Clarence's Baton Rouge Neighborhood Reviews |
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Clarence's Baton Rouge Neighborhood Reviews: This is located at www.cajunradio.org/batonrougeintownneighborhood.html Hi, this is Clarence's review of Baton Rouge neighborhoods in the intown, downtown, midtown and older neighborhoods in Baton Rouge. The descriptions listed below are Clarence's personal feelings about the areas inside Baton Rouge. I am not listing any of the "suburbs", but instead I am focusing on the heart of Baton Rouge. I live in downtown Baton Rouge and my reason for this page is, as an individual, to encourage more people to decide that living in the heart of Baton Rouge is a good thing for the city and a good thing for you. I try to note areas that are up and coming areas that I feel will appreciate in value as neighborhoods. Disclaimer: This are my impressions of the neighborhoods and may not reflect other residents views or what actually retail values are/may be in the future. Please listen to Clarence's Cajun radio program in Baton Rouge. Saturdays 7pm-9pm on WBRH 90.3 FM View Clarence's Baton Rouge Cajun and Zydeco Schedule. Clarence needs your help - read a message from Clarence here. If you are new to the Baton Rouge area, you can check out the Newcomer�s Club of Baton Rouge at www.batonrougenewcomers.org 2004 reviews by Clarence: Spanish Town in Downtown Baton Rouge Spanish town is an old district of downtown Baton Rouge. My parents grew up there. It is within the "Downtown Development District" and as such, it has a support structure through the "Downtown Development District". It is bordered by the Mississippi River to the west, the Downtown Business District to the south, the State Capital Complex to the North and I-110 to the east. The neighborhood has largely been gentrified starting about 20 years ago. The majority of the historical homes have been renovated and as such the home values are relatively high. This is a typical downtown neighborhood that has a lot of character and small yards. There is a true sense of community and everyone knows everyone in the neighborhood. The residents tend to have a progressive and inclusive attitude. It is accepting of many different types of people. Blue collar, white collar, artist types, straights, gays, rich, poor, and various political views are all welcome. There is an intense sense of historical preservation so tearing down of historical homes is not tolerated. Spanish town has a very colorful Mardi Gras parade that is truely a neighborhood parade and festival and the Spanish town parade has become Baton Rouge's favorite parade. The Spanish town neighborhood is boxed in and only has one direction to expand. That direction is eastward going past the I-110 overpass. For those of you who want to be a part of this neighborhood, you can either pay the relatively high prices inside the current borders or pay a lot less in the expansion area just east of I-110. Beauregard Town in Downtown Baton Rouge Beauregard Town is an old district of downtown Baton Rouge. Several of my aunts and uncles grew up there. It is within the "Downtown Development District" and as such, it has a support structure through the "Downtown Development District". It is Bordered by the Mississippi river to the west, I-10 to the south, I-110 to the east, and the Downtown Business center to the north. This neighborhood is being gentrified. The revitalization started about 10 years ago with the homes on the first couple of blocks being renovated for use as lawyers offices. As you go away from the river, the rest of the 5 blocks are residential. The residential (not lawyer section) started heavy renovation about 5 years ago. So, over the past 5 years the home prices have risen dramatically. Since it has not been renovated out completely yet, the homes are still much better financial bargains than in Spanish Town. The racial mix is currently mixed fairly evenly between white and black. The neighbors have a good community spirit and everyone's houses are close together so there is a sense of knowing who is in the neighborhood and everyone looks out for each other as far as crime is concerned. There used to be a perception that it is has some crime. Actually, the reality is that there is not that much crime because of the closeness of the houses and the neighbors looking out for each other. This neighborhood will soon spill over the eastern boundary of I-110 and over the southern boundary of I-10. This surrounding spill over neighborhoods are fairly rough neighborhoods right now, but I expect that to change over the next five years as bargain hunters start looking to the surrounding streets. The Garden District next to Downtown Baton Rouge in the Midtown area The Garden District is a very nice old established upscale historical area with fancy holmes. The bad aspect is that there is a rough few blocks between it and Beauregard Town. Prices should continue to rise for the Garden District as the other downtown areas continue to be on the rise. The Garden District is bordered by Government Street to the north, LSU to the south, I-110 to the west and ?? street to the east. You generally enter the Garden District by getting off of I-110 at the Government street exit and go away from the river about 5 blocks. There will be a sign saying Garden District on Park Blvd at the intersection of Government St and Park St. The entrance to the Garden District is across the street from the antique and arts development called Circa 1857 (which is the old drug store). The area around Redemptorist High School and St. Gerard Catholic church and grade school This is considered old North Baton Rouge. Some surrounding areas are somewhat rough, but right around the church and school are good neighborhoods. You can get relatively good bargains on the holmes. The neighborhood is located around the Hollywood exit off of I-110 heading toward the airport. Check out the holmes around Hollywood St, St. Gerard Street and the side streets around the St. Gerard Church, the St. Gerard grade school and the Redemptorist High School. Melrose Place East between the Baton Rouge Community College and the Bon Carre Business Center This is Melrose Place, (not Melrose Place East). It is a good neighborhood with affordable housing that is well kept up. The houses are more modern and does not have many houses that are considered historical. The downside is that it is on the west side of Florida St. In general, the holmes to the west of Florida Street tend to be a little rougher, but Melrose Place West is an exception. Look for this area to become more popular since the Baton Rouge Community college is close and growing rapidly. Also, the nearby Melrose east neighborhood is vastly improving and the nearby Bon Carre Business center is growing rapidly. This area is bordered on the south by Florida blvd, on the west by North Foster, on the east by North Ardenwood, and on the north by Choctaw and Greenwell Springs rd. Melrose Place East behind the Bon Carre Business Center Melrose Place East consists mostly of lots of apartment complexes. As the Bon Carre Business center is growing, the apartments have been going through renovations and this is becoming a good area for affordable rental apartments. There are not any houses in this area. It is almost entirely apartments. Melrose East is bordered by Florida Blvd on the south, Ardenwood on the west, N. Donmore on the east, and the railroad track on the north. Midtown Baton Rouge This is the area around the Baton Rouge General Hospital. This used to be a transitional neighborhood, but a lot of improvements are going on. There is a lot of activity by the CDC community development corporation. Many of the older substandard houses are being torn down and replaced with new affordable housing. This is a good area to get a bargain because the values will be continue to be going up in the future. East Brookstown This neighborhood is still a rough one. It is bordered by Airline Highway to the east, Hollywood St to the north, McClelland St to the west and Evangeline St to the south. Howell Park Golf course area This is actually an ok neighborhood where you can get a good bargain. Due to the BREC Golf course, this neighborhood should pick up, but at a slow pace. The downside is that it is close to the rough neighborhood of East Brookstown. The good side is that it is has a lot of potential. Also, the holmes usually come with decent size yards. You might also like my other web pages: Baton Rouge Bars Baton Rouge Restaurants - Downtown area Downtown Baton Rouge Events Baton Rouge Restaurants - Metropolitan area Baton Rouge Restaurants - Clarence's reviews Baton Rouge Restaurants - Sushi Bars Baton Rouge Comedy Clubs Baton Rouge Movie Theaters Baton Rouge IMAX Theater and Planetarium Please listen to Clarence's Cajun radio program in Baton Rouge. Saturdays 7pm-9pm on WBRH 90.3 FM View Clarence's Baton Rouge Cajun and Zydeco Schedule. Clarence needs your help - read a message from Clarence here. Home Site index |