it just wears you down? I speak from experience . . . After everything the residents of LA have been through, I just wondered if the "life" had gone out of the state in general. I'm glad to hear you guys seem to be rolling with the punches, and I hope there aren't any more punches!

My gut tells me we would really enjoy it in LA. We'll see how this unfolds.

: ) If you decide to move, lots of places to visit that will keep you busy for awhile. So much to see. Let me know what happens and I can send you a guide of must visit places. Louisiana is a great place to live, people are friendly and food is amazing . Hope you can get used to a bit of spiciness ; ).

Where they filmed the movie Steel Magnolias isn't far from Alex, if you are here before Christmas , you MUST go see the lights. It really is just like in the movie.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

People here are rolling with the punches. There will be more punches...I anticipate people will roll with those too.

There is PLENTY of life here though! I swear this state has a festival for everything! People love to get together and have good food and a great time!

As for being worn down, there is some of that, especially down here in the parishes that are directly affected from the spill. That is what you are seeing on tv, especially when they are interviewing the government officials and locals who are fed up. But people are still, for the most part, finding ways to have fun and pull themselves away from the trouble for a little bit.

And if you live in Alexandria, I think you will experience fewer punches, and they won't be nearly as strong, as the punches you see the southern part state getting.

 

[NotUrsula]

I want to clarify what I meant by "shell of a state" because I don't want it to be taken the wrong way. You know how one major thing after another, not just everyday irritations and challenges, can happen and it just wears you down? I speak from experience . . . After everything the residents of LA have been through, I just wondered if the "life" had gone out of the state in general. I'm glad to hear you guys seem to be rolling with the punches, and I hope there aren't any more punches!

I rather thought that that was what you meant, and that's why I didn't really address it; it's a difficult concept.

The answer is no, but there are a lot of reasons why not, and a lot of those reasons have feminine names, like Audrey, Betsy, Camille, Rita and Katrina. Other reasons have more masculine names, like Butler and Warmuth and Leche and Allen and Edwards.

The thing is, Louisiana as a whole has never been a particularly prosperous place for very long at any one time. There have been periods of high prosperity in certain areas, but it really never lasts very long for the state as a whole. What that has tended to do is to make people live for the moment; Louisianians on the whole are very fun-loving people who wring every drop of enjoyment out of life that they can, because you never know when hard times might come back. ("Hard times" normally being very dependent upon weather, particularly in South Louisiana.) However, it has at times and in certain quarters also sometimes fostered a bit of a fatalistic attitude about planning for the future, and that has held the state back in certain areas. Still, it isn't now and never has been the third-world outpost that many members of the national press would like to make it out to be. The roads are bad and the public schools are usually a bit of a challenge, but it's otherwise a wonderful place to live, in my opinion.

 

[portocall]

I love living in Louisiana. I am not a native, but moved here by choice 12 years ago and can't imagine living anywhere else. I didn't realize how much this place had grown on me until my family tried to convince me to move "back home" on our extended Katrina evacuation. It was like a slap in the face realization that New Orleans is my HOME. I have been to Alexandria and liked it a lot. As everyone said, we like to have a good time here, no matter the punch and turn most occasions into a party. Case in point, we rode out Katrina in Baton Rouge with family. We were without electricity, but had gas, the winds were still blowing a bit, and our little battery tv's were just showing pics from NOLA.. but we were on the front porch having an Spaghetti dinner for the whole block. Yes, those of us from NOLA were upset (about half), and planning step two, yet I don't remember that part without trying. I remember the unity, community, and the laughter.

 

[disgrits]

Yes! Don't forget we have the WORLD'S BEST FOOD! Just can't get oysters locally right now; but I don't like them anyway!

I think you should go visit Alexandria and see what you think. I think it's a beautiful part of the state, with hills! And far enough inland not to be affected by hurricanes; but close enough to drive to: (1) Baton Rouge, (2) New Orleans, (3) Dallas, (4) Memphis - for great day trips!

Don't forget about Lafayette! The best cajun food!!

Thanks everyone for your replies! It really does help, and I also appreciate the link to the citydata website. That had some good information too.

I want to clarify what I meant by "shell of a state" because I don't want it to be taken the wrong way. You know how one major thing after another, not just everyday irritations and challenges, can happen and it just wears you down? I speak from experience . . . After everything the residents of LA have been through, I just wondered if the "life" had gone out of the state in general. I'm glad to hear you guys seem to be rolling with the punches, and I hope there aren't any more punches!

My gut tells me we would really enjoy it in LA. We'll see how this unfolds.

I don't live in LA anymore bec my husband is military, but I understand why you would think that. From the images we saw on TV during Katrina, and just a few weeks later for Rita, our hearts just broke and thought that the culture would never come back. I am so glad we were wrong. Cajuns (as well as all Louisianians) are strong, faithful people, who are experts at rolling with the punches. I agree with the poster who said you will never meet a stranger.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

 

[MMitchell29]

I love my state and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. We are close enough to drive to Disney, the beaches or fly to the caribbean for nice inexpensive vacations without hurting the bank and still live nice

 

[TeaForTulips]

I live in Shreveport, LA which is about 1.5-2 hours north of Alexandria ("Ellic" most ppl call it)

Alexandria is not a town I would choose to move to just because, but if you have a great opportunity there it is not a bad place to live at all.

It is just like most towns you will find. There are good schools and bad. Good neighbor hoods and bad. Etc, etc...

There are things to do and you are located where weekend getaways north or south are very friendly.

Their zoo has seen better days since I last visited, but I heard it was getting better. There is shopping and activities for children. My sister sends her 5 and 2 year old to visit her inlaws there and they always seems to have a great time doing something fun in the area.

You MUST go to the Natchitoches Christmas festival. Its lots of fun.

Alexandria does have an International airport that I have flown from. It often has better deals than Shreveport and isn't as far to drive as Dallas.

If the opportunity in Alexandria is something your family wants and/or needs, don't pass it by due to location for sure.

 

[Planogirl]

Alexandria is small and a bit isolated. I would consider those facts more than Louisiana's troubles with weather and oil.

Someone mentioned that the French influence dies away at Alexandria but you do have a bit of a pocket of it when you go north into and around Natchitoches. (Pronounced Nak i tish or is it Na ki tish?) If you check out Natchitoches try a meat pie. Bad for you but oh so yummy.