Opinions on Alexandria and Lafayette. (New Orleans, Monroe: live in, price, dangerous)

[PeteyC]

Hands down Lafayette. Alexandria, never.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Desert kid

Yeah I was posting a thread in General US concurrent with this one, there was little discussion of Lafayette so I wanted to get a local opinion.

Lafayette and CenLA seem to sport alot of Civil War history too, which is a big selling point for me.

If you want Civil War history then a place like Laplace would be best. It's basically real close to the River Road plantations. In the Civil War, the northern gun boat captains spared the plantations along the River Road because some of them had stayed at the plantations prior to the war. It's why La has so many plantations but places like GA had many of theirs burned to the ground except for a few in Savannah.

You would also not be far from Vicksburg National Military Park. Great place and excellent hiking/camping too. I remember I went there with the Boy Scouts.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by Desert kid

Yeah I was posting a thread in General US concurrent with this one, there was little discussion of Lafayette so I wanted to get a local opinion.

Lafayette and CenLA seem to sport alot of Civil War history too, which is a big selling point for me.

I posted in that thread too.
I'm aware of your affection for the Civil War, in the Mississippi forum, which always struck me as strange.

Originally Posted by cBach

If you want Civil War history then a place like Laplace would be best. It's basically real close to the River Road plantations. In the Civil War, the northern gun boat captains spared the plantations along the River Road because some of them had stayed at the plantations prior to the war. It's why La has so many plantations but places like GA had many of theirs burned to the ground except for a few in Savannah.

You would also not be far from Vicksburg National Military Park. Great place and excellent hiking/camping too. I remember I went there with the Boy Scouts.

Do not move to LaPlace.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

Do not move to LaPlace.

I guess they could move to Thibodeaux as it's about equi-distant to Laplace on the other side of the river.

Again, I realize annie doesn't like that place but the OP is interested in Civil War history. River Road is the place for that.

[annie_himself]

I wouldn't suggest Thibodeaux either. Not over Lafayette or Baton Rouge or Lake Charles. He can still be close to Civil War history but in a much better city than those.

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

I posted in that thread too.
I'm aware of your affection for the Civil War, in the Mississippi forum, which always struck me as strange.


Do not move to LaPlace.

It is strange to many. Lots of people really don't "get it". What first got me into the subject years ago, back in the 1990s my grandmother used to go on about how we were related to Robert E. Lee and had people who fought in the Civil War. Now, back then I didn't think much of it. Right about 2003 when I started Middle School I remember our teacher getting into the Civil War in history class.

I remember how he had the classroom set up during those two weeks. He had portraits of Lee, Jackson, Forrest, Davis and others lining one wall. Portraits of Lincoln, Grant, Sherman and George Thomas lined the other wall. Forrest happened to be the one leering over my desk. That's when I started reading into the subject. But the personality from the war that really drew me in was Patrick Cleburne, ever since then I was involved in my mom's family history in trying to verify the "Lee connection".

Come late 2012, corroborating with my step-grandfather's oldest daughter I had found a direct ancestor with the surname of Lee. Descended from the same line as the General, but this family set out for Kentucky, Missouri and then Texas a generation before the Civil War. 1 4x Great Grandfather and 3 of his brothers-in-law in Confederate service in Texas. While the Lee ancestor was in the "Arizona Brigade" in Texas and Louisiana, 2 of the in-laws served under Cleburne in Granbury's Texas Brigade. The Lee ancestor a fairly close cousin (think 3rd, possibly 4th) to the General himself. In this I also found a Unionist ancestor in Kentucky (who had pro-Confederate in-laws) and another who was an engineer for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, which the Union destroyed during the war.

The Confederate veteran's youngest son, named for his brother-in-law who died at Elmira in Ohio, died when my grandmother was 12 and briefly knew her in the 1940's/1950's.

It was an aspect of my family's history that I found almost by accident, and would have been lost forever had I never found it. I guess I had what one could call a "Confederates in the Attic" moment.

Originally Posted by cBach

If you want Civil War history then a place like Laplace would be best. It's basically real close to the River Road plantations. In the Civil War, the northern gun boat captains spared the plantations along the River Road because some of them had stayed at the plantations prior to the war. It's why La has so many plantations but places like GA had many of theirs burned to the ground except for a few in Savannah.

You would also not be far from Vicksburg National Military Park. Great place and excellent hiking/camping too. I remember I went there with the Boy Scouts.

Been to Vicksburg, went back in 2010, dying to go back!

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by Desert kid

It is strange to many. Lots of people really don't "get it". What first got me into the subject years ago, back in the 1990s my grandmother used to go on about how we were related to Robert E. Lee and had people who fought in the Civil War. Now, back then I didn't think much of it. Right about 2003 when I started Middle School I remember our teacher getting into the Civil War in history class.

I remember how he had the classroom set up during those two weeks. He had portraits of Lee, Jackson, Forrest, Davis and others lining one wall. Portraits of Lincoln, Grant, Sherman and George Thomas lined the other wall. Forrest happened to be the one leering over my desk. That's when I started reading into the subject. But the personality from the war that really drew me in was Patrick Cleburne, ever since then I was involved in my mom's family history in trying to verify the "Lee connection".

Come late 2012, corroborating with my step-grandfather's oldest daughter I had found a direct ancestor with the surname of Lee. Descended from the same line as the General, but this family set out for Kentucky, Missouri and then Texas a generation before the Civil War. 1 4x Great Grandfather and 3 of his brothers-in-law in Confederate service in Texas. While the Lee ancestor was in the "Arizona Brigade" in Texas and Louisiana, 2 of the in-laws served under Cleburne in Granbury's Texas Brigade. The Lee ancestor a fairly close cousin (think 3rd, possibly 4th) to the General himself. In this I also found a Unionist ancestor in Kentucky (who had pro-Confederate in-laws) and another who was an engineer for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, which the Union destroyed during the war.

The Confederate veteran's youngest son, named for his brother-in-law who died at Elmira in Ohio, died when my grandmother was 12 and briefly knew her in the 1940's/1950's.

It was an aspect of my family's history that I found almost by accident, and would have been lost forever had I never found it. I guess I had what one could call a "Confederates in the Attic" moment.



Been to Vicksburg, went back in 2010, dying to go back!

That's an interesting bit of information. Little fact, LSU students found a Civil War era cannon ball on the banks of Bayou Manchac in Prairieville, LA, in my parents neighborhood.

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

That's an interesting bit of information. Little fact, LSU students found a Civil War era cannon ball on the banks of Bayou Manchac in Prairieville, LA, in my parents neighborhood.

Likely an engagement involving Thomas Green's Texas Cavalry. Or as it was known further west, the Arizona Brigade, made up of Texas/New Mexico frontiersmen, led by Major Sherod Hunter and participated in many bushwacking activities along the Atchafalaya River, swamp and ramparts outside of occupied New Orleans in 1863-64. That was my ancestor's regiment and I've been reading a very well written biography about it.

[cBach]

I can attest there is no Civil War history in Lake Charles. Lake Charles was only founded in 1880 years after the Civil War. Prior to that timeframe, SW Louisiana and SE Texas was "no man's land" where criminals hung out. Lafayette only had 468 people in 1860, so not much history there.

In contrast, Baton Rouge had 4,000 people and New Orleans had 116,375. Natchitoches had 1300 people. Shreveport had 1700 people.

Basically the history of the Civil War in Louisiana is only along the Mississippi River and the Red River. The immediate area is plantations with refineries scattered but there are some towns that I wouldn't advise living in. However, LaPlace and Thibodeaux are half way points for the history.

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by cBach

I can attest there is no Civil War history in Lake Charles. Lake Charles was only founded in 1880 years after the Civil War. Prior to that timeframe, SW Louisiana and SE Texas was "no man's land" where criminals hung out. Lafayette only had 468 people in 1860, so not much history there.

In contrast, Baton Rouge had 4,000 people and New Orleans had 116,375. Natchitoches had 1300 people. Shreveport had 1700 people.

Basically the history of the Civil War in Louisiana is only along the Mississippi River and the Red River. The immediate area is plantations with refineries scattered but there are some towns that I wouldn't advise living in. However, LaPlace and Thibodeaux are half way points for the history.

I'm one of those people who believe it's at best respectful to learn the history of anyplace you are moving to so you can understand the community better.

This thing with Lafayette/Alexandria for me (as well as cities in other Southern states) has me reading books on Cajuns, Civil War history in that part of Louisiana, and major personalities like General Alfred P. Mouton and his family who founded the city.