Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to New Orleans

You think about moving to New Orleans but want to get additional information about the city, job prospects, leisure activities, cultural influences, overall quality of life and much more?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of living in New Orleans in the following article.

Living in New Orleans – Overview

Advantages of Living in New Orleans

1. New Orleans is a culturally diverse place
2. People in New Orleans are tolerant
3. Easy to socialize in New Orleans
4. You can have many interesting conversations
5. New Orleans is well-known for its art scene
6. More than enough things to do with your leisure
7. New Orleans is located at the coast
8. New Orleans has great weather
9. Winters are relatively mild in New Orleans
10. Many recreational spaces in New Orleans
11. New Orleans is a rather relaxed city
12. You have more than enough space for yourself
13. Traffic jams are not a big problem in New Orleans
14. Easy to visit your friends in other parts of the town
15. Decent public transport in New Orleans
16. New Orleans is a bike-friendly city
17. New Orleans has an international airport
18. You can try many different foods in New Orleans
19. You will find most things for daily life within walking distance
20. Decent nightlife in New Orleans
21. New Orleans has decent tap water
22. New Orleans has decent air quality
23. Population in New Orleans has been growing significantly
24. New Orleans is a great place for the young and the old

New Orleans is a culturally diverse place

One advantage of moving to New Orleans is that it is a culturally diverse place where you can meet many people from all over the world and can have a great time together since you will be welcome no matter where you come from as long as you are friendly and also know how to behave.

People in New Orleans are tolerant

People in New Orleans are also pretty tolerant and you will find many like-minded people no matter whether you live the conventional life like most other people or an alternative lifestyle.

Easy to socialize in New Orleans

Since people in New Orleans are open and tolerant, it is also easy socializing and making many new friends and chances are that you will never feel lonely in this place.

You can have many interesting conversations

Since you can meet people from all over the world, you can also have many interesting and exciting conversations and can also really grow in character since you will quickly realize that your way of life is just one out of many and you will likely also become more tolerant due to that in the long run.

New Orleans is well-known for its art scene

Moving to New Orleans can also make sense in case you are an artist or just interested in art since there are many like-minded people you can hang out with and there are also many interesting museums and exhibitions you can visit in New Orleans.

More than enough things to do with your leisure

Another upside to moving to New Orleans is that you can do more than enough things with your leisure.

For instance, you can go fishing, hiking or swimming apart from the many other things you will find in most bigger cities.

New Orleans is located at the coast

Since New Orleans is located at the coast, you can also go surfing or do other water sports on a regular basis while many other people living in Houston or other cities not located at the beach will just not have this luxury.

New Orleans has great weather

You can also enjoy great summers with many hours of sun in New Orleans and this not only improves your mood but will also enable you to spend lots of time outdoors which may keep you fit in the long run.

Winters are relatively mild in New Orleans

Not only summers are great in New Orleans, but you can also enjoy relatively mild winters and while many other people in colder regions will often have to wear heavy coats when they go outdoors in winter, you will often be able to hang out outdoors with just a shirt in New Orleans.

Many recreational spaces in New Orleans

New Orleans also has many recreational spaces where you can relax from your stressful life.

Not only can you hang out at the beach, but you can also just sit down in a park and enjoy a quiet atmosphere to reload your batteries.

New Orleans is a rather relaxed city

New Orleans is also a pretty relaxed city where people are not as career-focused and busy compared to people living in Los Angeles or other major cities and people in New Orleans are also more real and honest on average.

You have more than enough space for yourself

Another benefit of moving to New Orleans is that you will also have more than enough space for yourself if you want to hang out in public places but don’t want to get distracted by other people during times you really have to focus on problems that need to be solved.

Traffic jams are not a big problem in New Orleans

Since New Orleans is not a crowded city yet, traffic jams are also not a big problem and you will therefore be able to get around by car in a pretty efficient manner.

Easy to visit your friends in other parts of the town

Since you will not get stuck in traffic often, you will also have a rather easy time getting around by car and can therefore also visit your friends in different parts of New Orleans in an efficient manner without losing lots of time in traffic.

Decent public transport in New Orleans

If you don’t want to go by car, you can also use buses or other means of public transport in New Orleans in an efficient manner, at least if you live close enough to the city center where public transport is usually good enough to get around.

New Orleans is a bike-friendly city

You should also know that New Orleans is a great city for cyclists since you can get around by bike in an efficient manner without having to rely on your car or public transport so that you can save lots of money and can also do good for our environment at the same time.

New Orleans has an international airport

Another advantage of living in New Orleans is that you will have an international airport and this enables you to fly to many destinations all over the world in an efficient manner without having to deal with layovers or other unpleasant things.

You can try many different foods in New Orleans

Since New Orleans is a multicultural city, you can also try many different foods and can also get some inspiration regarding what to cook at home so that you can really expand your culinary knowledge in the long run.

You will find most things for daily life within walking distance

Since New Orleans has decent public infrastructure, you will also find many things for daily life within walking distance and can get groceries and clothes by just walking down the streets for a few minutes.

Decent nightlife in New Orleans

Another upside to living in New Orleans is that there are many great bars you can hang out in after work and meet up with your favorite people and chances are that you will never run out of ideas in this regard.

New Orleans has decent tap water

You should also know that New Orleans has pretty decent tap water and you will therefore not have to rely on bottled water from the store which can save you lots of time and money in the long run and you can also do good for our environment at the same time.

New Orleans has decent air quality

Not only will you have good tap water, but air quality in New Orleans is also better than in most other big cities and this can be great for your overall quality of life as well as for your health since you will be less likely to suffer from serious pulmonary problems compared to more polluted areas.

Population in New Orleans has been growing significantly

New Orleans has also been growing significantly over the past decade and this is usually an indicator that the city becomes increasingly popular by people from all over the US and that overall quality of life is pretty high.

New Orleans is a great place for the young and the old

Another benefit of living in New Orleans is that the city can be a great place to live for the young as well as for the old and different generations get along with each other pretty well.

In turn, if you move to New Orleans at a rather young age, you may also never leave the city again since you might just find everything you need to live a happy and convenient life.

As you can see, there are many reasons to move to New Orleans.

However, there are also many drawbacks of living in New Orleans that I want to address in the following so that you can better decide whether you still want to move to New Orleans or rather want to live in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Living in New Orleans

1. Crime rate in New Orleans is above national average
2. Unemployment may become a problem
3. Property prices in New Orleans have increased significantly
4. The average person often struggles to afford a decent place to rent
5. Many locals may have to leave New Orleans
6. Increasing level of inequality
7. Homelessness is a problem in New Orleans
8. Limited number of fancy shopping opportunities
9. Not as many great sports teams as in other major cities
10. You may miss real seasons in New Orleans
11. Hard to find really good education in New Orleans
12. You may miss the feeling of big city life in New Orleans

Crime rate in New Orleans is above national average

One downside to living in New Orleans is that crime rates are significantly above national average and many people no longer feel safe in this region anymore.

Consequently, if you are a careful person, you may not want to move to New Orleans but rather go for safer alternatives instead.

Unemployment may become a problem

You should also know that unemployment rates in New Orleans are above national average and if you don’t have really good education, you may have trouble finding a good job and may not be able to make a decent living in the long run.

Property prices in New Orleans have increased significantly

Another problem with moving to New Orleans is that property prices have already increased significantly over the past decade and while you will still not have to spend as much money on housing compared to people living in San José or other more expensive cities, you may still really struggle in this regard since income levels are pretty low and many people can’t afford to buy a home in New Orleans anymore.

The average person often struggles to afford a decent place to rent

Not only property prices in New Orleans are relatively high, but also rents are pretty high compared to the average income and many people therefore really struggle to pay rent on time and also just live paycheck to paycheck without being able to save enough for unexpected expenses or retirement.

Many locals may have to leave New Orleans

Due to high living and housing costs and the relatively poor income people make in New Orleans on average, many locals may have to leave New Orleans sooner or later and this would take away part of the charm of the city and may lower overall quality of life.

Increasing level of inequality

Another disadvantage of living in New Orleans is that the city also experiences an increasing level of inequality and while some people make really good money, an increasing number of people live below the poverty line and become increasingly desperate since they no longer know how to cover their expenses.

Homelessness is a problem in New Orleans

Since many people are no longer able to afford to rent an apartment in New Orleans, many people just end up homeless in the streets and this is not a nice picture at all and may also lead to further increasing crime rates in the future.

Limited number of fancy shopping opportunities

While you will find everything to live a convenient life in New Orleans and overall supply of material goods is pretty decent, you will still not have as many fancy shopping opportunities as in many other bigger cities and if you are a shopping queen, you may rather want to move to other cities where you will have a bigger selection in this regard.

Not as many great sports teams as in other major cities

You will also not find as many great sports teams in New Orleans as in many other major cities and may get disappointed as a sports fan if you want to watch many different games at the highest level on a regular basis.

You may miss real seasons in New Orleans

Since New Orleans is a pretty warm place and also winters are relatively mild, you may miss real seasons and will also not have the opportunity to go skiing or to do other winter sports compared to people living in Minneapolis or other colder places.

Hard to find really good education in New Orleans

While you will find many solid schools, you will have a hard time finding world-class education in New Orleans and if this is really important to you, you may rather want to move to Boston or other more prestigious cities instead.

You may miss the feeling of big city life in New Orleans

While New Orleans has a lot to offer, you will still miss big skyscrapers and other things you may be used to from other metropolitan cities like NYC and you may therefore miss big city life in general.

Top 10 Moving To New Orleans Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is New Orleans A Good Place To Live?

While New Orleans is a tolerant city where people are welcome from all over the world and overall quality of life is high, you should still know that New Orleans is not the safest city, unemployment is a problem and income levels are pretty low so that many people really struggle to afford a decent life in this region.

Alternative Cities To Live In

If you don’t want to move to New Orleans anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Tampa

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Aurora

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Chicago

Sources

https://nola.gov/

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/neworleanscitylouisiana

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.