re: Where can I find more higher end living, the Northshore or Southshore?

Good question. The Northshore area, mostly Madisonville and Old Mandeville, but maybe some select portions of Covington and Mandeville, have some cute lake-front and gated homes, but nothing I would really consider "high-end" like some of the homes in Uptown, Downtown, and the Lower Garden District.

If you have the finances, crime and schools really are not an issue in New Orleans. All the private schools are quite affordable and if you have the resources, you can elect to shield yourself from the poor who tend to dabble in blue collar crime.

The Northhshore in general seems to be full of too many rich-envy poor want-to-be elites who can't just quite seem to get everything in order to correctly live in the New Orleans Metropolitan area. It offers a bland kind of living that can be experienced really anywhere else in the United States, so if a true high-end experience is what the resident is looking for, can't really believe someone would willingly choose the Northshore area. Also, the Northhsore doesn't offer horse racing, which is the end-all be-all of high-end living. Have to visit the Fairgrounds!

The fact you are using Southshore as a term in and of itself may show you aren't quite ready for the move yourself as rarely any true New Orleanians ever use that term, but that's ok. Being high-end isn't a skill or attribute acquired overnight. It takes work, effort, and grit!!!

Some Uptowners do these tours once a year where they take in people to tour their homes to show other people how glamorous it is to experience the elite way of life. Is a real treat for a lot of people out there. Might be something to look into and give you a goal to strive toward.

Chin up!