25+ Pros and Cons of Living In Louisiana (Explained)

Louisiana lies in the Deep Southern region of the South Central United States. The state is bordered by Arkansas to the north, Texas to the west, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the east. A large part of its eastern boundary is divided by the Mississippi River.

Out of all the 50 states, Louisiana ranks 25 in terms of population, and 31 in terms of size. Louisiana was named after Louis XIV who was the King of France from 1643 to 1715.

BENEFITS of living in Louisiana	DRAWBACKS of living in Louisiana
Wonderful cuisine	High insect issues
Numerous festivals	Extreme weather conditions
No hills, inclines to create trouble in navigation	Limited real estate options
Highly competitive real estate market	High maintenance chores
Hassle free public drinking	Lagging economy
Family-friendly atmosphere
Dog- friendly

Table of Contents

Advantages of Living in Louisiana:

The food in Louisiana is beyond incredible

The beignets are amazing, you will find the best-fried chicken in the United States here the Creole cuisine, available in numerous dives, is unique. There are hundreds of options to try out and spots created by world-famous chefs to enjoy.

There are festivals for almost everything

If you fancy celebrating wonderful festivals in your home state, then living in Louisiana is going to be the perfect experience for you.

No other state in the United States hosts such an international offering of large-scale celebrations throughout the year. Carnival and Mardi gras are well-known all over the world, but that is just the beginning.

There is an oyster festival, one that concentrates on bourbon and beer, and also the famous French Market Creole Tomato Festival.

There are no inclines, hills, or similar navigational issues

Louisiana offers a series of flat surface streets for navigation. It is the perfect place to take a leisurely stroll, considering that you can stay out of the way of the number of processions that take place here each month. Most of the neighborhoods are well maintained too.

The cost of living in Louisiana is highly competitive

After the devastating Hurricane Katrina, many people decided to move away from Louisiana for good. This gave birth to a competitive real estate and rental market for the state when compared to other states.

You can rent a two-bedroom apartment for $1,450 per month. It’s considerably cheaper than the rent of most other states.

You can drink almost anywhere in Louisiana at almost any time

If you love a good adult beverage, then Louisiana is the ideal place for you. Like Las Vegas, drinking alcohol in public spaces is legal here in New Orleans too, and the bars even tend to stay open late at night accommodating your needs as well. There are a few bars that don’t even close.

Most of the state events provide a family-friendly atmosphere

Many of the festivals and celebrations in Louisiana are not single-night affair. Most of them last for several weeks at a time. An excellent example of this is Mardi gras. Although generally committed to unnecessary alcoholism and lechery, there is also a family-friendly part of the event.

There will be kids buckled on steps so that they can catch beads from strangers during the ceremony. Football is played on the street, music all night, and even the schools seldom stay close for the local festivities.

You can even bring your children down to the French Quarter during the day without any worries. You will find a lot of candy makers there on Decatur Street who will love to serve your family. You can also enjoy the River walk.

Your dog is going to love living in Louisiana

Louisiana might be one of the most dog-friendly states in America. Some bars even allow dogs inside even if they do not service animals.

Many stores are quick to reward a well-behaving puppy with a tasty bone. There are several parks canine friendly as well, and you can always adopt one from the local SPCA if you don’t have a pet dog.

Disadvantages of Living in Louisiana:

High insect problem in Louisiana

During spring, buck moth caterpillars fall out of oak trees, and they sting if they impact your body. There are brown recluse spiders that live in the city and there are fire ants that won’t go until the hard cold winter sets in.

The weather in Louisiana can be fairly extreme

Louisiana experiences a sub-tropical climate which means there are only two seasons to enjoy: the dry season and the wet season. High temperatures and high humidity levels can result in extreme discomfort. Then there are also hurricanes to worry about.

There are limited real estate options to consider in Louisiana

Rental costs are competitive away from the city center, but insurance rates tend to be higher because of the city’s history of flooding.

If you own property, then you must purchase separate flood insurance to protect your investment. Property taxes are also high since they are tied directly to the value of your land.

There are a lot of maintenance chores to complete

One of the reasons why it is better to rent a home in Louisiana instead of purchasing one is because of the numerous historic buildings that are in each neighborhood.

It costs more each year to maintain these structures than it does to keep a new house in good repair.

Historic homes have specific requirements that you must follow when restoring them as well, which can add to the cost of ownership.

The economy of Louisiana is still lagging behind the rest of the country

Before the impact of hurricane Katrina, the economy here was radiant and throbbing. Now that it is almost 16 years past this event, many households are still in recovery mode. There are very few jobs available and that too, very low paying.

Louisiana is a state that has experienced recent hardship. It was difficult a few years after Hurricane Katrina came through but things started to improve when the Saints won the Super Bowl in 2010.

The pros and cons of living in Louisiana all depend on your point of view. If you don’t object to the slower pace of life and can handle the climate, then you are going to love it here.