re: Would you voluntarily choose to live in New Orleans?

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Thought about that but don't feel like dealing with Hurricane season every year in my retirement years.

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That is a concern. The camp house I described got wiped out ten years after I visited. And it was up on piles.

The only reason I would move back to Louisiana is for family, which is extremely important to me. If I did move, it would be to New Orleans, Old Metairie, etc., because honestly, pretty much everything I love about Louisiana (except for LSU) is in the N.O. Metro area.

Honestly though, I'd easily choose Utah over Louisiana. As I get older, the incredible natural beauty of the West calls to me. I didn't care about that when I was young, but now that I'm in my 30s it's incredibly important.

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I live in New Orleans and love it. If you have enough money, there's no better place to live.

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Yes. New Orleans is like living in Mexico.

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leaning more toward spending my older years in the vicinity of Hammond.

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Great little town.

Most of the “outskirts” of NOLA suck (NOLA East, Chalmette, Da Wank, Slidell, LaPlace, Destrahan/Boutte/Hahnville, Kennahbrah), but some are alright (Bay St. Louis/Pass Christian, Hammond, Old Metairie, Covington, Mandeville, Madisonville)

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You have it backwards for NOLA

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Really?

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You hit those issues more when you live on the outskirts of downtown and lakview where the actual housing is

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“...where the actual housing is”? So you’re admitting that the vast majority of NOLA is not livable. I agree.
But Lakeview is experiencing one of its periodic periods of high car window smashing as we speak despite paying higher taxes for police protection. To visit my friend who lives there, I have to drive a meandering route to avoid crappy streets where the difference between the peaks and valleys can be 3 feet! On my last visit he showed me where he keeps his gun, and asked me to pay attention to suspicious things as he’d just prevented a break in of his SUV the day before.

Now if you can afford the higher property and sales taxes and want to walk every where, go for it. But I’ve been caught in massive flooding away from the river in these areas. Wandering marauders are a constant threat to property. And purchasing properties in Orleans Parish puts you at the tender mercies of its political leadership. I remember the jewel of NO East and the Plaza with its modern amenities including a skating rink. Thousands were caught up in the property value free fall.

Commuting to your favorite city destination, or work, from a safer and cheaper suburban area is a fast and simple common sense option for the middle classes. Rush hour is 45 minutes and non-rush is 20. You park in the safer areas and walk in the safer areas.

You can have your cake and eat it too.

Now if you can afford to live in a gated community, does the zip code really matter? One can live from Haiti to Honolulu just the same. Of course political events in Haiti or Orleans can change the equation quickly.

I voluntarily chose to move NOLA quite some time ago and here I enthusiastically remain. As you used to live in New Orleans and are knowledgeable about it, flaws and all, then I strongly suspect you would enjoy living here if you are even considering it. This is particularly true of someone, like yourself, who lived here when the "bad" was much worse than it is today in virtually every respect. Just to highlight one datum, NOLA experienced 119 murders in 2019. Still too many but also the fewest since 1971. As for the "good," it's better in most respects. Food options are far more diverse, the music is vibrant and accessible, and there are ever-increasing "things to do," including a participatory, grassroots mardi gras culture that has blossomed post-Katrina. For all these reasons, I say try it on and see how it it fits and feels. If nothing else, it gives you an option much different from the western states you're considering.

Caveat: So long as you have a reasonably good job or are at least modestly affluent, NOLA can be wonderful, but the schools are a legit mess, particularly if private schools are not an option. And heaven help you if you have a kid who doesn't "fit" easily into one of the small number of molds well serviced by the few "good" area schools. Most of the parade of horribles you hear about New Orleans are exaggerated or are unlikely to impact your life. However, the educational system--with a few notable exceptions for kids who "fit"--is atrocious.

ETA: As a retiree, the schools are unlikely to be an issue with you. To me, that's all the more reason to consider NOLA.

No

Visit a couple times a year - stay at a nice hotel - eat at some great restaurant - but living there, no.

My next move will be to either Bay St Lewis, Fairhope or Utah.

You made a mistake going on this board and asking about NOLA. If you like urban living with cultural things to do like restaurants, fun stuff as well as major sporting events then New Orleans is the place. It is also a lot safer place than it has been in a long time, property (car break ins)crimes in Lakeview notwithstanding. Murder rate down to early 1970's level with on 119 last year down from 147 in 2018.

If you chose to live west of the industrial canal things are pretty good.

It is de riguer on this board to shite on New Orleans, but so long as you don't live in the East or off La Salle in Central City it is pretty nice. New Orleans is never going to be paradise on earth and if you have kids the public schools suck but since you are retiring it probably is not an issue. As major metro areas go, the cost of living overall is average although the price of housing is starting to move up. It is city living

If you want a house in a quiet neighborhood with some land then Mandeville Covington, Abita is for you. Downside is that the infrastructure is a bit wanting. It has 1990s infrastructure when the population was still living on the Southshore/Westbank but they have started to improve on it. The real downside is that if you want to do anything interesting or enjoyable you have to travel 35 miles into the city to experience it.

Look it is an old city that has suffered from decades of mismanagement and until recently neglect. The area is on average 6 feet below sea level and a large African American population that is under educated and under employed.....but it was that way in 1986 as well. But it is not as bad as many posters will have you believe who like to talk down about the place becsuse it is tradition to do so.

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Really?

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Yes really

Suburbia in actual orleans parish is where you will see the potholes, flooding, break in's, car theft. Orleans parish suburbia is not where you retire to unless you get the the pleasure of living in one of the mansions near audubon

but no one is breaking into your 5th floor cbd condo, shooting up the concierge, and stealing access cards, and you sure as heck aren't flooding

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“...where the actual housing is”? So you’re admitting that the vast majority of NOLA is not livable. I agree.
But Lakeview is experiencing one of its periodic periods of high car window smashing as we speak despite paying higher taxes for police protection. To visit my friend who lives there, I have to drive a meandering route to avoid crappy streets where the difference between the peaks and valleys can be 3 feet! On my last visit he showed me where he keeps his gun, and asked me to pay attention to suspicious things as he’d just prevented a break in of his SUV the day before.

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sounds like you are agreeing with me that the issues are more of an outskirts of downtown thing where actual housing is

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Commuting to your favorite city destination, or work, from a safer and cheaper suburban area is a fast and simple common sense option for the middle classes

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not exactly what i think of when someone says they want to "retire" to the city. You need to concern yourself less with commute, schools, things of that nature. Sounds like you'd just want to be down there, eat the food, go to the festivals, catch some sporting events, enjoy the nightlife. Kive the actual city lifestyle

That entire strip of living from s rampart to convention center boulevard between the interstate and poydras is pretty great. You can live in that bubble and walk to several festivals, saints and pels games, wednesdays at the square, parades, dozens of popular new orleans restuarants and bars, the grocery store and not fear for your personal well being or possessions

If you want to retire to suburbia, orleans parish is not the place for you. If you want to retire to city life, you can do it comfortably and easily if you can afford it. And compared to the inflated costs of most major metro areas, the most expensive high end city living is still relatively low in new orleans

IF anyone chooses to move to Utah, there are only two places worth living in. (1) inside the city limits of Salt Lake City (NOT its suburbs), or Park City area of you like winter sports. The lack of separation of church (LDS) and state everywhere else is both annoying and sometimes depressing.