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Started By
Message
Louisiana Ex-Pats - One Unusual Reason You Don't Live in Louisiana?
Posted on 12/30/24 at 7:13 am
Posted on 12/30/24 at 7:13 am
Besides the typical reasons (economic opportunities, crime, taxes).
I used to live in New Orleans and I'll admit, I miss it many times. Yes I miss the community feeling, the food, the atmosphere, the festivals, all of it. I was just in New Orleans last weekend up until Christmas. Part of it tugs on me to return. In many ways it's better than a lot of Florida (where I live), that just comes off as soulless.
With that said, since I drove over to New Orleans, one big thing I don't miss is how geographically isolated it is. One nice thing about Florida, cities like Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and even smaller cities like St. Augustine, Bradenton and Sarasota are all within a 1 - 4 drive. They can either be a day trip, overnight trip or a weekend trip.
You can also easily do weekend trips to the Florida Keys, Savannah/Tybee Island, Hilton Head Island and Brunswick/St. Simons Island. All of them within 5 hours. Even Charleston is with 6 - 6 1/2 hours.
New Orleans is so isolated, I get why most of Louisiana do the same trips over and over. There's nothing in most of Louisiana outside of New Orleans. There's nothing in Alabama or Mississippi outside of the Gulf Coast beaches. Even in Texas, you're in east Texas and Houston and Dallas are more event towns than they are towns you do a vacation in. Memphis is pretty blah and Nashville really isn't that close.
I love New Orleans and that whole Gulf South region, but I don't miss the geographic isolation.
Any of you feel the same way? Any other weird things that keep you from going back to New Orleans or Louisiana?
I used to live in New Orleans and I'll admit, I miss it many times. Yes I miss the community feeling, the food, the atmosphere, the festivals, all of it. I was just in New Orleans last weekend up until Christmas. Part of it tugs on me to return. In many ways it's better than a lot of Florida (where I live), that just comes off as soulless.
With that said, since I drove over to New Orleans, one big thing I don't miss is how geographically isolated it is. One nice thing about Florida, cities like Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and even smaller cities like St. Augustine, Bradenton and Sarasota are all within a 1 - 4 drive. They can either be a day trip, overnight trip or a weekend trip.
You can also easily do weekend trips to the Florida Keys, Savannah/Tybee Island, Hilton Head Island and Brunswick/St. Simons Island. All of them within 5 hours. Even Charleston is with 6 - 6 1/2 hours.
New Orleans is so isolated, I get why most of Louisiana do the same trips over and over. There's nothing in most of Louisiana outside of New Orleans. There's nothing in Alabama or Mississippi outside of the Gulf Coast beaches. Even in Texas, you're in east Texas and Houston and Dallas are more event towns than they are towns you do a vacation in. Memphis is pretty blah and Nashville really isn't that close.
I love New Orleans and that whole Gulf South region, but I don't miss the geographic isolation.
Any of you feel the same way? Any other weird things that keep you from going back to New Orleans or Louisiana?
34
Posted on 12/30/24 at 7:20 am to MountaineerSaint1983
I hate the isolation as well. Austin is the best road trip and it takes forever to get there.
Posted on 12/30/24 at 7:42 am to MountaineerSaint1983
Taxes, insurance, roaches, heat, and crime.
ETA: misread the subject, LA public school educated.
ETA: misread the subject, LA public school educated.
This post was edited on 12/30/24 at 7:48 am
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:00 am to MountaineerSaint1983
I've heard people say living on the east coast in central USA allows them to get anywhere very easily for things to do. It's hard to leave when you lived here your whole life. Younger families can do that but they go and have zero support around them when they start having kids. It's tough decisions.
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:00 am to MountaineerSaint1983
quote:
cities like Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and even smaller cities like St. Augustine, Bradenton and Sarasota are all within a 1 - 4 drive. They can either be a day trip, overnight trip or a weekend trip.
What part of Poke county you in, Baw? Grady Judd keeps it tight.
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:03 am to MountaineerSaint1983
I am back now, but I had left for grad school with the intention of not coming back. My wife found a job back home before I did.
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:06 am to MountaineerSaint1983
quote:
I love New Orleans and that whole Gulf South region, but I don't miss the geographic isolation.
Isolation from what though?
quote:
All of them within 5 hours.
You're only about 5 hours from Shreveport. 4 hours from Natchitoches if that's your thing. 4.5 hours from Toledo Bend. 2 hours from Lafayette. 1 from Baton Rouge. 2.5 from Natchez. 2 hours from Grand Isle. Less than that from great hunting and fishing.
So basically from NOLA you're < 5 hours from anywhere you'd need to go in LA.
More than that you're only about 3 hours from nice beaches in Bama/Florida too. 2.5 hours from Fairhope.
So outside of something like mountains or snow skiing, you're an easy drive from just about anything you'd want to do.
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:08 am to MountaineerSaint1983
quote:
Florida
quote:
soulless.
good description
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:10 am to MountaineerSaint1983
The geographic isolation is a undermentioned negative about New Orleans
I've stopped driving anywhere that's not the Gulf Coast beaches; it's not worth the time lost. Every decent destination is 8-9 hours or more by car.
Even Houston is debatable with all of the terrible traffic/construction out that way.
At least MSY has a fair amount of nonstop flights.
I've stopped driving anywhere that's not the Gulf Coast beaches; it's not worth the time lost. Every decent destination is 8-9 hours or more by car.
Even Houston is debatable with all of the terrible traffic/construction out that way.
At least MSY has a fair amount of nonstop flights.
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:11 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
So outside of something like mountains or snow skiing, you're an easy drive from just about anything you'd want to do.
I think you might have a different perspective than the people who don't like living here.
"Anything you'd want to do" is a blanket term and I can't do any of what I want to do Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Natchez, or Grand Isle.
The best part of taking a trip somewhere is seeing new scenery, seeing different people, exploring new places. The places you listed, god bless them, don't have much to see. It's the same shitty restaurants in the same shitty strips, with the same accent, glorified by people who don't leave the state.
There is so much more out there to see.
This post was edited on 12/30/24 at 8:52 am
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:22 am to MountaineerSaint1983
The climate can be off putting, especially if one has respiratory problems.
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:29 am to MountaineerSaint1983
quote:
Part of it tugs on me to return. In many ways it's better than a lot of Florida (where I live), that just comes off as soulless.
With that said, since I drove over to New Orleans, one big thing I don't miss is how geographically isolated it is. One nice thing about Florida, cities like Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and even smaller cities like St. Augustine, Bradenton and Sarasota are all within a 1 - 4 drive. They can either be a day trip, overnight trip or a weekend trip.
Confusing, so if you live in FL you can drive to different beaches or soulless towns also in FL, is that the point ?
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:38 am to Odysseus32
quote:
I think you might have a different perspective then the people who don't like living here.
"Anything you'd want to do" is a blanket term and I can't do any of what I want to do Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Natchez, or Grand Isle.
The best part of taking a trip somewhere is seeing new scenery, seeing different people, exploring new places. The places you listed, god bless them, don't have much to see. It's the same shitty restaurants in the same shitty strips, with the same accent, glorified by people who don't leave the state.
There is so much more out there to see.
Of course there is a ton to see throughout the country. But I framed my response around his "within five hours of his Florida city" OP. The scenery doesn't change much from:
quote:
Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and even smaller cities like St. Augustine, Bradenton and Sarasota
...it's all south Florida scenery with the same shitty restaurants, same people, same accents, etc.
I guess I could've stated the obvious and said he can't see scenery like Mount Rushmore, Old Faithful, or the Grand Canyon from south Florida, but that didn't seem to be the point of his post.
ETA:
quote:
Confusing, so if you live in FL you can drive to different beaches or soulless towns also in FL, is that the point ?
Exactly, that's basically my point here as well.
This post was edited on 12/30/24 at 8:51 am
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:49 am to MountaineerSaint1983
I grew up in a smaller town in North La with a huge family, dad had six brothers and sisters who all had kids.
So I had 14 cousins - Everybody knew everything everyone else did and the entire town was extremely judgmental.
I just got tired of everybody being in my business and left.
So I had 14 cousins - Everybody knew everything everyone else did and the entire town was extremely judgmental.
I just got tired of everybody being in my business and left.
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:50 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
5 hours from Shreveport. 4 hours from Natchitoches if that's your thing. 4.5 hours from Toledo Bend. 2 hours from Lafayette. 1 from Baton Rouge. 2.5 from Natchez. 2 hours from Grand Isle
And this is supposed to be a positive for living in LA??
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:55 am to CocomoLSU
If I misinterpreted, sorry. But that didn't seem to be the point of your post. You concluded by saying
Implying that anything you would need outside of mountains or winter sports you can find in Louisiana.
Which is not true for a lot of people. We took a trip to Kansas City this fall to just get out of the shittiness and let me tell you, there were no mountains or snow skiing and it was about 10x nicer than Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Natchez, or Grand Isle.
Again, I think it may be perspective. Like a poster above me said, those cities aren't just "meh" destinations to some. They are active shite holes.
quote:
So outside of something like mountains or snow skiing, you're an easy drive from just about anything you'd want to do.
Implying that anything you would need outside of mountains or winter sports you can find in Louisiana.
Which is not true for a lot of people. We took a trip to Kansas City this fall to just get out of the shittiness and let me tell you, there were no mountains or snow skiing and it was about 10x nicer than Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Natchez, or Grand Isle.
Again, I think it may be perspective. Like a poster above me said, those cities aren't just "meh" destinations to some. They are active shite holes.
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:55 am to slinger1317
quote:
And this is supposed to be a positive for living in LA??
A positive in that you can basically travel anywhere within the state in under about five hours, sure.
I'm not touting those as awesome destinations or anything, just stating distances geographically. And I listed different types of places (outdoors shite like Toledo Bend, fishing or ocean shite like Grande Isle, old antique type atmosphere like Natchez, etc.). And if he wanted to hit nice beaches he's only a few hours from that.
So unless OP wants to see mountains or national parks or something like that, I was asking what kind of scenery he was talking about. But you can't live in Florida and also be near mountains. If he lived in Montana would he be complaining about being "geographically isolated" from beaches or a desert?
I wasn't sure what he was missing, especially when his counter to NOLA being "geographically isolated" was listing Florida cities within driving distances that are all similar as well.
quote:
Implying that anything you would need outside of mountains or winter sports you can find in Louisiana.
Which is not true for a lot of people. We took a trip to Kansas City this fall to just get out of the shittiness and let me tell you, there were no mountains or snow skiing and it was about 10x nicer than Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Natchez, or Grand Isle.
I was asking what he was looking for that he was isolated from. My buddies and I do a canoe/camping trip every other year or so to the Buffalo River in Arkansas. It's less than 7 hours I believe, and it is gorgeous (much nicer scenery than LA for the most part). It's easily drivable and I wouldn't consider myself "geographically isolated" from it since it's so easy to get to.
I listed mountains or winter spots since they are so obviously far away. FWIW, I would never argue that :everything you'd ever need ever you can find in LA."
This post was edited on 12/30/24 at 9:55 am
Posted on 12/30/24 at 8:59 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
what kind of scenery he was talking about.
once you get inland there ain't no scenery in FL, I lived in Jupiter, Fl for a long time and I made the drive to La a few times, over half the drive distance is just getting out of Fl and it's one of the most boring and unscenic drives that isn't in a desert
Posted on 12/30/24 at 9:05 am to MountaineerSaint1983
quote:
Louisiana Ex-Pats - One Unusual Reason You Don't Live in Louisiana?
The lack of snow/cold weather
Posted on 12/30/24 at 9:09 am to MountaineerSaint1983
I got tired of my balls sweating before 6a
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