Monroe, Louisiana?

[natalina]

My brother''s company is doing major layoffs, and he found out today that he was spared in the cut but his position is being moved to Monroe, Louisiana. They are currently in El Paso, TX. Anyone have anything to share about Monroe? They have NO idea what it''s like, where to look for homes, etc.

 

[Octavia]

Eek! My FI had to go there on a business trip last year and he had NOTHING good to say (apologies if anyone lives there, I think that motel problems and lack of a car played into his bad experience...the only restaurant within walking distance of his motel was a Chili''s and even now, he still refuses to eat at a Chili''s anywhere). He said that the people were nice but there really wasn''t much to do...from what he said, it sounded like your basic small-ish town. He''s away now so I can''t ask him more, but when he gets home this weekend I can try to get more info, if you want.

 

[natalina]

Octavia- uh oh! They are pretty nervous about it. They wouldn''t mind small town, but they would definitely mind yucky areas. My brother is very into the outdoors and nature. Likes lots of open land and peace and quiet. We definitely do not share my love for cities, shopping, etc. BUT, they don''t want to live in the movie set for Deliverance, either! If you would ask your fi if he saw anything nice, I would appreciate it! I checked for houses in their price range online, and it does look like you get a lot more for your money there then El Paso.

 

[Lanie]

Ditto. I''m from Louisiana (not there, but another city) and went through Monroe often. The key point being "went through". There''s nothing to do there. They would probably live in West Monroe. Crime isn''t that bad from what I understand. It''s a typical southern small town. El Paso is AWESOME, and beautiful, so it will be quite the change in scenery.

 

[Haven]

I don''t know anything about Louisiana, but I love this website. They travel to small towns and rate them on their livability. I''m not sure if any of the towns listed are near Monroe, but maybe they could live in a neighboring town and commute to Monroe?

 

[Clio]

I''m a NOLA gal (in exile), so very biased in favor of south Louisiana, but honestly I''d hate living in north Louisiana, Monroe included. Other people, though, love it.

They''ll find that Monroe is a LOT smaller than El Paso, but housing will be pretty affordable. Louisiana isn''t called "sportsman''s paradise" for nothing, so your brother should be able to spend a lot of time out enjoying nature.

The people I know from Monroe mostly lived in West Monroe (as Lanie mentioned).

 

[natalina]

Ladies- Hmmm...well it sounds a bit grim! Thanks for the info, though.

Haven- I really like that website! Saved it to my favorites. They could definitely live in another town, my brother will be covering a pretty large territory, the center of which will be Monroe.

Anone else with feedback/advice, it would be much appreciated! Thanks again!