posted on Aug, 23 2004 @ 10:57 PM
Where do you live?
My home for the last 9 years has been southwestern Louisiana, and
I currently live in Lake Charles.
Whats cool and not so cool about where you live?
The people of southwestern Louisiana are the best people I've ever met.
You won't find better people. They are more friendly, sincere, decent,
honest, open, considerate and genuine than anywhere else I've lived.
The Gulf of Mexico is just a 40 minute drive, so we have both saltwater and freshwater fishing and fresh seafood can be purchased very cheap here.
Shrimpers come to businesses and have roadside trucks selling jumbo shrimp you can't resist!
Lake Charles has 2 white sand beaches and 3 riverboat casinos.
Cajun food, cajun accent, cajun culture--it simply can not be beat!
No winter driving hazards, no snow shoveling, no putting chains on tires,
no defrosting the windshield, no de-icing the car from icestorms, no heavy coats (in fact you don't even need a coat here), no boots, no bulky
sweaters and you can wear shorts nearly year-round.
People here are generally working-class, down-to-earth and don't put on airs. I have witnessed less racial prejudice here than anywhere else I've
lived.
Cost of living is fairly cheap--food, housing, utilities. Gas right now
is $1.74 a gallon.
Jobs from oil refineries and chemical plants, the port and riverboat
casinos.
The beauty of the swamps and wetlands.
Drivers are polite and not in a hurry.
Many people here are very spiritual.
Zillions of festivals. Everyone barbecues in their yards
year-round and you can smell it in the air. People love
to party!
Mardi Gras!
Decent rate of growth in our city.
Flowers and bushes and trees bloom all year round' as it's a
semi-tropical climate. We have palm and banana trees.
Being addressed as "Miss" and everyone opens doors for you
and says hello and smiles at you.
The down side of living here includes:
Mosquitos 12 months a year. Fire ants that attack your feet
wherever you walk in summer. Poisonous snakes that can kill
you like water moccasins and copperheads. (The alligators
generally leave people alone). Cockroaches and giant palmetto
bugs that fly through the air.
Humidity in summer that makes you seek out snow cone stands
(Louisiana is the capital of snow cones!) Everyone here gets
drenched and no deodorant can hold up for long!
Rough roads, below-average schools, corrupt politicians and
public officials (who do make things interesting!)
Lower wages
A few rednecks and some clueless people live here.
Pollution from the chemical plants and oil refineries