Need the 411 on NOLA
September 17, 2006
We are moving to New Orleans ASAP and we have 3 children in elementary school. Hubby will be working in Metarie. I am partial to public schools – but may consider private or charter schools. I NEED INPUT!!! I haven’t contacted a realtor because I don’t know which side of the lake I should live. HELP BLOGGERS HELP!!!!
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September 17th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Just don’t go anywhere that it 7 to 15 feet below sea level, i.e. stay out of the 9th ward, etc.
Sorry to see you leave Oklahoma, but considering the neighbors…..
September 17th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
i’m going to have a blogger friend down there contact you, he’s ex-military and he writes for the Fort Polk Guardian. Goes by “Tommy Gunn”. If you don’t hear from him, let me know and I’ll encourage him for you. I’ll see if his friend Michelle, aka “Rose Princess” who also works for the paper and whose husband is currently in Iraq can help you out as well. Good luck!
September 17th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
Make sure you educate yourself first about misconceptions about New Orleans. This New Yorker article says (and their fact-checking department is fascist) that the ninth ward is actually higher above sea level than some of the ‘nicer’ neighborhoods.
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060821fa_fact2
And it’s an amazing article.
September 17th, 2006 at 9:42 pm
My family lived in Metarie from the time I was about 8 until I was nearly 16. I went to Airline Park Elementary School, T.J. Harris Junior High, and Riverdale High School. They were all good schools when I was there…but that was a long, long time ago. We moved from there in ’68. I remember the area of Metarie that we lived in, Airline Park, was very kid friendly back then and was a great neighborhood. The neighborhood park we lived near was named after a good friend of my brother’s who grew up on the block behind us and later became a football hero in college…Mike Miley. I had a huge crush on him back then…..
Anyway, I wish I could tell you more about what it’s like now, but I haven’t been there in so long that I don’t know if Airline Park is still the quaint, friendly place that it was then. Good luck in your hunt for a good neighborhood with good schools…I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore…my three boys are grown now. Take care…
September 18th, 2006 at 11:10 am
Good Luck Greta. Just stay away from New Orleans. My opinion only, but it is really nasty. I have not been there since Katrina, and can only imagine how it
is now. Metarie is a much better place. I would go as far north as possible. The farther north, the better off you will be.
You will only be 3 hours from me. We will definately have to get together. Let me know if there is anything at all I can do to help.
September 18th, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Hi Greta, I just ran across your request…I have lived in various places throughout Louisiana most of my life, including Metairie, Kenner and Mandeville. Now, Mandeville is on the North Shore, so your husband would have to make the drive across Lake Ponchartrain to New Orleans, but the area is by far the best-best neighborhoods, best schools, and nowhere near as dangerous (crimewise or weatherwise) as the South Shore (New Orleans et al.) Here is the website for their school district: http://www.stpsb.org/schools.htm Good Luck on your move.
September 20th, 2006 at 8:04 am
Hi, I live in Metairie. I love the neighborhood I live in. I can walk to anything, and it is safe. The public schools here are OK, but probably not up to the standard you are used to. I send my three kids to Catholic school. The advantage of Metairie, is that it is a short commute to New Orleans. I work downtown and it takes me 20min to get to work and home. The public schools on the Northshore (Covington, Mandeville, Slidell) are excellent. But the downside to the northshore is the hour commute. And if there is a problem on the causeway bridge, or the twinspan bridge, then who knows how long it will take to get to work. So you have to consider the cost in time and gas if you live on the northshore, and you have to consider the cost of schools if you live in Metairie. I don’t know much about how it is to live in New Orleans, but, it is very spotty right now – Some neighborhoods are beautiful, some are horrible, and the public school situation is still in the planning stages. All of the public schools are now charter schools, and I’m sure some will shine, and some will fail, but that is yet to be seen as this is the first year they have tried it. Email me if you have any questions, I be happy to tell you any specifics you would like to know.
September 21st, 2006 at 9:03 am
Meterie is where the NOLA Jewish community is/was. It was a nice area before Katrina and I suppose whatever damaged it endured has been removed. Persoanlly, as far as I’m concerned, the biggest problem with living there is the humidity and the water bugs. Oh, and the unbelieveably corrupt local government. But who am I to complain? I live in Chicago!
Good luck in your new home and happy new year!
September 21st, 2006 at 9:26 am
The JCC is still there, infact it is a wonderful estabishment. We joined in May. Lovely people, great gym, pool, and programs. A family membership is only $48 mo.
September 21st, 2006 at 10:51 am
Becky – I tried to e-mail you & it bounced back. Please e-mail me at perrybrats@yahoo.com