Baton Rouge vs. Shreveport

[bigboyz05]

I'll say Shreveport. It has so much going for it economically as well as entertainment wise. B.R. in my opinion didn't look so hot the last time I was there in 2000.

[NCB]

That would be a hard choice. Both cities are having great development booms, both are having population gains,(though Baton Rouge is getting much bigger) both are situated along rivers, which I really like in cities, and both have interesting histories. But I'm going to have to go with Baton Rouge, I just like the overall feel of the city a bit more than Shreveport.

[breaux]

I'll say Shreveport. It has so much going for it economically as well as entertainment wise. B.R. in my opinion didn't look so hot the last time I was there in 2000.

They're both bland by Louisiana standards, but Baton Rouge is the home of the LSU Tigers.

[NCB]

They're both bland by Louisiana standards, but Baton Rouge is the home of the LSU Tigers.

You gotta love LSU!

A saturday night in Tiger Stadium is pretty hard to beat, IMO.

[richyb83]

*The one thing Shreveport has going is their system of highway loops !

(I-220/Inner Loop) They have the advantage of having the Red River,which is maybe 1/2 as wide as the "Mighty Mississippi River"

It just cost alot more $ to build BRIDGES of that magnitude !

I-10 in BR serves as a giant funnel(Bad Traffic) between The Bridge/I-110 & I-12 .

And BR has a large swamp preserve to it's South that makes it difficult for a by-pass on that side. A Northern by-pass would no good for traffic if its not connected down to I-10 in sprawling Ascension Parish.

*Shreveport/Bossier has the glitzy high-rise casino hotels;BR does not.

Shreveprt has the Red River Entertainment District.And across the Red River Bossier City has the new Louisiana Boardwalk+high-rise casino hotels! Being from BR all of my life, Shreveport/Bossier kind of went hand-n-hand.

*Baton Rouge has LSU/Football,so that a BIG-PLUS+++,and the Tallest State Capitol-34 floors/460ft.!!! Downtown is coming back-to-(night)life too with the new Shaw Arts Ctr./Third Street entertainment district.

When completed by end of summer 06' the newly renovated Hilton CapitolPark Hotel will be one of the most important projects in the comeback of Downtown BR.Hopefully it will be properly lit at night from atop the Miss.River Bridge.The Sheraton Casino/Conv.Ctr. Hotel(downtown's only other hotel)at 10-stories is not very impressive compared to Sheveport's .

DowntownBR has 3 high-rise projects for 06';and several other mid-rises too.Now post-Katrina,BR is gonna widen-the-gap in population ahead of Shreveport. Is that a good thing ? Depends on who's perspective.

BOTH CITIES ARE GREAT !!!

[tombarnes]

I hope I won't offend anyone from Shreveport here, but Shreveport has always seemed to me rather more like part of East Texas than Louisiana. There isn't the same blending of cultures which makes New Orleans and Baton Rouge (to a lesser extent) more unique.

[NCB]

Great points, richyb!

I hope I won't offend anyone from Shreveport here, but Shreveport has always seemed to me rather more like part of East Texas than Louisiana. There isn't the same blending of cultures which makes New Orleans and Baton Rouge (to a lesser extent) more unique.

I agree. Driving through areas of Shreveport, you feel like your in east Texas. While in Baton Rouge, you know your in Louisiana.

[richyb83]

Yep , Tom ! I felt the same way about Shreveport being an extension of Texas. Last summer while in Shreveport , a Dallas Cowboy was on the cover of the Football magazines over there. Here in BR ,the NO Saints are on the covers of the magazines !

Then there is that big Lone Star Flag in Shreveport near the airport Holiday Inn too .

[NCB]

Then there is that big Lone Star Flag in Shreveport near the airport Holiday Inn too .

[bigboyz05]

Now that I know more about what's going on in BR, I'll say that I'm glad that both cities are doing their thing.

[bluff2085]

A year ago I would have picked Shreveport right away, but the way things are going in Baton Rouge right now, I think my opinion has changed. When I moved to Baton Rouge a year and a half ago, my first impression of the city was not that great. The only thing I thought the city had going for it (besides being the state capitol) was LSU and its proximity to New Orleans. The only developments I saw or heard about were mega-shopping centers and strip malls far separated from the city's core. However, I think Katrina has forced the city to deal with several issues concerning urban renewal that may not have been addressed otherwise. The hefty population increase caused by Katrina may have been just what this city needed to take its growth to the next level. Although I'm sure that not all of the development going on here is directly resulting from the hurricane (like the 36-story condo tower planned for downtown), Katrina has certainly increased the demand for development on this scale. Also, since I moved here in 2004, I have gradually begun to discover parts of the city with vibes (historically, culturally, etc.) reminiscient of New Orleans--in neighborhoods like South Downs and the Gardent District, located between LSU's campus and downtown. I was also surprised when I found out recently that the city of Baton Rouge has a higher population density than my hometown of Memphis,TN--and that was pre-Katrina. Furthermore, there is a lot to be said about the culture of South Louisiana in general. It's just unlike any other area of the South. Though I think Baton Rouge is behind cities like New Orleans and Lafeyette in exploiting this aspect of its culture, it is only a matter of time before outsiders begin to recognize Baton Rouge for all it is worth. One could still argue that Shreveport is ahead of Baton Rouge economically--but considering the wealth of potential one can find in Baton Rouge at this point in time, I don't think Shreveport will be able to compete in the years to come.

[NCB]

Also, since I moved here in 2004, I have gradually begun to discover parts of the city with vibes (historically, culturally, etc.) reminiscient of New Orleans--in neighborhoods like South Downs and the Gardent District, located between LSU's campus and downtown.

I really like the South Downs neighborhood, and the entire area surrounding LSU's campus is beautiful, IMO.

One could still argue that Shreveport is ahead of Baton Rouge economically--but considering the wealth of potential one can find in Baton Rouge at this point in time, I don't think Shreveport will be able to compete in the years to come.

I agree. I think there is just to much going on in Baton Rouge right now compared to Shreveport, and I don't see Shreveport being able to catch up any time soon.

[BRPJ]

Baton Rouge.

It has way more potential.

forgive me for not being up on all the stats and times, but maybe in 2003 -2004 i remember reading many articles stating how baton rouge's economy was the bright spot in the state and in job growth. (doubt it was last year)

there are so many developements going on in baton rouge before and after katrina.

Baton rouge is way ahead, and proabbly will always be.

i'd have to see some shreveport developments other than casion's to consider it.

[NCB]

i'd have to see some shreveport developments other than casion's to consider it.

Other than casino development, housing developments and office parks are going up all over the Shreveport-Bossier Area. Though nothing like Baton Rouge is seeing.

[alon504]

Shreveport is cool. Baton Rouge is twice the size of Shreveport, but, Baton Rouge embarrassed itself nationally in its' support of professional football and basketball games that were played in the city as a result of Hurricane Katrina devastating New Orleans. Attendance at the games was pathetic. Unfortunately, Baton Rouge confirmed itself as a secondary college town and not a professional city. I was disappointed, but, nevertheless, think Baton Rouge is a nice city.

[richyb83]

I agree with you , BR proved it's not a worthy Pro Sports city. It was kind of embarrasing; the problem is not that BR is a "secondary" College city;it's because it is a "primary"top-flight College city; but I know what you mean !

Saturday's at Tiger Stadium can easily be 90,000 + fans for LSU games ; then come Sunday's NFL games where they barely average 40,000 That too , was embarrasing . Baton Rouge is now definitly becoming a legit mid-size city ! With some serious growing pains too .

[richyb83]

I agree with you , BR proved it's not a worthy Pro Sports city. It was kind of embarrasing; the problem is not that BR is a "secondary" College city;it's because it is a "primary"top-flight College city; but I know what you mean !

Saturday's at Tiger Stadium can easily be 90,000 + fans for LSU games ; then come Sunday's NFL games where they barely average 40,000 That too , was embarrasing . Baton Rouge is now definitly becoming a legit mid-size city ! With some serious growing pains too .

[breaux]

I agree with you , BR proved it's not a worthy Pro Sports city. It was kind of embarrasing; the problem is not that BR is a "secondary" College city;it's because it is a "primary"top-flight College city; but I know what you mean !

Saturday's at Tiger Stadium can easily be 90,000 + fans for LSU games ; then come Sunday's NFL games where they barely average 40,000 That too , was embarrasing . Baton Rouge is now definitly becoming a legit mid-size city ! With some serious growing pains too .

I think he meant college cities were secondary to professional cities, not that Baton Rouge was a secondary college city. They support their athletics as much as anyone there.

[bluff2085]

I think he meant college cities were secondary to professional cities, not that Baton Rouge was a secondary college city. They support their athletics as much as anyone there.

Football at LSU might as well be a professional organization

[NCB]

Football at LSU might as well be a professional organization

Yea, there are some NFL teams that would love to get the profit's that LSU gets from games alone. The facilities are at an NFL level, and LSU has more money to spend on coaching staffs and some equipment than some NFL teams.

[dimebag1980]

I've lived in the Shreveport area since birth with minimal stays elsewhere in between. To be honest I've really not had any reason to be in Baton Rouge other than passing through on my way to New Orleans, so I really can't judge Baton Rouge. But based on my own bias for my beautiful hometown, I'd have to say I prefer Shreveport. I loves me some Shreveport!

[dimebag1980]

I hope I won't offend anyone from Shreveport here, but Shreveport has always seemed to me rather more like part of East Texas than Louisiana. There isn't the same blending of cultures which makes New Orleans and Baton Rouge (to a lesser extent) more unique.

I can't speak for anyone else, but you didn't offend me with this. You're right on target with this one... at first glance, Shreveport IS more like east Texas than Louisiana. But if you really look around, you'll find that Shreveport has one of the largest cajun festivals in the state, and that festival is Mudbug Madness. Even our ice hockey team is called the Mudbugs (as opposed to Rattlers or Cowboys.) Taking a step beyond, Shreveport/Bossier has a large Mardi Gras celebration every year. The parades here draw over 400,000 people on a typical year. I saw people interviewed on the news at this year's parades from all over the country.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say here is that Shreveport does have more east Texas characteristics than Louisiana, but when you really look around, there is plenty of Louisiana in my fair cities of Shreveport/Bossier as well.

[NCB]

^Speaking of Mardi Gras, did Shreveport see an increase in Mardi Gras tourists this year after Katrina in New Orleans? I know this was the case for Mobile, Galveston, and Lafayette.

[richyb83]

Baton Rouge Mardi Gras has been gradually becoming larger each year; but the bad weather on consecutive weekends hindered some of the crowds this season.

Wow ! I did not realize Shreveport/Bossier had such large parades !

[dimebag1980]

^Speaking of Mardi Gras, did Shreveport see an increase in Mardi Gras tourists this year after Katrina in New Orleans? I know this was the case for Mobile, Galveston, and Lafayette.

I would have to say probably not, based solely on one major factor... the weather. The first weekend of parades here was marred by ice and the second was marred by rain. Our first weekend of parades got a really bad image from out of towners this year, as many people ended up stranded in Shreveport. I saw a man from Dallas being interviewed on the news as he sat overnight in his car on I-49 due to the ice. They literally came in and shut down ALL the freeways, leaving people stranded. With as many towing and collision companies as this area has, believe it or not they actually ran out of tow trucks. And amublances were even having to be brought in from private ambulance services because all the municipal ambulances in the area were either busy with accidents or involved in accidents themselves.

To make matters worse, there were numerous travel writers in our fair cities for our parades this year, and they certainly couldn't have gone away a good opinion of our weather over those two weeks. Hopefully their articles will overlook that small flaw and focus on the fun and festivities.