Life in Louisiana - Considering moving home

Don't forget that in Texas, you pay no state income taxes.

Yes, you pay higher property taxes (if you own a home), but here in Louisiana, you'll pay both.

Houston is the weirdest city in the US

It's a great place, but only about 5% live here because they actually like it

(made up stat based on my ok Cupid findings)

what are your plans for school?

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Wife and I moved to Houston after graduating about 7 years ago. Since we've had kids, we've debated back and forth about moving back near Baton Rouge to raise our family. Closer to friends, family, just being back around our kind of people and preferred lifestyle in general. Our debate has been here we have higher earning potential and since I am an engineer in O&G, and my wife works in healthcare admin., more job security in general. I'm curious to get opinions from people who still live in Louisiana. With the state budget shortfalls, even though oil will eventually come back up, at least some, state of healthcare with closing some hospitals and ER's etc., what would you advise someone thinking about moving back? What end to the doom and gloom in the news about Louisiana do you see?

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I was in the same boat after about 4-5 years of living in Houston. I decided to stay and now its been 9 years and I can't imagine every moving back anytime soon.

Top flight public schools
Endless job opportunities and income potential
Every shopping, museum, arts, sports place you could want
Cheap housing

I could get past most stuff, but its the career opportunities that really keep me here. If you are serious about your career in O&G you can't move. If you go back to LA and get an O&G job, it won't be long till recruiters and your company try to get you to move back.

Don't leave Houston for fricking Baton Rouge.

Pros of moving back to BR:
1.) Back with friends, family
2.) More able to attend LSU sporting events
3.) More relaxed lifestyle/culture
4.) Cajun Food
5.) Closer to REAL beaches

Cons of moving back to BR:
1.) Have to pay 5-15k per year per child for private school
2.) Higher home prices
3.) Higher crime rates
4.) Not as pedestrian friendly
5.) Yes, you have cajun food and better seafood, but you miss out on the other delicious and diverse options in H-Town.
6.) State income taxes
7.) Lower earning potential
8.) General city infrastructure of BR.

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(1) losing income and security and (2) having to pay for private school

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The private school is a wash either way. The losing income part is what brought it back in my mind. Every time we thought about moving back, my wife had job opportunities, but with pretty good size pay cuts. She just got called about a job which gives her a roughly 30% raise.

I wouldn't leave a no income tax state or a state with a top notch public school system to move to a crime ridden, poverty striken, uneducated and politically corrupt place ESP if I was raising a family but maybe that's just me.

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Wife and I moved to Houston after graduating about 7 years ago. Since we've had kids, we've debated back and forth about moving back near Baton Rouge to raise our family. Closer to friends, family, just being back around our kind of people and preferred lifestyle in general. Our debate has been here we have higher earning potential and since I am an engineer in O&G, and my wife works in healthcare admin., more job security in general. I'm curious to get opinions from people who still live in Louisiana. With the state budget shortfalls, even though oil will eventually come back up, at least some, state of healthcare with closing some hospitals and ER's etc., what would you advise someone thinking about moving back? What end to the doom and gloom in the news about Louisiana do you see?

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There's clearly a lot to consider here.
1. You do have higher earning potential in Houston, but in Louisiana, you can be the big fish in the little pond. If you can find the right job opportunity here, you can more than makeup for it in reduced cost of living expenses.
2. Healthcare is in rough shape right now. This would not be the best move for your spouse.
3. Keep in mind the state of Baton Rouge as a city right now. The economy is booming with gentrification in full swing in many old parts of the city. Streetcar between LSU and downtown is coming along with a major gentrification effort in Old South Baton Rouge. There is more to do in BR now than there ever has been (unless you were here in the late 70's-early 80's and loved hair metal and cocaine). With that being said, public schools are still completely f&%ked, crime is still terrible, and traffic commuting from the suburbs is worse than ever.

With that being said, if you find the right jobs for yourself and your SO in the right location, it could be a great move for ya'll. If not, it could be a real lifestyle headache and a step down career wise.

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There are only eleventy billion of them in H-town.

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especially in kingwood