Moving to New Orleans!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I am going to be moving to the New Orleans area within a month (I just put in my 30 day notice for my current apartment) for my job, and I am really lost. I’ve only been there briefly one time a couple of months ago, and didn’t really get to see much, so I don’t know what kinds of neighborhoods I should be looking in or anything. Here’s a couple of considerations:

  1. The office will be in Destrehan (that or St. Rose, but in that general area)
  2. I’ve heard from others that the Garden District is really nice, and I would LOVE to be in the “middle of things”, but I don’t know…any thoughts?
  3. I’m looking for an apartment, but I could do something else as well I suppose. I’m looking for a 2 bedroom just so that there is enough space – I don’t want 500 sq.ft. or anything. My current place is 1050 sq ft, and while it is too much space, I would like something closer to that.
  4. I don’t make a whole lot of money, but I think I am doing OK. However, it is definitely a concern. All the things I am finding online in the areas I’ve heard are good are more than I am currently paying here in Memphis. I’ve been trying to use 30% of take-home pay as a guideline, but I could probably afford more I think (I haven’t really had to make a budget or anything before).

Any thoughts? Suggestions? People looking to rent out some property? Thanks in advance…

2

New Orleans is a world-class city and if you have a bad time while you are there, it is your own fault. There is certainly no shortage of things to do especially if you are a drinker. I recommend the Garden District and Uptown area to live in. They are pretty and close to the main colleges so there are lots of rentals and things to do. It isn’t that far to the French Quarter and Central Business District. The thing about New Orleans is that housing is very block specific. One block is very rich people in gorgeous mansions and the next block is the hood and then back again. Most cities aren’t like that on a micro scale so make sure you see the immediate area of where you rent before you choose it.

3

With an office in Destrehan, you’ll have at least a 45 minute commute one-way to a residence within the city limits. Basically you’ll be driving out of the city past the airport and then driving to the river, unless you can connect via Airline Highway (Hwy 190) or River road. It’s a considerable drive either way.

I am considering moving back in a year or so and have been checking some places out. Don’t discount the areas which were heavily flooded and have since rebuilt. A lot of new construction there. It isn’t unheard of to find something affordable in the Garden District or Uptown because of the universities, but you’d want to check them out.

4

That’s definitely something I have looked at. I was originally looking at Metairie or something between the office and the city limits, but I was thinking I might want to try something in the city first and try that out for a year or two.

But I don’t know. Someone looked at an apartment complex I was interested in at Kenner and said they wouldn’t live there. Does Metairie have decent areas as well?

Thanks for the advice so far you guys!!

5

As always if you’re going or moving to a city check out the forums at City-Data (dot) Com

6

My BIL just moved to NOLA, and he found a decent apartment in Metairie. I know he’s doing around $600 for a 1 bedroom. So I know they can be had there. :smiley:

7

Finding something right away, even if it isn’t ideal, and staying there for a year or two while looking for something better is a good plan. This is what my dad did in '82 when he landed a job in the VA Hospital there: rented a house near the international airport while we looked for something to buy.

8

Not too much of an expert on Kenner and Metarie, but from what I can tell they are fairly typical suburban anytowns USA, with not a whole lot of the unique, world-famous charm and spirit of New Orleans proper.

Of course, maybe that is not something that is a stumbling block for you—That said, both the CBD and Warehouse District (across Canal St. from the Quarter) are pretty hot right now, kind of like San Francisco’s SOMA (south of Market) was 15 years ago. There could still be some places in the CBD area that might make a great investment…

New Orleans is one of the entire world’s most vital, creative, culturally important cities—Congrats on your move!!!

9

Realtor.com: New Orleans-area rental listings that are at least 600 square feet.

10

Just a few comments and personal opinions that might help. These are pretty general comments that may or may not apply to you, being that I don’t know your age, sex, marital status, religion or eye color. You may actually want to live between two wild bars in the French Quarter or maybe next to a Synagogue…I have no idea. :slight_smile:

Note that when I say “New Orleans” or “Orleans Parish”, I’m referring to “within the city limits”, not the suburbs.

Destrehan is a long way from anywhere in the City of New Orleans. There are very few nice places to live in the City of New Orleans that aren’t a few blocks from a really bad neighborhood. Uptown (where the Garden District is) isn’t really in the middle of things. The French Quarter is the middle of things, but forget about going to bed early or having a place to park, and get used to cleaning up urine and vomit on a daily basis (or having to dodge it on your doorstep).

Anywhere in New Orleans is going to be expensive, in rent, taxes, and overall cost of living. Car insurance is very expensive in the Greater N.O. metro area, and if you’re in Orleans Parish, it’ll be even higher.

Trying to get from New Orleans to Destrehan at rush hour is going to take a while. The 45 minutes that someone mentioned earlier is on a good day. Airline Hwy (U.S. 61, not 190) is a better and more direct route than I-10, but it gets pretty backed up through Metairie. You can also take Jefferson Hwy. all the way, but there are lots of traffic lights.

Note that your GPS (set to fastest trip) will take you into the heaviest traffic every time and will not get you anywhere faster (unless you have some kind of traffic avoidance built in). This may be true everywhere, but in the Greater N.O. area, it wants you to take I-10 for everything and unless it’s the middle of the night or that short time between morning rush hour and afternoon rush hour, I-10 is going to have backups.

Your best bet, if you’re looking for convenience and safety, is to try to find a place in Metairie. You’ll be centrally located, not too far from work and away from most of the crime. If you want to go to the Quarter, it’s 15 minutes away. There are lots of nice apartment complexes. Investigate the neighborhood and study a map before you put down a deposit and you should be ok.

If you need any more info about the area, especially how to get from point A to point B, feel free to PM me. I spent a number of years doing service calls and deliveries all over the area and two of my closest friends drove taxis for a while, so if I can’t answer your questions, I can find out.

11

In case infinitii is not aware: Metairie covers a large area–pretty much everything between Kenner and New Orleans and north of the railroad. South of the railroad lie the unincorporated areas of River Ridge and Jefferson, which could be considered subdivisions of Metairie; between these is the incorporated city of Harahan. River Ridge and Harahan should be good areas to consider as well.

12

Thank you to everyone who has responded so far. Even though there are tons of things to consider, this practical stuff is definitely something I am interested in hearing. I’m going to be looking at several different places, but I think I will really take a good look at Metairie (as well as River Ridge and Harahan) based on these comments.

13

You’ll also see some houses in the midst of single-home neighborhoods that are rental duplexes. My sister lived for years in half of a duplex in a neighborhood in Old Metairie that was very nice. Right now she has an apartment in a four-unit place near Causeway Blvd. The rent there isn’t a bargain for the square footage she has. I think she’s paying $900 for a smallish two bedroom that hasn’t been significantly updated since the 80s.