Tiger Weekly - Serving Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge: the best and worst place to live

By Hannah Catchings

According to a new report for the American Human Development Project, Baton Rouge is both the best and the worst place to live in Louisiana. The study "A Portrait of Louisiana: Louisiana Human Development Report 2009" looks at disparities throughout Louisiana based on parish, race and gender. Best ratings were given to East and West Baton Rouge, leaving North Baton Rouge and sections of downtown with the worst ratings.

Led by groups like Oxfam America and the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, the study analyzed data from 2007 on health, education, and earnings in order to create a quality of life index. Report findings are based around a 10-point human development index adopted from a United Nations formula by the America Human Development Project.

Louisiana's total score of 3.92 ranks it only above West Virginia and Mississippi with Connecticut coming in first at 6.37. The national report used 2005 data with Massachusetts ranked second at 6.27 while Washington, D.C. was third at 6.14.

The study highlights a noticeable gap in the quality of life between black and white residents in Louisiana, as well as Mississippi, Alabama and Nebraska. The report states that a resident from the "best" area "can expect to live, on average, nearly half a decade longer, earns twice as much, is almost three times more likely to have a bachelor's degree, and is three times less likely to have dropped out of high school" than "worst" area residents.

Essentially, the study shows that some groups in Louisiana are better off than first-ranked Connecticut while others have health, education and income levels consistent with the rest of the country anywhere from 30 to 50 years ago.

This sobering report can seem almost unbelievable to students living on or around the LSU campus, safely nestled within the "best" areas. Students who occupy these brighter spots tell a different story.

"Most of the apartments are over-priced and cheaply put together, but they stick some pretty paint on it and charge the price because people want to be a part of the LSU lifestyle," said mass communication junior Faye Rook. "I like that my place isn't all that nice but isn't all that bad, and the rent reflects that."

Rook's comments reveal the idea that location is about buying into a different quality of life and not just the house itself. Differing levels of health, education and income are the by-products and amenities residents purchase in an all-inclusive package.

To learn more or to view the full report, go to www.measureofamerica.org.

Originally Published: October 7, 2009

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