Gateway twelve shopping center area is it safe ? (Baton Rouge, Hammond: apartments, condos)

[shimmering]

Hi Guys,

I am new to this forum. My husband has a one month contract here in BR. We are moving from NJ only temporarily, and we booked the crossland economy studios in this particular area, just two streets across the Gateway twelve shopping center.

Could you guys tell me if this is a safe area?
And particularly what are the areas to avoid completely. I don't want to end up in an unsafe area.

Any other info or guidelines will be great.

Thanks for any help.

[ktulu7]

Originally Posted by shimmering

Hi Guys,

I am new to this forum. My husband has a one month contract here in BR. We are moving from NJ only temporarily, and we booked the crossland economy studios in this particular area, just two streets across the Gateway twelve shopping center.

Could you guys tell me if this is a safe area?
And particularly what are the areas to avoid completely. I don't want to end up in an unsafe area.

Any other info or guidelines will be great.

Thanks for any help.

That's not the best place in the world, but I just wouldn't be out walking alone late at night too much right there. I don't think you'll have a problem at the actual Crossland place, and most of that area is totally fine, BUT if you look at Google Maps and check out the area of North Harrell's Ferry Road that starts across Sherwood from there, and heads to Boulevard de Province, that is a nightmare of a neighborhood. That spot is one small hellhole in the middle of what is mostly all a nice part of town. That means some of the gangsters from that neighborhood sometimes creep out into those nearby businesses. Most of the BS stays in there, but I'm just warning you about it. I don't think the property you're staying on is bad though, and you'll have easy access to lots of stuff (eating, shopping, etc.) from there.

[southland]

Boulevard De Province has a lot of property theft problems, but the immediate neighborhood around Sherwood/N Harrell's Ferry is pretty good, and very family friendly. I don't know anything about that hotel, though.

I believe the fast food chains in that area are open 24 hours and are occasionally robbed in the late evening hours, but that's really everywhere.

Otherwise, you are in good shape. My wife and I rented a condo off Old Hammond near that hotel a few years back. We still have friends that live in Aubin subdivision. They have a nice home and N Harrell's Ferry (East of Sherwood) has a couple of hidden gems....Reeve's market is a small independent grocer with great prices. There's a burger joint that we used to go to in that shopping center that is pretty awesome- there were lines of cars waiting to take an order.

Sherwood Forest is nearby, which is a very nice older neighborhood built around St. Thomas More school- if you need exercise, there are safe sidewalks for jogging in that neighborhood.

Drawbacks Lots of traffic on Sherwood (and lots of potholes unfortunately) and way too many fast food joints and a handful of run down strip malls and not much of a night life....but good access to 12.

[shimmering]

Thanks for all the info. We recently moved to Radisson hotel near lsu, its on S Acadian Thruway. We found the hotel ok, but there were lot of truck drivers and kind of strange people staying there. So we moved here. I am not moving much out of the hotel. So I guess its fine. Other than that, until now I found Baton Rouge pretty friendly, and not so scary. Everyone is nice and friendly, something that is very difficult to see in nj/ny.

[JoefromLA]

Well where you are now is safer than where you were of course thats not saying much

[Texan Guy]

Gateway 12 itself seems pretty run-down, though...what is the big store on the north end near Muriel? It looks like a Schwegmann. Was it that?

[mr.bernham]

Go downtown, they have had a recent burst in apartments that are affordable and very nice. Downtown BR is also a great place to live with a farmers market, museums, great connections to the whole city, hotels for family, lots of events all year long, and many shops/restaurants.

[tigerphan]

Gateway 12 on Sherwood?

It's not dangerous, but it's not particularly nice. There's a lot of traffic on Sherwood near I-12 so you have the hotels, restaurants, etc. all right there.

I lived in Sherwood Forest for 6 or 7 years just north of Old Hammond. I never had any issues with crime at all. A 24 hour gym was going to open up in that shopping center but they fell through. With the Reeve's store on North Harrel's Ferry near Sharp and the other major grocery competitors nearby, it's unlikely that a new grocery store would open there.

It was at some point large sporting goods store with batting cages, but that chain went out of business. I don't think the shopping center owners are agressively marketing the space or maintaining it well. The Rite Aid does a good business though.

There are some sketchy apartments on Blvd De Province east of Sherwood, but the apartments sort of behind Gateway 12 are fine.

There are actually some pretty nice houses and condos back in there along with a French restaurant whose name escapes me. Lots of little doctors offices and small engineering offices in that area too (west of Sherwood).

I think the section of Sherwood between I-12 and Old Hammond could benefit grom some median landscaping and more attractive signage.