Remote possibility of moving to Louisiana - questions

Hi all. Well, there have been discussions amongst family (all gun owners) about what would we do if we had the money to go where we would want to go. I actually was missing from these conversations but my wife brought up the question as to what would I think if my BIL and SIL, who may be in for a large accident settlement, were to want to go to Louisiana, would I be up for following. I'm not sure. I've only been there once (2002 New Orleans before Katrina) and I'm not sure what would be the benefit of uprooting from Portland, Oregon and going South (they seem to be drawn to the latest gun rights strengthening by LA). All I can think of is Alligators, Hurricaines and bayou. Anyone from Louisiana have input?

My wife says that the cost of living is cheaper, cheaper land, etc. But I guess I'm skeptical and not really sure. So, I thought I'd try to get some input from people who have lived there or are currently living there. What should I know?

Go for it! AWSOME Food! Great hunting! Very few Yankees!

I live 3 hours from New Orleans. I party/gamble there sometimes. It's a great town. Kind of like Vegas - two days isn't enough and four is too many.

However, Louisiana isn't North/South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee or even Alabama. Mississippi and Louisiana are strange, strange places man.

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Originally Posted by Cold Shot

Mississippi and Louisiana are strange, strange places man.

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Study the Places Rated Almanac.

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Originally Posted by accessbob

All I can think of is Alligators, Hurricaines and bayou. Anyone from Louisiana have input?

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Try watching a episode or two of Duck Commander! Slow way of life and more family! It will take some time to get to know the people, but they'll give you the shirt off their back if they be-friend Ya All! You'll need to adopt LSU as your team!

Worked there for 2 years on a refinery expansion.

Just a note, Gators taste like chicken!

We live 25 miles from the Louisiana border,my mother's family were all born and raised cajun types. If you like good food,do it. Not sure what you want to do for a living,that would be something to consider. One thing I have noticed,not many people in that state get in a hurry.Laid back.

Weather wise, I could never handle LA. The heat and humidity are brutal. Coming from OR you going to think you died and went you-know-where, only more humid.

Come to the eastern panhandle of WV. Only 1 1/2 hours from Washington DC and close to 3 other states. It's beautiful here and the cost of living is very reasonable.

I've lived in 7 states and 2 foreign countries...we chose to settle down here and have never regretted it.

I'm not saying there isn't a lot to love about LA but the climate isn't one of them.

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Originally Posted by Jeanlouise

Weather wise, I could never handle LA. The heat and humidity are brutal. Coming from OR you going to think you died and went you-know-where, only more humid.

Come to the eastern panhandle of WV. Only 1 1/2 hours from Washington DC and close to 3 other states. It's beautiful here and the cost of living is very reasonable.

I've lived in 7 states and 2 foreign countries...we chose to settle down here and have never regretted it.

I'm not saying there isn't a lot to love about LA but the climate isn't one of them.

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This is the part you'll need to se if you can handle.

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Originally Posted by accessbob

All I can think of is Alligators, Hurricaines and bayou. Anyone from Louisiana have input?

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Alligators- Well, that's one of the food sources, so that's a good thing. I wouldn't worry about being threatened by one.
Hurricanes- A concern if you live near the coast, and our population is largest on the coast, so I guess they cope. I live in NW Louisiana and the remnant of a hurricane typically only brings us rain and a some wind, maybe a tornado?
Bayou- A bayou is just a very small river with a very very slow current.

Anywhere you live there are plus and minuses.....give and take type of stuff.

I've lived in Louisiana all of my life, I do like to travel and experience other parts of the US, but this will always be home for me. We like it here, I have two grown kids that could have moved anywhere they wanted, and once they finished college they've stayed here to work and raise their family, because they wanted to.

Yep, it can get hot and humid, Louisiana is in the Deep South and we're on the Gulf coast, sort of an opposite of a northern state that might be cold and windy during their harsher season. Do your outside stuff in the mornings, then air conditioning will take care of the rest of the day. It's certainly not hot all the time, it gets cold here too. This morning it was 30 degrees, sometimes we're down in the teens, several years back it was 10 degrees. Sort of surprising for this far south. Like they say, if you don't like the weather today, just wait until tomorrow, it'll be different.

The food, people and culture are great, we have a good time. LSU football, NO Saints, Mardi Gras, crawfish boils, hunting, fishing, etc.

I like to describe Louisiana as being composed of three sections somewhat different than each other:
1. New Orleans-Big city, it can be "dirty and criminal" just like anyother big city. We go there a lot and enjoy it, but like most places you really need to know where to go. Great food, music, historical and atmosphere. We always have a good time, and ready to go back.
2. South Louisiana-South of Alexandria is "cajun country" and it's different too. A lot of oil/gas related businesses. Most of the folks there are french ancestry.....Cajuns.....Coonass. They are hard-working and have a great family related culture and certainly know how to have a good time.
3. North Louisana- North of Alexandria is a mixture of influence from South Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Less populated, more large pine plantations. Hilly and river delta.

I think overall, the people are friendly, common sense, law-abiding, God-fearing folks. Every place, including us, has exceptions to that too.

It's known as the Sportman's Paradise for a reason. If you like fishing and hunting, you'll have plenty to do in your spare time. The negatives would definitely be the heat+humidity and mosquitoes. My brother moved away for a few decades to the desert, then recently moved back. It's taken him some time to 'acclimate' to the weather again. You can break into a sweat walking down your driveway to check the mail. I'm about 8 hours away these days, but would move back on the first opportunity. On the other hand, I've spent some time in Portland and loved it.
If you have the means and time, make a few trips down to check things out. Don't use NOLA as your only gauge; check out Baton Rouge, Lafayette, even Houma. Each place has their own feel. Get a truck with good suspension though, the roads are horrible throughout the state... :)

I took my son every spring for almost 20yrs. to fish Toledo Bend Lake. It straddles the line between Texas and Louisana. It's about 70 miles south of Shrievport. It's one of Bass fishings Mecca. The folks around there were friendly and prices seemed reasonable. Of course Cajun style food is great. We saw a lot more Armadillo's than snakes or alligators. It's a sportsman's paradise.

Like Cold Shot said, it's the South but it's different. It depends on how you're looking at it. They don't have counties, they've got parishes.

Louisiana isn't like South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabams, or Mississippi in some respects... they look at things differently. Nothing wrong with that unless you're one of the ones being looked at differently.

Heat and humidity. It can get brutal here in the South.

Forget the gators, it's those 9-ft water moccasins that chill my bones!

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Originally Posted by accessbob

Is that good, bad, or both? http://downloads.btabdevelopment.com/crazysmile.jpg

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It's just the deep of the deep south. I never really spent a lot of time in any place other than NOLA, but I do spend some time in Mississippi, and I couldn't live there. There ain't nothing in Mississippi. It's a poor, uneducated, unhealthy state. For whatever reason I kind of figure Louisiana is the same.