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I had kept forgotting too lol. Yeah, it may not be for long, although long term I think Livingston will win out because it's physically bigger and already has a large population and isn't even that widely developed compared to Ascension.

Oh and no Profile sub-forum for us. Neo explained it would take away from the main thread which makes a lot of sense.

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At some time in the future (IMO soon) Ascension Parish will hit a roadblock on people moving to the Parish. The main reason, poor (very poor) infrastructure to support the population. I hate living in Ascension parish because of the lack of options to get into and out of EBR. Many of our neighbors feel the same way. We all bought into the idea of better schools, better life, etc and it just isn't materializing for a lot of us. Yes the schools are good but that's the only good thing I can say about the place. Poor park system, poor road network system, no public transit, minimal corporate presence, poor sewer system, poor entertainment options, poor aesthetics of the area (AP as a whole is dirty!) and on and on. It would be cheaper for us to live in BR and pay for private school than the extra costs associated with Ascension Parish and having to leave the parish for almost everything. Tanger is a decent shopping center, I do like having it available but unless you live in the area getting to it is a pain.

 

We are planning to sell our house probably later this year and will likely relocate to Frisco, TX. I can get a nice pay increase to take a new job in Dallas that will be larger than the cost of living increase. We will have a better overall quality of life. That area is far from perfect but the grass surly looks much greener from here. If you've never been to Frisco you should check it out. Very nice area.

Edited by all2neat
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At some time in the future (IMO soon) Ascension Parish will hit a roadblock on people moving to the Parish. The main reason, poor (very poor) infrastructure to support the population. I hate living in Ascension parish because of the lack of options to get into and out of EBR. Many of our neighbors feel the same way. We all bought into the idea of better schools, better life, etc and it just isn't materializing for a lot of us. Yes the schools are good but that's the only good thing I can say about the place. Poor park system, poor road network system, no public transit, minimal corporate presence, poor sewer system, poor entertainment options, poor aesthetics of the area (AP as a whole is dirty!) and on and on. It would be cheaper for us to live in BR and pay for private school than the extra costs associated with Ascension Parish and having to leave the parish for almost everything. Tanger is a decent shopping center, I do like having it available but unless you live in the area getting to it is a pain.

 

We are planning to sell our house probably later this year and will likely relocate to Frisco, TX. I can get a nice pay increase to take a new job in Dallas that will be larger than the cost of living increase. We will have a better overall quality of life. That area is far from perfect but the grass surly looks much greener from here. If you've never been to Frisco you should check it out. Very nice area.

Well that's what you get in Louisiana Suburbs.

Louisiana is not Texas or any other state that has a strong and somewhat diverse economy...not to mention strong infrastructure and better schools.

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It's a shame that people with buyers remorse in Ascension would come back to EBR if not for the school situation...but totally understandable!  Yeah the roads out there are just not made for that kind of capacity with all the new subdivisions popping up all over the place...and hardly a turning lane either! Traffic out there is crazy during rush hours!  Haven't they improved some with the Cinema/Bowling alley complex?? BR could use that combo itself!

 

My uncle lived in Frisco...familiar with the area. Unreal how large & spread out the Metroplex is! It has it's pro's & con's for me.

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Yeah, since Ascension was laid out as an agricultural area, then developmented piecemeal as needed it's definitely hard to complete with master planned cities laid out on blank canvases. Hopefully we'll get more mega-developments like Harveston and Americana.

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Yeah, since Ascension was laid out as an agricultural area, then developmented piecemeal as needed it's definitely hard to complete with master planned cities laid out on blank canvases. Hopefully we'll get more mega-developments like Harveston and Americana.

Or maybe Daniel Burnham will comeback from the dead and fix everything.

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If it wasn't for the schools we would have stayed in EBR. A lot feel that way. I'm mixed on the idea of St. George. I honestly think it would slow the out migration to Livingston and AP. I don't know how it would affect the rest of the parish. I think in reality those that are for the new city are over promising and those against are over exaggerating.

The bowling alley has helped bUT it gets expensive quick. Tanger is a decent shopping option. Ascension could be a great place but I doubt it ever gets beyond what it is now, a crappy suburb.

Edited by all2neat
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If it wasn't for the schools we would have stayed in EBR. A lot feel that way. I'm mixed on the idea of St. George. I honestly think it would slow the out migration to Livingston and AP. I don't know how it would affect the rest of the parish. I think in reality those that are for the new city are over promising and those against are over exaggerating.

The bowling alley has helped bUT it gets expensive quick. Tanger is a decent shopping option. Ascension could be a great place but I doubt it ever gets beyond what it is now, a crappy suburb.

I think my problem with St. George is that it does not really help the overarching problem, it's just prolonging a real solution to it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

A couple of SWA 737s were rerouted to Baton Rouge airport today after the weather events in New Orleans.

A BTR connection to Dallas, Chicago, and Orlando provided by Southwest would be a great permanent fixture.

I really wish BTR was more competitive.

Yeah, since Ascension was laid out as an agricultural area, then developmented piecemeal as needed it's definitely hard to complete with master planned cities laid out on blank canvases. Hopefully we'll get more mega-developments like Harveston and Americana.

Ascension is really making all the same mistakes East Baton Rouge made. There is virtually no infrastructure in place to support the level of growth they have.

....and I'm really growing tired of the faux French home design and the cheap A Hays Town knockoffs.

Edited by cajun
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A couple of SWA 737s were rerouted to Baton Rouge airport today after the weather events in New Orleans.

A BTR connection to Dallas, Chicago, and Orlando provided by Southwest would be a great permanent fixture.

I really wish BTR was more competitive.

Ascension is really making all the same mistakes East Baton Rouge made. There is virtually no infrastructure in place to support the level of growth they have.

....and I'm really growing tired of the faux French home design and the cheap A Hays Town knockoffs.

How would you make BTR more competitive?

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A couple of SWA 737s were rerouted to Baton Rouge airport today after the weather events in New Orleans.

A BTR connection to Dallas, Chicago, and Orlando provided by Southwest would be a great permanent fixture.

I really wish BTR was more competitive.

Ascension is really making all the same mistakes East Baton Rouge made. There is virtually no infrastructure in place to support the level of growth they have.

....and I'm really growing tired of the faux French home design and the cheap A Hays Town knockoffs.

 

Yeah, BTR is actually a nice facility, its hard to figure out whether people don't use it because it doesn't have many flights or it has no flights because of lack of demand even if they did have them.

 

Yeah, I drove all around Ascension one day and it has nice neighborhoods but isn't exactly a nice area. I think for one, they need to just go ahead 3 and 5 lane every major through way.

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Yeah, BTR is actually a nice facility, its hard to figure out whether people don't use it because it doesn't have many flights or it has no flights because of lack of demand even if they did have them.

 

Yeah, I drove all around Ascension one day and it has nice neighborhoods but isn't exactly a nice area. I think for one, they need to just go ahead 3 and 5 lane every major through way.

It's like a farm out here. Hwy 42 is about 5-6 years away from being complete. Jefferson Hwy will need to be widened in it's entirety, Hwy 44 needs to be widened, Henry Rd and 930 leading into the new Prairieville Middle School need major work, etc. And that's just Prairieville. There needs to be a I-10 exit between Hwy 73 and Highland Rd, that would help alot. But I see none of this coming within the next 15 years.

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How would you make BTR more competitive?

They need to boost their O-D traffic somehow. They can't do that with regional connections to one of only 4 destinations. I do like that Delta is using larger jets now, and I appreciate that they are the largest player at BTR.

I'd like to see a new Delta connection to one of their hubs at either DTW, MSP, SLC, JFK, LGA, or LAX. I'd love to see a new Southwest route to any two of the following: MDW, DAL, LAS, or BWI.

I think Southwest would actually do really well in Baton Rouge, especially with an MDE and DAL route with at least one departure each before 8 AM.

I think United would see some success with a connection to their hub in Denver. I also hear that Frontier Airlines is recovering and may attempt to restart service at airports they abandoned during the recession.

The airport itself is fine. I think the road network leading to it sucks, and it's easier for some people within the BTR service area to just drive to MSY.

Edited by cajun
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Ascension's poor planning is why we are leaving it this year. I'm tired of sitting on two lane roads and waiting for someone to turn left. I'm tired of having to drive 20+ minutes to get to basic stores for normal household goods. I'm tired of the poor parks here.

I think I posted this rant in the Ascension thread already. This could be a great place to live but poor planning and leadership will kill that.

I'd love for there to be more options but MSY is too close. We had Frontier for a while but they pulled out due to lack of connections made by passengers. As for access, it's not bad but several times I've wished they had a fly ramp for those heading to or from downtown. MSY isn't bad if your coming from the east. If you are coming from the west, at best, it's on par with BTR. I hope for the new terminal this is fixed and they have fly ramps for both directions.

Edited by all2neat
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  • 4 weeks later...
From retailers to grocers, ‘everyone is big’ on Baton Rouge, real estate exec says
Stephanie Riegel
May 26, 2015
 

Dozens of local real estate executives, brokers, developers and attorneys were among the more than 35,000 attendees at ReCon 2015, the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual convention, held early last week in Las Vegas. Their takeaway: the Baton Rouge-New Orleans corridor is hot for retail development.

“Retail, grocers—everyone is big on the Baton Rouge area,” says Mark Hebert of Kurz & Hebert Commercial Real Estate, who attended the convention. “New Orleans is hot as a firecracker, but the problem with New Orleans is finding real estate. In Baton Rouge, there are still options.”

Kurz says national retailers eyeing the local market that he met in Las Vegas are interested in new construction projects as well as redeveloping existing spaces. Most of those expressing an interest in coming here are well-established national brands.

“It’s the brands that are really, really successful who know they’re going to do well here that are more likely to come,” he says. “We’re not talking about brands that are testing the market.”

While north Louisiana is also an attractive market for potential development, Baton Rouge and New Orleans are seen as more desirable, according to Hebert.

“One group I worked with wants to do Baton Rouge and New Orleans and then they want to look at the rest of the state,” he says. “They intend to have their brand in every community in Louisiana because that is what they do, but they want to tackle the 10/12 corridor first.”

At least one international retailer also is looking at the Baton Rouge market, Hebert says. The company will be scouting potential locations in the local market in June. Hebert won’t disclose the name of the retail giant, but says if the company can find an attractive location in Baton Rouge, it would be huge for the market

 

Three international retial giants that come to mind are Zara, H&M, and IKEA.  Apparently,

New Orleans now has 2 H&Ms and Shreveport and Jackson each have one, maybe one will be added during the mall store refresh. IKEA doesn't seem to have any stores in "medium" cities but I guess when looked at as NO-BR we'd make the cut.

Edited by dan326
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Three international retial giants that come to mind are Zara, H&M, and IKEA.  Apparently,

New Orleans now has 2 H&Ms and Shreveport and Jackson each have one, maybe one will be added during the mall store refresh. IKEA doesn't seem to have any stores in "medium" cities but I guess when looked at as NO-BR we'd make the cut.

I could see BR getting an H&M and an Ikea in BR due to the availability of space. The IKEA would be closer to the city outskirts though to make for easy NOLA access. Although in Tampa our IKEA is downtown. Then again Tampa has better highway infrastructure than BR and New Orleans.

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Baton Rouge deemed most obese city in America
Steve Sanoski
May 28, 2015
 

More than one-third of Baton Rouge residents are obese, giving the city the dubious distinction of being the fattest in America.

According to new data from Gallup-Healthways on obesity in the United States, Baton Rouge’s 35.9% obesity rate is highest among America’s 100 largest metro areas. On the flip side, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is said to have the nation’s lowest obesity rate, at 19.6%.

The data also show the national obesity rate continued to rise, edging up to 27.7% in 2014 from 27.1% in 2013.

Gallup says Baton Rouge’s high obesity rate not only makes its residents vulnerable to a wide range of serious health issues—including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, chronic pain and depression—but also is hurting its economy.

“For local government and business leaders, the finding that communities with high obesity rates also have lower financial and community well-being scores may be particularly concerning,” the Gallup report reads. “The most obese communities may have higher percentages of residents burdened with health care costs associated with treating obesity-related illnesses, which could have a ripple effect on the broader economy. And if residents in the most obese areas have lower community well-being, crime levels could rise and businesses may move elsewhere.”

The reasons for Baton Rouge’s weight problem appear to extend beyond the fatty, high-calorie foods that are staples in Cajun cuisine. Economics also play a part, Gallup says.

”Residents of the 10 communities with the highest obesity rates have much lower financial well-being than those living in the 10 communities with the lowest obesity rates,” Gallup says. “For instance, those living in the most obese communities are much more likely to worry about money and struggle to afford food and health care. These findings are consistent with previous Gallup and Healthways research showing that obesity is linked to long-term unemployment and lower incomes.”

Behind Baton Rouge on the listing of America’s most obese cities are: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (35.3%); Little Rock, Arkansas (34.1%); Tulsa, Oklahoma (33.5%); Dayton, Ohio (33.5%); and Memphis, Tennessee (33.2%).

In Louisiana, the obesity rate was 33.2% last year, the third-highest in the U.S. Mississippi and West Virginia have had the two highest obesity rates in the nation since 2012. Louisiana is among five states that have had consistently high obesity rates in recent years, along with Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas and Kentucky. These states have been among the 10 states with the highest obesity rates every year since Gallup-Healthways began tracking obesity in 2008.

 

From the Business Report

 

http://www.gallup.com/poll/183257/colorado-springs-residents-least-likely-obese.aspx

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  • 2 months later...

CityStats: Crime fears down, tolerance for legalized weed up and support for mental health treatment center strong     

The latest survey measuring how Baton Rouge residents feel about their city and quality of life shows, among other things, that concerns about crime are down, support for legalized marijuana is up and a majority of respondents think the city-parish should build and operate a mental health treatment facility.

Those are among the findings in the latest CityStats report, an annual survey conducted on behalf of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which uses the results to guide its civic leadership projects and assists its fund donors in making grants.

The 2015 survey shows small but significant changes in local attitudes. For example, fewer respondents are worried about being victims of violent crime—45% this year, compared to 48% in 2014 and 57% in 2013. Meanwhile, the opposition to legalizing small amounts of marijuana has continued to decrease—to 48% this year from 55% in 2014 and nearly 60% in 2013.

The survey also found that 85% of respondents support parish government building and operating a mental health treatment facility. Last year, a bond issue that would have funded such a center along with several other criminal justice facilities failed at the polls.

In other notable findings:

  • 60% of respondents favor allowing individual parishes to levy their own gasoline taxes if the money is only used to improve local roads and transportation. The state currently does not let municipalities levy gasoline taxes.
  • 32% of respondents would use a bike share program. The top three locations for such a program are LSU, University and City Park Lake, and City Park.
  • 45% of respondents would use a car share program if it were available in Baton Rouge.
  • People are more satisfied with their neighborhoods. 48% of respondents said the immediate area where they live is getting better, compared to 45% in 2014.
  • People remain dissatisfied with the rate of progress in Baton Rouge. This year, 58% said progress is too slow, compared to 53% in 2014.

See the full CityStats report.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/citystats-crime-fears-tolerance-legalized-weed-support-mental-health-treatment-center-strong

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey everyone, I didn't know where to post this but I have been following the threads for years and thoroughly enjoy reading everyone's contributions. Though I have been silent I share the same enthusiasm for Baton Rouge development. I have started an Instagram account called GeauxDowntownBR which I extend to highlight everything new and old downtown. I am a resident and I encounter so many people in Baton Rouge who don't ever venture into downtown nor are they aware of everything going on there. I plan on covering everything from restaurants, retail, events, residences and history. I hope that you will check it out. At this point I am solely posting on Instagram but if everything goes well I may add Facebook.

Thanks and keep up the great posting.

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That's cool Capt. Beauregard! While i do not have a Instagram account...did manage seeing a sweet pic that shows the nice looking space in between The IBM Office & the residential tower on top of the parking...you could have posted it here ;)

Downtown has come a long way the past 10-15 years...as a kid i had no idea it was it was small as it was.

Edited by richyb83
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Hey everyone, I didn't know where to post this but I have been following the threads for years and thoroughly enjoy reading everyone's contributions. Though I have been silent I share the same enthusiasm for Baton Rouge development. I have started an Instagram account called GeauxDowntownBR which I extend to highlight everything new and old downtown. I am a resident and I encounter so many people in Baton Rouge who don't ever venture into downtown nor are they aware of everything going on there. I plan on covering everything from restaurants, retail, events, residences and history. I hope that you will check it out. At this point I am solely posting on Instagram but if everything goes well I may add Facebook.

Thanks and keep up the great posting.

Hey I follow you! Great feed and coverage!

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  • 2 weeks later...

CPEX report says 168K people in Capital Region are disconnected from workforce, need more assistanceWithout access to adequate transportation, adult basic education, professional mentors, life-skills training and other key support, nearly 168,000 people in the Capital Region are missing out on opportunities for quality, long-term employment, according to a study released this morning by the Center for Planning Excellence.

According to the report, “Entering the Pipeline: Engaging Disconnected Workers in Our Regional Economy,” even though services to help disconnected workers have a positive return on investment—when compared to the costs of allowing them to slip through the cracks—organizations providing those services have a troublesome lack of resources.

“This is a major issue statewide because nearly half of working-age adults are not working,” says Jessica Kemp, CPEX vice president of policy and advocacy, and the study’s author. “Louisiana, and specifically the Capital Region, are poised for major economic growth. But we can’t sustain that growth unless we do a better job of connecting people to job opportunities.”

The study acknowledges several local service providers that have developed effective case-management models addressing barriers to employment, such as legal issues, literacy issues, soft-skills deficiencies, homelessness, family and financial instability, and health care and childcare needs. However, the providers often lack the resources to offer services on the scale needed, the report says.

The report calls on the region’s public- and private-sector employers to increase their engagement and support of organizations that help disconnected workers. The recommendations include an accelerated expansion of the area’s transit network, along with taking advantage of federal funding available through the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act, and the Job Access Reverse Commute program. CPEX cites research showing that in 2013, Louisiana left $20 million in Workforce Investment Act funding unspent.

In addition, researchers suggest more strategic investment in public transportation for low-income communities and vouchers to help students cover transportation costs. They also recommend expanding services that help disconnected workers overcome challenges like substance abuse, financial instability, soft-skills deficiencies and basic literacy skills.

Of the 2.3 million working age adults in Louisiana, about 600,000 do not have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate, the CPEX report says, meaning 26% of the workers are not qualified for skilled work of any type. See the full report. The CPEX study complements a recent report from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber that lays out recommendations for Baton Rouge area to meet the growing workforce demand in key industries.   https://www.businessreport.com/article/cpex-report-says-168k-people-capital-region-disconnected-workforce-need-assistance

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  • 3 weeks later...

Looks like I may be house hunting in BR soon.  Wife may have found an opportunity that she can't pass up at one of the area hospitals.  I'm getting tired of Atlanta....but as a road warrior, I'm going to miss the nonstop air service to pretty much everywhere.   

We've been trying to move back to Baton Rouge or Lafayette for almost a year now.  

I could see BR getting an H&M and an Ikea in BR due to the availability of space. The IKEA would be closer to the city outskirts though to make for easy NOLA access. Although in Tampa our IKEA is downtown. Then again Tampa has better highway infrastructure than BR and New Orleans.

H&M is expanding a lot now.  Surprised they aren't already at MoL or Perkins Rowe.  

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