Moving to Louisiana

Hello S.,

My name is A. and I am actually from there. I claim it as home because my father was stationed at Barksdale and retired there. I lived there for about 4 years before joining the Air Force myself. Shreveport is a pretty nice area. Bossier City which is about 5 - 10 minutes up the road is the more popular area. There has been alot of construction and new developments built, so the area is getting better. I am currently stationed in Germany, so I only go home about once or twice a year to see family. But when I do go, I enjoy myself. The weather is pretty hot (muggy) during the summer and the winters are cold (but no snow.) Sleet, but no snow. The schools are pretty good, but make sure to check around. The food is amazing if you like "Southern" foods, especially seafood. There are ALOT of places to shop and EAT. There are alot of CASINO boats there with gambling, shopping, resturants and lots of entertainment there. There are so many different boats to chose from, the fun never stops. One of the nicest areas in Shreveport is GREENWOOD. That is where my home is and the housing development is beautiful. Lots of big houses and trees. It is quiet and safe. It is about a 15-20 minute drive to the base (depending on traffic) but definitely worth it. I wish I could give you more detail, but again, it has been a little while. I do think that you will enjoy it, but it is definitely a place that you have to make the best of. Good luck and God Bless.

S.,

We just left Shreveport and Barksdale AFB a year ago. We lived off base, made many friends, and fit nicely into the community. The 2 city combination, of Bossier and Shreveport, make it the largest population in the area so any attractions coming through will stop there and be easily available; Disney on Ice, Sesamie Street Live, Circus, State Fair, and whatever else the two cities pull in. There is an old theature in Shreveport called The Strand who hosts numerous professional plays, musicals, etc, each year. There is a SciPort Center with an IMAX theature which is wonderful for the family to visit regularly. You will find farmers markets and different festivals as well as city events such as Forth of July fireworks or Mardi Gra parades. If you travel a few hours there is even more to do. Dallas Texas is only about 3 hours west with a Six Flags theme park, plus more. A short distance south will find you at an Alligator Farm. Go north a few hours to visit Magic Springs and their area attractions. I loved living there! My only complaint would have been the humidity of summer but with air conditioned everything that is not so bad to live with.

I lived in Bossier City, LA for 4 1/2 years. It took me that long just to get use the "South". I have never lived any further south than Utah so it was a big eye opener for me. After moving away, I realized that it wasn't a bad place at all. They have all kinds of shopping available to you and not far away from each other. The boiled crawfish with potatoes and corn on the cob are delicious. If you have a positive mind set about moving there then you will have a wonderful time living there.

One of my good friends lived there, before they came to Germany. I'll forward this question to her and I'm sure she'll have some advice for you

We were there a couple years ago.
Look for housing on the MAIN base if you choose to live on base. there ia a pool, a GREAT Gym Flower shop, bx, commisary, thrift shop etc If you must live on the reservation area only accept the newer housing like heritage heights. There is housing called CAPEHEART you really do not want it!

Any questions just ask!
A.

Hi S., My name is C. Ritter me and my husband her from the Louisiana area. We are now in England, but before we came to England we were stationed in Shreveport. Barksdale is a beautiful base to be stationed at, if all possible I recomined to stay on base. They have a big Bx and Commissary to shop at. There is a Walmart right outside the front gate over the bridge. There is a water front shoping and a Bass Pro shop about twenty to thirty minutes from the base off of I-49 and the Shreveport Bossier Mall not far that. There is two malls in Shreveport and they are both off of I-49. There are five hospitals in Shreveport Christus Shrumpert which is the big hospital and Christus Shrumpert Highland which is the smaller hospital but they do surgerys, docters offices and a Emergency room. These both take Tricare and I worked at these hospitals.

If you want any more information please fell free to ask more or you can email me at ____@____.com.

C. Ritter