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Monday, May 12, 2008

NEW ORLEANS

N.O. natives plan to remain in BR

  • By AMY WOLD
  • Advocate staff writer
  • Published: Apr 30, 2008 - Page: 4B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

They love New Orleans.

It’s where they were born, grew up and lived most of their adult lives until Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

But Lula and Charles Breaux have decided to call Baton Rouge home.

“We didn’t want to return to a community that is struggling,” Lula Breaux said about their decision to stay. “I didn’t see a great attempt to get back the middle class and professionals.”

Instead, they’ve decided to buy a house in Baton Rouge.

Their continued attachment to New Orleans, however, brought them to a meeting Tuesday night in Baton Rouge where they could hear about recovery efforts. They joined a handful of former New Orleans residents who now live in Baton Rouge for a “listening session” in the Metro Council meeting room.

New Orleans City Council President Arnie Fielkow explained that the meeting was called to give former residents updates on recovery efforts and a chance to voice concerns.

Similar meetings have been held in New Orleans during the last year and a half, he said.

More meetings are planned for other cities where former New Orleans residents settled after Hurricane Katrina, he said.

“We want you to come home,” Fielkow said.

In an additional effort to keep former New Orleans residents involved in the city, Fielkow said, the city should have available in about five months Internet-based live-streaming video of events like city council meetings.

With approximately 325,000 people living in New Orleans, that means there are 140,000 people who haven’t returned since 2005, Fielkow said.

Few of those people attended Tuesday night’s meeting.


Comments (5)
Kevin Johnson
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008
11:21 AM

What I am finding is that most of the former N.O. residents living in Baton Rouge are more older, probably over the age of 45 and are simply to old to start all over again. I know several elder N.O. residents that said they were simply to old to start over again while most young people have returned to N.O. I dont blame the older residents for staying put, you get worn down after a while and let's face it, New Orleans always came with alot of baggage and some of those older people are tired of it. The problem is, Baton Rouge wants more young people to invest in B.R. and so while its nice that these older residents have decided to make B.R. their permanent home I just wish B.R. officials could have done more to retain the many young people that were once here.
Ashley Jacobs
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008
11:25 AM

People knew this would happen, not all 455,000 people would return. That was inevitable, btu I had no idea New orleans had 325,000 residents thats an amazing number and evidenced that former residents and new residents look at the chance for a new New Orleans as the place of the future. Being from Baton Rouge you would think we dont want to see New Orleans return for our own selfish goals but it's good that N.O. is recovering because honestly, Louisiana doesnt recover unless New Orleans recovers. I agree with Kevin Johnson on his point because Baton Rouge once housed over 200,000 displaced citizens and now we are down to about 14,000 to 17,000 thats a hugh drop off especially when you look at how Houston and Atlanta did a great job of retaining residents for a while before they started leaving. I think Baton Rouge needs to shake off it's rural atmosphere and turn into an area where people want to be because most of the N.O. residents settling here are older and we want young, fresh minds revitalizing B.R.
Nicholas Hebrew
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008
11:33 AM

I remember in November 2005 when B.R. was plush with displaced residents there was alot of optimism from Kip Holden and Baton Rouge area lamakers about a big future gain in population. Then Kip Holden and the BRAC started convincing these people to build all sorts of apartments and houses in B.R. to keep up with the boom and then I read the report about a week or two ago saying that theres an oversupply of homes and apartments because that big population boom never materialized. Whats up with that? Should more thought have gone into deciding the future and what any additional growth would be like? What Baton Rouge needs is a more lively downtown, such as 24 hr bars and clubs, better public transportation. You always hear that "New Orleans isnt about the city its about the people". I recently visited New Orleans on a Sunday and you saw residents sitting outside living life, you saw people BBQing on their front lawns, there was even a jazz funeral or "2nd line" parade coming down the street. Im not saying Baton Rouge needs to start "2nd lining" down the streets but we need something exciting, something to make people want to come outside and just live life.
Christopher Jenkins
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008
11:41 AM

Baton Rouge doesnt hate New Orleans and neither does the rest of the state, although to the naked outside eye it would seem like it. The problem Baton Rouge and pretty much every place north of New Orleans has a problem with is the state's emphasis on New Orleans. They make it seem like there is no Louisiana without New Orleans and while that may be partly true, I think more emphasis needs to be put on the rest of the state. Instead of using just New Orleans to market Louisiana use Baton Rouge or Shreveport of Alexandria or Lafayette along with New Orleans. Yeah New Orleans has Bourbon St and is the major attraction in the state but there are alot of things that go on in other cities in the state to promote such as Lafayette's version of "Jazz Fest" that drew about 300,000 people last year, thats only about 150,000 less than N.O.'s Jazz Fest so that Fest in Lafayette is hugh. While I am more than happy to hear of N.O.'s rebirth and the Hornets trouncing the Mavs please put more emphasis on cities north of New Orleans.
JJ
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008
12:54 PM

I am happy New Orleans is recovering but frankly I have not been there in 40 years. It was dangerous then and Baton Rouge is becoming just as bad. It is getting so that you can't afford to live here anymore with the apartment rent skyrocketing. I have three years left before retirement and I will be moving out of the city and state. I have lived here all my life and I just don't feel like it has anything to offer me or my family. All the construction is nice for some but if others can't afford it what is the point. You may have gained some new residents from New Orleans but you are losing others.
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