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| Bad and Good - 8/14/2009
I lived in LA. for 48 years, 20 of those years in Baton Rouge. There are good and bad things about Baton Rouge. It is very hot for 3 months of the year(April,Oct.&Nov.). It is broiling hot and unbearably humid for 5 months of the year(May thru Sept.) and it is cool for 4 mos(Dec thru Mar). Baton Rouge is a very pretty city, full of greenery and flowers for much of the year. There are many great restaurants-the food absolutely cannot be beat! There's lots to do(for adults and kids)year round if you can stand the heat and humidty. The water park is a very popular place in summer. It only snows about once every 10 years so kids won't have snow to play in, but winters are cool enough(but not cold) for lots of outdoor activities.
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| You People Are Wild... - 7/17/2009
Baton Rouge is actually a cool place to live. When you enter the city, you can almost feel the positive energy that comes from a college town atmosphere.
I lived there for 5 years. Some of my best friends from Baton Rouge became my friends through random conversation at a local eatery or standing in line somewhere.
Baton Rouge is a friendly town with lots to do. Their attractions boast a swamp tour, a water park, the USS Kidd, a doll museum that is super cool, thriving art galleries, and yes...LSU. Who can resist Mike the Tiger? He's gorgeous. But there's also Southern.
You can visit movie theaters, the zoo, a casino, a mall, go skating, play putt putt golf, go bowling, or get a job.
The nightlife is so fun. There are ample spots to listen to great live music. There are clubs and bars to fit every style. Baton Rouge has great margaritas, so I'm sold right away. :-)
One of my personal favorite things to do in Baton Rouge was to sit at the Mississippi River and wonder what great men passed through that very way over the years.
You won't find a more intersting place to study politics than Louisiana. And Baton Rouge is rich with history, culture, spirituality and diversity.
I can't speak to the grade school situation because I don't have kids. But I attended LSU and loved it!!!!
Crime? Hum, there is crime everywhere you go. Can't get away from that one.
I personally love Baton Rouge.
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| The New Southern Cosmo - 6/10/2009
Baton Rouge is finally blossoming into a cosmopolitian city. Downtown which was abandoned back in the day is alive and well. It used to strive on LSU, now it's holding it's own and surpassing New Orleans. The weather is very hot and humid in summer through mid fall but the winter and spring are nice and mild. Plenty of places to eat,shop and rest. The crime rate is going down and that is a good thing. While other parts of the coutnry have experienced a depression Baton Rouge is doing well on the economic front.
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| A shame - 12/13/2008
Baton Rouge was once a beautiful and friendly place. With a population of around 40,000 people and a present, but subdued crime rate.
Now Baton Rouge has a population of nearly 230,000, mostly New Orleans folk that fled here, and the city is now filthy, crime infested, crowded and rude. My Baton Rouge has been stolen from me.
I am not knowledgeable about the schooling, however, the economy seems to be going strong right now. There are many new businesses opening, and old jobs are still available. Unfortunately the cost of living has gone up drastically.
The good is, even during this time of economic downturn in America, Baton Rouge is doing fine.
The bad is, Baton Rouge is now just as bad as New Orleans with it's crime and low morals, due to the population increase.
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| Cost of living - 11/23/2008
The cost of living in Baton Rouge does not significantly vary from that in larger cities in different regions of the country, but the fees charged for professional services varies greatly.
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| Great City - 10/9/2008
Baton Rouge is like a complicated novel. You have to get into it to understand it, be engaged by it and savor the multi-dimensional culture. It ranges from fascinating older people who have generations of farming and country manners in their makeup to geek mathematicians who think the universe can be explained by a mathematical formula to easy going, gregarious French heritage folks with a love for food and people. I moved here six years ago after living in St. Louis, Dallas and New Orleans. I didn't really think I would like it too well and it took some time to love it the way I do now. Baton Rouge has some of the most exemplary mid century modern architecture to be found in neighborhoods like Broadmoor and Westminster. Not to mention, prices for these home that are affordable for your average joe. The architecture of today is influenced by a native Baton Rouge architect, Hays Town. It has beautful expanses of glass for nature views, aged brick, high ceilings and a host of other features combined to create a beautiful genre of architecture few have come to analyze in depth or understand its adaptation to our culture. If you want a city that is the flavor of the month, where you can drive in and make the club scene and know everybody and their life story in a year, forget it. It is not Austin, nor New Orleans, nor many cities to which it has been compared. It is subtle. Within 60 miles of the city, you have French culture, Scottish influences in the hills north between St. Francisville and historic Natchez, Mississippi and a multitude of other festivals, cultural venues and unique Americana offerings. If you visit, I suggest you review Country Roads magazine on-line which covers happenings surrounding the Rouge. Some things are just worth savoring and Baton Rouge is one. It is not a teuqulia shot. It is a fine cognac or glass of port enjoyed by a fire during a crisp fall evening with a breeze blowing through the open window.
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| We're getting there .... - 7/20/2008
Baton Rouge is slowly realizing how important downtown development is. There are ambitious plans to create a useful area for businesses and families (not just state offices) near downtown that will be wonderful, if the dreams are realized.
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| Brick Red instead of Stick Red - 6/13/2008
Living in Baton Rouge is like living each day running through a maze of continuous brick walls. The traffic is terrible. The crime is terrible. The economy is terrible. Even with a decent education and a great set of skills, it is difficult to get employers to pay a fair wage and offer a decent set of benefits. With the lower than average pay, it makes it difficult to make ends meet because the cost of living is not very reasonable. If you call a good culture scene eating out and going to movies then Baton Rouge is the place for you.
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| Take it for what it is, and enjoy. - 1/27/2008
My family and I relocated to Baton Rouge from Colorado for four years while I was in grad school at LSU. EVERYBODY warned us about the city's third world nature but, contrary to all opinions, we had a great time while there. Some things to note:
Forced busing has ruined the schools over the years but the city has a top-notch collection of private schools. Some public schools are OK, but make it a point to get your kids into the public magnate schools ASAP.
Home prices were very affordable. Even a grad student could afford a three bedroom brick home just off campus. Katrina created a shortage, however, and prices recently have begun to go way up.
The people are amazingly friendly, we had several come over to introduce themselves the day we moved in. It's a very stable family lifestyle and it's not unusual to see three generations of Baton Rougeans walking the malls or in a restaraunt. Religion is big, but most people keep it to themselves. We never saw any direct racism, but you know it has to exist in a city that's equal black and white. Two of my four immediate neigbors were black, however, and a growing black middle class is changing attitudes.
The food is fantastic. Sorry, New Orleans, but for affordable family style restaraunts BR has you beat.
LSU is a jewel and the city's center for sports and cultural entertainment. Gorgeous campus, my family hiked across it every Saturday ending up at the LSU Dairy School Ice Cream Parlor for a treat.
The climate is a mess. Massive refineries north of town make living in the south of town an absolute must.
The transportation system is taxed way beyond capacity. Live close to work or use flextime if you can.
Better yet, just slow down and enjoy the southern lifestyle.
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| A vibriant city with all the southern charm and bi - 12/29/2007
Being from this beautiful city on the mighty mississippi river I can tell you it has everything you could want. Baton rouge has overcame an ugly past(racism)like most southern towns and developed in the a primetime metropolitian city. Plenty of nice hotels amazing southern and cajun places to over eat.LOL!! The weather is simple amazing in the winter and spring times. The two most amazing universities(LSU&Southern) in the world. A tourist delight and movers dream.
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| To answer your question abuot it being dirty... - 10/8/2007
well yes and no. It depends on where you live. The LSU campus is really beautiful. The lady from OK hit the nail on the head, the racism is HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE...but that is Louisiana period. IT comes from both sides.
We lived in Prairieville. There are good schools there but houses are higher. Lots of ppl try to move there due to the fact that you don't have to send your kids to private school.
Food is awesome, but LA generally has great food.
I don't like Baton Rouge, never have. We are not Christians and honestly were not bothered too much there. There is a GREAT Unitarian church there.
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| Not worth any job to move here - 8/2/2007
I hate to write a review that is solely negative, since so many people write nothing but boo-hiss-boo-hiss on here, so I'm going to include the best stuff I can think of as well.
The Pros:
Fishing and hunting are excellent here, though you will probably need a boat to do much serious fishing. There are some areas where you can hike, but none that are within an hour of town. Bird watching is excellent as well. There is nothing extraordinary about seeing snowy egrets in your backyard, or watching flocks of pelicans swim around a lake. If you are able to stand the heat, you can be outdoors for the entire year, as it rarely drops below the 40's. It's a great place for gardening, you can grow lots of subtropical plants and there is a long vegetable growing season.
The local NPR is consistently rated as one of the best in the nation.
There is a very active sports fanbase here, centered around the LSU Tigers.
The Cons:
To all of the people who have posted about Katrina ruining a lovely place to live, I have to disagree. The hurricane just exacerbated the numerous problems that already plagued the city.
Crime is terrible, plain and simple. The low cost of living is offset by things like ridiculous auto insurance premiums due to fraud (mine was $2000 higher per year.)
There is a climate of open racism going in both directions between blacks and whites that has led to the utter collapse of the public school system and virtually every person who can afford it (and many who can't) putting their kids into private school. If you have children and cannot afford private school, don't move here. It's a tremendous disservice to them. (Some of the suburbs have decent to excellent public schools, check them out instead if you are being forced to move to the area.) As a teacher at a private school, I fought a constant negative attitude towards education among my rich, white students; if half of what my public school counterparts told me was true, it's a frightening place to raise a kid.
Traffic is awful, largely due to the city's origins. Because it was built on a swamp, the city's parts were not necessarily directly accessible to one another when they were populated. This has led to a great many roads in the town that really don't lead anywhere. Over time, these have started to be reconnected, but it's still a huge mess, especially following the population boom.
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| A sad place to call my birthplace - 6/14/2007
I am from Baton Rouge and moved away 11 years ago. Baton Rouge is a city fighting a losing battle. Crime has gotten out of control, the public school system is horrible, it's still a racially divided town( no place for interracial couples& seperate housing), a mayor that cannot live up to his promises and a downtown that has not been alive since 1955. Ofcourse if you know louisiana you know that the summers are very hot and humid. LSU and Bethany Church are the only two highlights in this town.
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| Probably - 6/11/2007
the worst roads i've ever driven on. The State would rather put their money into the casino boats than to improve the roads. You will need a 4 x 4 to drive here. Thats not an exageration.
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| Be prepared - 6/11/2007
to confess your love for Jesus Christ because you will be cast aside if you don't. Religion is huge in Baton Rouge. A whole new meaning to the word hypocrisy, just ask Mr Swaggart.
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| The summer's... - 6/11/2007
are brutal, from May to Dec its hot and humid. Be prepared for big A/c bills.
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| Things to do - 6/11/2007
Unless you are an LSU fan, fish, go to church or have kids there is nothing at all to do here. Baton Rouge is sprawl of ugly new shopping plazas amongst derelict and decaying buildings.
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| Quality of Life? - 6/3/2007
There are many imperfections about life in Baton Rouge, as well as Louisiana in general. But I do enjoy the atmosphere in town-when you are around the long time residents, you get an acceptance that will ignore a lot of woes, including yankeeistic tendencies. I moved away for 17 years, and realized the friendliness of the people was not to be duplicated, even in other areas of the South.
The biggest fault is the lack of infrastructure and a sense of urgency to correct things. Nearly 2 years after Katrina, our traffic is still at a crawl during rush hour, housing is hideous, and crime is not what it used to be.
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| What you see here is how it is - 5/26/2007
I'm from Baton Rouge, born here, and moved hither and yon, only to end up back here for the last 5 years.
If you've had a look at any of the other posts on Baton Rouge, you get a good idea of the range of people you deal with. Illiteracy is a real problem here, as I'm sure you can tell from reading some of the posts. Crime is ridiculous, partly because cops are invisible. Don't bother calling the police for anything but violent crime that you actually witness with your own two eyes. If you hear shots, don't call, they'll just be rude to you. If you hear noise that alarms you (screaming, thumping, etc.), don't call, they'll just ignore you. If you see someone driving drunk or abusing a child, don't call, they won't respond in time to do any good. I've tried.
People throw trash on the ground, dogs run loose, even in the "nice" parts of town, traffic is really bad for a city this size--there really isn't much nice to say about Baton Rouge unless you are very, very wealthy and pay for your own policing by private security. Notice help wanted ads in Baton Rouge's newspaper The Advocate are packed full of people hiring for security.
Baton Rouge has a huge portion of its population that are under-educated, poor blacks who are in fact exploited in their jobs, frequent vicitms of crime, and habitually discriminated against, but they have no chance to get better jobs because the social systems (such as education, but not just government based programs) have completely broken down. You can see multimillion dollar estates in some parts of town, and they will have a good old-fashioned household staff of yas'm and nawsuh like you see in movies, and those jobs are the good ones!
If you are raising kids and can't either get into magnet schools or afford private schools, move outside of town rather than put your kids in the regular pub schools in BR. They're dangerous and ineffective, and you don't want your kids coming home with the language and attitude they'll pick up at a Baton Rouge public school.
There is a real problem with basic etiquette, so if you're used to being treated like a fellow human being, don't bother coming here. The people in Baton Rouge will do whatever serves them best at the moment they stand. It's a town full of slack-jaws and bullies, and I'm glad I'm leaving this year.
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| Central; Louisiana's newest city - 5/6/2007
In the past year Central has broken away from Baton Rouge and become it's own city, the 12th largest in the state. Housing is booming with exsisting houses up over 20%, new subdivisions are springing up everywhere, some national builders, DH Horton are planning nice subdivisions and begining this August we will have our own school district, which will be the # 1 or 2 in the state. I hope in the next few years, when stats are in you will be able to rank us. we have a nice mixture of rural setting with morden homes, farms, new stores and restaurants a very low crime rate. Altough we have traffic congestion due to growth and a very high sales tax our propiety taxes are very low thanks to Huey P Longs Homestead excemption, no taxes on 75,000 house and we pay on the value above $75,000. eg. $140,000 house I pay $340. per year. Auto and homeowners insurance is very high and so are electric and gas.
Love your site and look foward to see Central ranked in the near future.
Dennis
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