Shreveport, La. Named One of the Worst Cities to Raise a Family

WalletHub, a personal finance site perhaps best known for its breakdowns of cities and states that are the best and worst in various categories, has recognized another Louisiana city for a less-than-stellar accomplishment.

WalletHub's latest breakdown, the Best & Worst Places to Raise a Family, compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on a slew of metrics, all of which consider essential family dynamics - cost of housing, quality of local school and health-care systems, opportunities for fun and recreation, etc. - and the results are not great for one Louisiana city.

Source: WalletHub

Shreveport, which sits at the crossroads of I-49 and I-20, makes the list at 176 out of 182 cities. It scored the following rankings in some of the key areas WalletHub looked at:

125 out of 182 on Family Fun
170 out of 182 on Health & Safety
104 out of 182 on Education & Child Care
160 out of 182 on Affordability
161 out of 182 on Socioeconomics

Louisiana Didn't Do Well Overall

But it's not like some of the other cities on the list from Louisiana were that much better. New Orleans was 171 on the list, but did better than Shreveport because it scored much higher on Family Fun (31 out of 182). It also scored slightly better in the other areas.

Baton Rouge, meanwhile, ranked 159 out of 182. It scored much better than Shreveport and New Orleans in terms of Education & Child Care (74 out of 182) and Affordability (91 out of 182).

It may be part of the reason that Louisiana is facing a population crisis. As the population continues to move out faster than it can move in, people are fleeing the state for better education, better opportunities, and less crime.

Full Breakdown of WalletHub's Findings

Hurricane Preparation, What Are the Items You Didn't Think Of?

When there is word that a hurricane might threaten the Gulf Coast, we start thinking about what items we need to make life bearable if we end up stuck at home without electricity and internet.

In addition to these creature comforts, we also need to think about the many things that we would need to take with us if we are forced to evacuate.

While we all immediately think of things like prescription medicines and important papers, there are other things that can come in handy whether we will be stuck at home, at a relative's house, or in a shelter.