SperlingViews - Lake_Charles, Louisiana

My mother, brother, and I are life long residents of Lake Charles. My father was from another state and died over eight years ago due to alcoholism. Before he moved here, he was very ambitious and happy, but throughout the years of his life living here, he became depressed, lost his ambition, and was in a major rut until his death. Now, all three of us are going through the same exact thing he went through. We have been living jobless for over eight years and have been struggling to get back on our feet since his death. We have college educations that we can't use like for example, my mother has bachelor's degree and can't find one job in her field and is in over $87,000 student loan debt. She was supposed to graduate with a math degree and computer technology, but some strange occurrences happened with the school that prevented her from graduating in her original degrees. I have two associate degrees that I can't find no work in and my brother has an EMS certificate and can't use it. My mom is now working and stays sick all the time without health insurance and is barely pulling in minimum wage. I am unemployed most of the time and my brother works at a fast food joint for over two years and can't get out of it like my mother can't get out of her job. In our opinion, this city is narrow minded and thinks everybody is supposed to be married with kids and in due respect my mother was married for over 25 years until his death. I am not getting married which isn't nobodies business, but most of the people ask me if I am married or have kids even on the job whenever I do work which is hardly ever. They seem to not to accept you if you don't have this which I don't. It is my personal choice. Also, some of them also treat you like dirt if you don't fall in the clicks here because of the who knows who thing. They give us dirty looks for no reason and change on you like they act like they are your best friend one minutes and then change after that for the worst. We are not happy here and stay stressed out all the time. We fight every day do the negative things they do to us and we keep sinking and sinking further downward. We keep losing money do to high priced car insurance due to the way they drive here to also trying to get oil changes and they overcharge you and do work on your car without asking you for permission. This is happening to us and nobody seems to understand what it is like being way below poverty and are having hard time making it. Like I said the wages suck here, no jobs, and some of the people are not very nice. We have more to share, but is a long list of things. They treat you like you are stupid, there is respect for your things, and they make themselves at home with your stuff like coming on your property without asking. They can't drive here at all with the road rage problem or the super slow driving or they pull out in front of you when they see you coming down the road. The list goes on and on.[read more...]

My city is quiet and has some of the best southern food from Louisiana[read more...]

I have lived in Lake Charles for one year now but, I have been a Louisiana resident my whole life. The big problems here is the pollution, the low paying jobs, the crime rates, and the over priced apartments. Every year we get a letter in the mail reminding us to drink the water at our own risk. The water is brown from the tap. There is led and mercury in the water at high levels. I have to buy all my water in jugs at walmart. Its hard to find a job here! If you do find a job, your pay check will be much lower than average pay for your job. The appartments are over priced. If you don't mind living in a bad neighborhood with high crime rates expect to pay about $600 a month on rent. For a place in a nice neighborhood, $750-900 is about what you will pay a month for rent alone. This is for a one bedroom apartment. My trailer park is clean and looks like safe place to live but, don't be fooled. In the one year that I have lived here, we have had four people murdered, someone try to break into our home, a car stereo stolen, and some drunk crash his truck into our home driving over 70 mph. My advice for new comers: Don't move into a trailer park around here. Find a house or an appartment. There are some things to do here but, it gets old fast. There is bowling, putt-putt golf, a very small mall, a few over priced shops downtown, a casino, and a lot of restuarants. If your not from louisiana, you may be shocked with how much people drink around here; they don't seem to mind the dirty and trashy bars. If you are a young college student, you will enjoy the night life. If you are in your mid-twenties or older, there isn't much of a night life. I wouldn't recommend moving to Lake Charles. Natchitoches, Shreveport, Lafayette, or Baton Rouge are better places to live in Louisiana. I even recommend New Orleans over Lake Charles, if you have enough money to live in a nice neighborhood.[read more...]

I have lived in Lake Charles for one year now but, I have been a Louisiana resident my whole life. The big problems here is the pollution, the low paying jobs, the crime rates, and the over priced apartments. Every year we get a letter in the mail reminding us to drink the water at our own risk. The water is brown from the tap. There is led and mercury in the water at high levels. I have to buy all my water in jugs at walmart. Its hard to find a job here! If you do find a job, your pay check will be much lower than average pay for your job. The appartments are over priced. If you don't mind living in a bad neighborhood with high crime rates expect to pay about $600 a month on rent. For a place in a nice neighborhood, $750-900 is about what you will pay a month for rent alone. This is for a one bedroom apartment. My trailer park is clean and looks like safe place to live but, don't be fooled. In the one year that I have lived here, we have had four people murdered, someone try to break into our home, a car stereo stolen, and some drunk crash his truck into our home driving over 70 mph. My advice for new comers: Don't move into a trailer park around here. Find a house or an appartment. There are some things to do here but, it gets old fast. There is bowling, putt-putt golf, a very small mall, a few over priced shops downtown, a casino, and a lot of restuarants. If your not from louisiana, you may be shocked with how much people drink around here; they don't seem to mind the dirty and trashy bars. If you are a young college student, you will enjoy the night life. If you are in your mid-twenties or older, there isn't much of a night life. I wouldn't recommend moving to Lake Charles. Natchitoches, Shreveport, Lafayette, or Baton Rouge are better places to live in Louisiana. I even recommend New Orleans over Lake Charles, if you have enough money to live in a nice neighborhood.[read more...]

can you send me some pictures of some of the people on your staff or people you know. i want to email some of you. fedem [read more...]

Worst school systems in the country, hence the LEAP tests. Educational systems in LA are bad anyway but Lake Charles is a joke. Highest cancer rates in the nation next to Texas. The refineries are a real asset! Water pollution is rampant, the aquifer was polluted years ago from deep well injections. Litter is a way of life, just ride around. Absolutely nothing to do, hunt in a marsh or fish in a mud hole, beaches are a joke, filthy. all the crap from the offshore drilling rigs floats ashore and doesn't get picked up (Holly Beach). There are two types of people in Lake Charles, the ones that were born there, and the ones that moved in for a job. No one moves to Lake Charles because its a great place to live. The political atmosphere is as crooked as it comes, the good ole boy system is in full bloom here. Gambling is far more important than health, education or cleanliness in Lake Charles. Anyone that thinks Lake Charles is a nice place to live either has family and was raised there, or hasn't been around much. my advice, look elsewhere, your family will thank you. [read more...]

I grew up in L.C., moved away due to work. Now I only go back to visit family once or twice a year. As much as I miss being near them there is no way I could move back there. I despise the weather! Feeling damp just because you went to the grocery store and were outside for a minute is ridiculous. On the upside, the fishing was very good in and around Big Lake. I never found the people overly friendly....but I generally never cared either. So maybe it is just me. [read more...]

You can get alot of square feet for your dollar but other than that, that's about it. I live in Lake Charles, and while the city has alot of potential, and has more character than probably any other city its size, there is little development at the moment.[read more...]

We are currently living in Lake Charles ourselves and have been life long residents here. First of all, let me begin by saying that our city that once was a nice place in our opinion has changed so much to it being once courteous to non courteous and would give anything to see it the way it was before, just our opinion. We have lived here most our lives and in our opinion, it has not been the same. We lossed; our husband and father a few years ago and ever since we have been trying to find employment with our degrees which has not been easy in finding work here and hard earned money spent on our education to no help at all in where we received our education but then again, we are good, hard working people who have made this our problem and will take care of it ourselves. We have not relied on anyone for anything the past few years. What we would like and of course would appreciate any help from someone out-of state, if you wouldn't mind a little advice in where we could relocate for a new beginning? A new chapter in our lives so we can find employment as we are fresh out-of-college? We would love to relocate because our sitauton is not that good anymore. Any advice would be great and valued from me and my family.[read more...]

I moved here from Birmingham, Al a while back, and it has been a pretty big change. Coming from a metropolitan city with a booming economy, high paying jobs, cheap housing in good areas, amazing cuisine, entertainment and shopping galore, friendly people and a clean environment, I guess it might be hard to please me. But Lake Charles has not pleased me in any way. Since I've been here, I am negatively astounded nearly everyday. From the RUDE RUDE people, the roads that would be smoother if they were gravel, the backwards way they run the court systems ( I got into a car accident and they put me on 6 months probation!!! That is not a lie. If you get into an accident here, no alcohol or drugs involved, if it is your fault, they make you go to court!!), the high rent and low paying jobs to the fact that there is NOTHING to do here! Sure, if you like to gamble, hunt or fish, this is probably the place for you. But if you don't, I wouldn't suggest moving here, because there is nothing here for you here and you will be treated like there is something wrong with you because you don't like to go out in the woods and kill animals. I have a motorcycle, and I never ride it because I lost count of how many times I have lost control of my bike because of the potholes or buckles in the roads. Not to mention the the map of this town looks like a checkerboard. No curves anywhere! (Boring) The HOUSE I rented in Birmingham currently rents for $550. It is in an excellent part of town and kids can walk to school with no worries. Here, I am renting a tiny APARTMENT for $600 in a bad part of town (behind a trashy bar) in which I wouldn't allow my kids(if I had any) to play in the front yard. Also, the job I have here I would be paid twice the amount for in Birmingham (I've checked).The pay here is a joke, with one exception...the plants. Oh sure, if you are interested in dying in your 40's of lung cancer but making higher pay (considered average pay in other cities), then go right ahead because the plants are the place for you. As a matter of fact, it seems as though this entire city is geared towards making everyone work at the plant. Everywhere I have worked, people quit because they aren't making enough money, so they go to the plants. Speaking of the plants, it blows my MIND that people raise kids around all of this industry!!! The water smells like latex and iron, it leaves horrible stains in your sinks, toilets and tubs. Sewage (get ready for this) dumps into the ditches in front of your house!!! Thats right! Little Sally accidentally flushed daddy's favorite ring down the toilet? Don't worry! It will be in your ditch by the end of the week along with...well you get the picture. OH! And while you are here, you had better not ever be in a situation where you need help from anyone, because you will be out of luck! For instance, your car breaks down...you had better start walking because no one is going to stop to help you. Even people that I have considered my best friends around here, have refused to help me in my very few times of need. For instance, I had just left my friends house and on my way home (approximately 5 miles from his house) I got a flat tire, and I remembered that I had left it at his house a few days before. I called him and asked if he could run it to me real quick. His response, "Ehhhh, man, I can't. Its like 1:30p.m. and I have to be at work at Chili's at 4p.m. and I want to take a nap first." This is the quality of people they have in this place. Every friend I have made here has done something equally as unbelievable. If you find yourself here, take my advice and don't ever trust anyone to do anything for you, no matter how insignificant, no matter how important. Now, onto the good parts. They have a couple of good restaurants here that I will miss once I'm gone. Although, I won't miss the terrible wait service in this town. I have only had I would guess maybe 3 good waitors in my hundreds of meals out in this town. So to sum it up, I wouldn't recommend living in this city to my worst enemy. It is a complete dump (figuratively and literally). My business here will be done in 18 months. You can guarantee that in 18 months and 1 day I will be back in Birmingham, and I can't wait. As for all of you people that live here and enjoy it. Lock and load, yeeeeehaw![read more...]

Lived here for 37 years --moved out of the city because of industry(chemical plants)pollution,oil spills,rude Texas drivers coming to casinos,excessive insurance cost(housing/auto) and horrible traffic. However; the food is excellent(one thing we miss --but we can cook it). Other postitive thing is growth and accessibilty of restaurants and stores. One other thing--South Lake Charles people are to worried about keeping up with the each other (the housing is riduculous) and other areas such as Westlake, Sulphur are discouraged against moving to by the keepers of the flame. Lake Charles residents think chemical pollution from the plants across the lake does not blow across in their direction--it does--wind blows in all directions-get a clue. Check out the enviromental ratings for Lake Charles here better yet watch the documentary "Blue Vinyl".[read more...]

I look at living in Lake Charles differently than some of the other reviews that I read. Actually, some of the things I read made me think of the old saying, "Is your glass half full or half empty?" Obviously, some of these people live with the half empty glass. My husband & I moved here from Houston in 2001, because a business opportunity came along. The statements about humidity are true, there is no denying that the humidity can be tough, as it is in most coastal southern cities. Yes, there are refineries here, that provide jobs for alot of people, they also provide products that we ALL use, such as fuel, plastics, chemicals, etc. Yes, our waterways are not crystal clear, however that is more because we are part of the Mississippi delta region than anything else. There are truly some of the most beautiful natural waterways anywhere here. The picturesque postcards of South with the 100 year old cypress trees along river, could have been taken right here on our Calcasieu River. Our housing is very affordable here and our property taxes are reasonable. Since 2001, the growth we have seen in Lake Charles has been dramatic. The casinos are thriving and giving back to our community. The voters passed the downtown development proposal by a landslide. There are alot of new businesses building new storefronts and buildings here (ours is one of them). We have virtually no traffic problems here. If you have to sit through 1 red light, it's called a traffic jam and if you don't think that's a huge plus for living here, go to Houston, Dallas, New Orleans or Lafayette for a week. Our city was changed drastically when Hurricane Rita hit. We lost a ton of trees but the upside is that people started landscaping more and some of the buildings that needed attention had to come down. Lake Charles and the surrounding communities have absolutely the best festivals anywhere. I believe Lake Charles' Mardi Gras is second only to New Orleans in size, however it is definitely the family oriented version. If you feel the need to blow the budget and shop for more than we have here, Beaumont is 45 minutes, Lafayette is 1 hour, Houston is 2 hours, and New Orleans is 3 hours. The absolute best thing about living in Lake Charles is without a doubt, the people. We have made so many close friends since moving back here, I can't imagine moving away. It just doesn't get any better, than our supper club dinners, our moonlight cruises around the lake with friends, our parties a[read more...]

I moved here about a year ago from beautiful Portland, Oregon (to join my fiancee, who moved here for career-related reasons, and we are planning to leave very soon) and I have never been more miserable in my life! I understand that for some people, this is home and this is the right place for them, but it is definitely not for me and I would NOT encourage anyone who is used to beautiful scenery, big city life or a progressive community to move here. From the stifling heat and humidity, to the pouring rain and nonstop thunderstorms, to the unattractiveness of the downtown, to the flat, drab land, to the fact that there is NO shopping, NO exciting places to go out to and NO class whatsoever. I'm sick of the potholes in the road that never get fixed, the driveways that are the same height as curbs, the lack of nightlife and restaurants, the dirty brown water in the lakes and bayous, the smelly air, the mosquitoes, the extremely small town mentality, etc., etc. And there are so many ugly trailer parks and buildings that are falling apart! Hurricane damage is one thing, but the fact is, when you build every building out of sheet metal, do you think it's going to withstand a hurricane? And the downtown is a laughing stock! There are about 3 restaurants, and not ONE shop! You cannot walk anywhere, you always have to drive. I have gotten used to doing all my shopping online, and hanging out in my apartment when I am not at work because it is too depressing to even look outside. The mall is also a joke. And no Thai restaurants - what's up with that? Also, if you want to go out to a fun restaurant past 11pm, forget it. No one serves food late at night! I seriously have more fun surfing the internet at home then I do going anywhere in Lake Charles! Here are the ONLY things that I think are positive about this place: the Drive-Thru Daiquiri stands, the fact that alcohol is available 24/7, the football tailgating lifestyle, the mardi gras experience, the hip hop and rap music, and sometmes, the sun. And we are 2 hours from Houston and 3 hours from New Orleans, but still. That is IT folks! If you are thinking about moving to Lake Charles, DON'T DO IT!!!!!![read more...]

Sound like you hate it in Lake Charles --yes they have problems but every city in the US has a problem--no city/town is perfect. Please if you hate it so much leave. Listen to the life long residents or someone who grew up here not a person who has lived there only 2 years or so. Other than the above comment Lake Charles is experiencing alot of growth right now. People from the Lake Charles are proud of their town and they have such beautiful housing here. I am very proud of Lake Charles-- they have big community spirit. Way to go Lake Charles! Thanks for trying to improve the city with strong religious values, community and family.[read more...]

This place is a cesspool, thanks to the people! I have never seen so many smokers in my life. And what do you do with the old cigarette butts and ashes in your car, why you dump them at the next red light, of course. I have lived here for almost 2 years and cannot believe the way locals treat there own city. I saw a post that talked about the "Proud" people of this area. Here's how proud they are of the land. Don't take your used motor oil to the auto store to be disposed of properly, do like my neighbor suggested and pour it along your fence line to kill the weeds.....Nice, very nice. This guy has lived here all his life. Maybe that’s why I won't drink the tap water. Ohh, the tap water, every 5 months there is a build up of a black goo around my toilet water and the faucet head. Looks great when you’re washing your hands and this goo comes off into your hands. I asked my neighbor about it and he said it was normal. One of my favorite things is the drive into work every morning over the I-210 Bridge and getting a whiff of that pungent refinery plant brew that continues to be pumped into the air. Mmmmmmmmmm, I love the smell of lung cancer in the morning. It's not one of those smells you associate with nature either. If you like the rain then Seattle ain't got nothing on this place. And if it's not raining then it’s humid and hot. Oh, that’s right I forgot. The weather is decent here from November to March, ooooh you get 5 months of cool weather. Oh did I mention this is a college town? Most people think of college towns being pedestrian friendly city's with all the college kids. Not so my friend, try to ride your bike anywhere and you get to join the flow of traffic as they proceed to honk and throw things at you because you’re in their way. I had one lady tell me most of the people she ever saw on bikes around here are usually homeless. Nice huh! Louisiana is called the "Sportsman’s Paradise" well if you consider fishing and hunting a sport then so be it. That’s all they do around here, shoot things and catch things in the polluted water. That's right I said polluted water. Have you seen the number of refineries around the water ways here? About a year ago one of the cargo ships with a load of oil spilled its contents into the water around the lake area where all those beautiful homes are built. 15,000-18,000 barrels of the good stuff. The EPA and coast guard ordered all recreational use of the water banned until the spill was cleaned up. The very next da[read more...]

After hurricane Rita--this city got it together. I have never seen a city put forth such an effort of getting stuff back in order. Driving around you now see new business and alot of new housing being built all over the Calcasieu parish area and Lake Charles area. Lake Charles sets an example. On Contraband days--this is a big yearly festival which all different kind of folks attend. This town is very family-oriented.[read more...]

Contraband days festival used to be a great time,wild celebration and constant festivitys.Partying and bbq and drinking and music..was great,Now the wrong people have gained control,,and taken it away from the people that made it huge and famous..now it SUCKS,,hardly anything going on ,,every year it gets worse.Less attractions and less of a good time..Its completely been changed and taken away from us...Years ago 1000's would be on the beack..now u only see a few.Thanks 2 the IDIOTS....[read more...]

I went to college at McNeese, which is known for its good football teams. Ironically, the best athlete to come through there is Joe Dumars, a basketball player. I'm from a little town about two hours north, and even from that short distance Lake Charles is markedly more humid and is prone to much more frequent precipitation. Check out the stats and you will see that Lake Charles is one of the rainiest places around. The bayous south of town are quite pretty and are exactly what a non-native thinks all of Lousiana looks like. The food is excellent and the people are generally cheery and like to drink - A LOT. There are two beaches that don't seem to be used all that much, but I always found them to be quite nice. The west side of Lake Charles is very industrial. Tenets include Vista Chemical, PPG, and Conoco Phillips. Farther west is Sulphur, a nothing town only noted for its over zealous police force. The east side isn't overly developed and to the north is Moss Bluff, which is becoming a suburb of Lake Charles from what I understand. Downtown is dominated by the Charpentiere(?) District and has one tall glass building - it used to be the "Calcasieu Marine Building" but I don't think that name is on the building any longer. Lake Charles has riverboat gambling and a new casino just opened up that is quite nice. Also close by is a large casino, the Grand Coushatta. I haven't seen firsthand how bad the damage from hurricane Rita was but I'm told its quite extensive.[read more...]

it is always humid so the weathrer sucks about eight five percent of the time[read more...]

Average sized town of 75,000 people located in Southwest Louisiana close to the Texas border. An extremely proud community which shows it in their culture and cuisine. Beautiful homes along our waterways and in town/parish. Affordable housing and taxes--can still get a big house for a medium price. Proerty taxes are not high compared to other locales in US. Home to McNeese State University -- Contraband Days fesival coming up first weekend in May--one example of our many festivals we have each year. Friendly people,proud people-- a place I have called home since childhood. Ya'll come see us![read more...]