re: What towns/cities in Louisiana should've been a lot bigger than they are?

quote:

---

Heyman was going to build the Oil Center on the west end of the city off of 190. It got denied permits because the locals complained that it would bring too many "roughnecks" and crime to the city.

---

Fast forward a few generations later, and see how that's turned out. Opelousas has all the crime now, but we can't point to the reasons why.

quote:

---

Opelousas is filled with a lot of ignorant people, it's really not a mystery why it's so poor and in decline.

---

The answer to this is yes, Opelousas is currently filled with a lot of ignorant people. One or two generations ago, it was a growing town that was a great place to raise a family.

What happened?

(no message)

quote:

---

Ruston is damn near unrecognizable from what it was 10 years ago.

---

As someone who hasn’t been to Ruston in a while, why is it unrecognizable?

Definitely Alexandria, but it sucks there.

Donaldsonville

quote:

---

Alex

Lack of interstate access until I49 is what doomed it. It’s almost like it was isolated on purpose.

---

Same with Houma.

Lack of an 4 limited access roadway in region.

US 90 doesn’t count until it is limited access to at least 310 to the east or 49 to the west. Also the relocation of US 90 from downtown could have hurt Houma too. That would have been something of 10 was router closer to US 90 and Baton Rouge would have been connected to New Orleans with a short 2 digit interstate like 12 if Senator Ellender would have pulled his weight to get I-10 or another 2 digit route routed through Terrebonne back when road costs were cheaper.

quote:

---

No other major city nearby

---

This is somewhat a curse. It attracts chains and I feel like that stifles the local food scene.

quote:

---

That’s hard to say because Shreveport had excellent mayors until the late 80s and it was rocking along until the 1980s oil bust.

---

I remember growing up in the 1970s, Shreveport was not only touted as the 2nd biggest city in Louisiana, but for awhile they had a pro football team, the Shreveport Steamer of the WFL (moved from Houston where they were the Texans).

To my young mind, this made them "major league" and bigger than they actually were. I finally went there for a Key Club convention in 1981 and was completely unimpressed-- it was no bigger in appearance or size than Baton Rouge, Jackson or Mobile.

Still, at least they punched above their weight, also hosting the Shreveport Pirates in the CFL during that league's foray into the US during the 1990s:


Of course, the city has been home to multiple minor league teams-- the Texas League's Shreveport Captains for years (1971 to 2000), the Crawdads/Storm for a couple of years in the CBA, and the Mudbugs in various hockey leagues.

If it was in south Louisiana, you'd be bragging about it.

Donaldsonville. They wanted to build Nichols State there, but sugar cane farmers refused to sell land.
I know it's hard to believe, but so many massive companies wanted to come in to Dville for decades, but the sugar cane mafia families would never sell. So the Easter side of Ascension exploded....and left the West in the dust. Now these people are dying off, they have sold. But it's too late. Damage was done.