What BestPlaces Users Say about Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana is a small city located in the southwestern region of the state. With a population of approximately 78,000, it is known for its vibrant culture, delicious Cajun cuisine, and outdoor recreational opportunities. However, like any city, there are varying opinions on what it is like to live there. Many users have shared their personal experiences and thoughts on living in Lake Charles on the website BestPlaces.net. These reviews offer valuable insight into the community and overall livability of the city. Here are four diverse excerpts from different users:
1) "I moved to Lake Charles for work and have been pleasantly surprised by the friendly atmosphere and the abundance of activities to do. The Mardi Gras celebrations are not to be missed and the food scene is incredible. Definitely worth considering if you're looking for a smaller city with a big personality." - Sarah W.
2) "I've lived in Lake Charles my entire life and have mixed feelings about it. The city has its charms, but it also has a high crime rate and there isn't much to do for young adults. However, the low cost of living and close proximity to beaches make it a decent place to raise a family." - John D.
3) "I've lived in several cities throughout Louisiana and I have to say, Lake Charles is my favorite. The people are welcoming and there is always something going on. Plus, the food is unbeatable. I highly recommend giving it a chance!" - Maria G.
4) "I recently relocated to Lake Charles and I can't say I'm a fan. The traffic is terrible and the city lacks diversity. I also find it difficult to find affordable housing. Overall, not my ideal place to live." - Jason T.
based on 34 ReviewsGet to know Lake Charles with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Lake Charles
Avoid at all costs - Not the city you think it is! - 1/22/2019
I've lived in LC for over 20 years. The city has very little to offer and growth is very slow and stagnant. There is not much to do here other than going to see the movies or playing golf. Unless you like being at the Casino's or watching a horrible McNeese Football game. The people here are also very laughable, talentless and unprofessional; there is nothing that actually happens here, in terms of entertainment. (i.e. poor acting and musician promotions etc.) No good music scene (not even Cajun music, Country music or Jazz etc. if that's your forte) the women here are very unattractive too. It is a city of self-hate and only opportunists and transplants flock to it. Nobody really likes this place - I have not found one person who has ever told me they liked living here. Almost all the people I knew from school (Elementary, Junior High, High school) have all moved away to different places in the USA and are happy they made the choice. The history of Lake Charles will also bore you to
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as a single white female - 1/28/2016
I've lived in this area for nine years. This is a very expensive place to live if you want to live by yourself. "The Plants" (all the refineries in the nearby area) with their outrageous rates of pay have made it a very expensive place to live. Most all the single people I know live with family members or roommates. Housing is very very segregated and if you are not the correct color you had better not be in certain neighborhoods (mostly right around Interstate 10 just to the north and directly south of it) after dark. It's sad to write this in this day and age but it is very much the truth.
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The Lake Charles I Know - 12/22/2014
I grew up in Lake Charles, and have basically lived and/or worked in every part of the city....first north near old Marion High School, then on the south east side and now the south west. My work has taken me north of the city, south of the city and finally in the middle depressed zones.
When I was a child, even attended the 100 year centennial parade, down on Ryan Street.
Lake Charles was a sleepy little town during my youth, having lost the Chennault Air Base after the wars ended. There are many older homes from that era in places near the I 210 loop...places with President's names as streets(Greenwich Village) or Sunset Acres(off Louisiana Ave).
You can even recognize which of the carpenters built each home. Those homes today are generally considered to be "sub standard." Those homes have non modern electricity but do have sewage and normal city functions.
About the biggest thing to happen in Lake Charles was the advent of our Civic
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I grew up in Lake Charles. - 5/21/2014
I spent the first 24 years of my life in Lake Charles, so it's my hometown, though I no longer have a reason to return. I lived at a single address in the middle of the city for the whole of those 24 years. I left primarily because finding suitable employment was a struggle. There are ample employment opportunities in fields such as healthcare and engineering, but I found pickings to be slim for a liberal arts major like me.
During the bulk of my time in Lake Charles, crime wasn't much of an issue, but it was an increasing problem. By the time I left, crime was very much a concern in my neighborhood. Most crime occurs on the north side of of the city, as that's the most economically depressed area. The south side is more affluent and is as safe as safe can be, but the city is expanding to the south. As more affluent families move south, the economic depression and crime in the north moves in to fill the voids. This is a very gradual process that has been going on
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Life Long Residents Struggling to make it - 2/10/2013
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.
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Bad crime, low paying jobs, over priced apartments - 7/28/2011
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
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pictures - 5/25/2011
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
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It's a dump - 5/20/2011
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,
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