Shreveport - Overall View
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9/30/2007
The weather here changes from week to week. The summers range from humid to extremely humid. It doesn't rain too much. Seems like it's raining when we don't need it. Or not raining when we do need it. People can't drive when it's raining. That's the way it seems. There are so many wrecks when any rain comes down - sprinkles to downpour. People can't drive well here anyway. God forbid the roads are wet. We don't have much of a winter anymore. It's gets cold - 30s and 40s mostly - for a few weeks. The summers are usually in the 90s every day. The only thing I don't like about living here - and I grew up here - is the heat/humidity. Shreveport is also very "high schoolish." Everybody knows everybody through somebody, usually. People love to gossip. Housing prices seem to be a little too high for the quality of house you get for the money you pay. The neighborhoods can go from upscale to ghetto. A lot of times, they're back to back. One street can be upscale. One street over, ghetto. Kind of weird. Crime isn't that bad, but it's definitely on the news every night. Lots of shootings in the "bad" neighborhoods. At least one every day or every other day, it seems. The roads need work. They've done some work recently, but there is still a lot to be done. Kings Highway, Southfield/Pierremont Road and Line Avenue are too narrow and full of bumps and potholes. Lots of traffic on Bert Kouns and Youree Drive during busy hours. Some of the entrance ramps on I-20 are an accident waiting to happen. The only reason I stay is because my family is here. And this is what I'm used to. Never had a real reason to leave. Most people are like that here. Definitely not diverse. Only white and black. Some Mexican. Few asian. Definitely lots of racial tension everywhere. White stays with white. Black stays with black. Not too bad, but many people were raised to "hate the other guy." I've heard the N-word one too many times, but many people don't put up with it - white or black. It's definitely getting better. They just passed a law - that's right, a law... - that says you can't sag your pants. If your underwear/butt is showing because your pants are sagging, you'll get a ticket. Crazy what laws they pass these days. It's highly debated among everyone. Also. It pays to know people around here. It boils down to a small town mentality in a growing city.
Jennifer | Gillette, WY