New Orleans may be the place to go for Mardi Gras, but it has nothing on the Mystic Krewe of Mutts, an all-dog parade hosted by the local Animal Welfare Society in Baton Rouge. The parade is held at Mardi Gras time every year and celebrates canines in spectacular (and hilariously cute) fashion.
Gardere is a census-designated place in the East Baton Rouge metropolitan area, in Louisiana. This neighborhood is 3.3 square miles in size, with 10,580 residents. This is the Deep South, remember, so of course the weather runs towards the warm-and-humid style of things, with temperatures of up to 95 degrees in the summer, and lows of around 40 degrees in winter. Humidity can reach as high as 90 percent during the early part of the day, but generally tapers off to 60 percent to 70 percent in the afternoons. Gardere sees around 217 days of sunshine in an average year, with up to 60 inches of rain.
Moving to Gardere
If you're looking for rental housing in Gardere, you may be pleasantly surprised to know that more nearly 60 percent of the 4,500 home units in this area are rental properties. That's nearly twice the national average, which is just 31 percent. Most homes in this area were built fairly recently, with 80 percent of homes constructed in the 1980s or later. The most common house types in Gardere are medium sized single unit homes of three and four bedrooms, along with all-bills-paid studio apartments, and one and two bedroom apartments. You can also find the occasional duplex for rent here, although they're not quite as common as the apartment-style accommodation.
So, if you're looking for a home to rent in this neighborhood, you may find that you have quite a bit of choice, in terms of the property types you have access to--a studio or larger apartment, a house, or even a duplex, are among your options. You may be able to find an apartment or house to rent within just two or three weeks, although it's usually better to give your self at least four weeks to find a place, even when it's a high-rental area, to make sure you get the apartment you really want.
Neighborhoods in Gardere
Gardere is itself an urban neighborhood in South Baton Rouge, and as such it's not further divided into different neighborhoods. Gardere is in the western part of South Baton Rouge, and its south-western edge just touches the Mississippi River.
Gardere Apartment Communities
Since Gardere's housing stock includes well over 50 percent home rentals, this is a good neighborhood to find a place in an apartment complex. There are several low-rise buildings in the area.
The Arts Apartments at Bluebonnet Place: This complex is at the northern end of Gardere, within a convenient distance of the neighborhood's main retail area. The apartments here have one to four bedrooms and up to two full bathrooms, with large floor plans and plenty of closet space. This complex provides residents with a number of amenities, including volleyball and basketball courts, a saltwater pool, and a small gym.
Indigo Park: Here, you'll find apartments of one, two, and three bedrooms, and is located at the riverside end of Gardere. This means it's over a mile from the main retail area of Gardere, giving this building an admittedly dismal-sounding walk score of 9. On the other hand, the apartments have gloriously oversize storage spaces, and residents have access to a BBQ area, gym, media room, and Olympic-size pool, among other amenities, which kind of makes up for any minor inconveniences.
Teakwood Village Apartments: These units are located close to the retail and commercial area of Gardere, so it has a good walk score for this part of East Baton Rouge. There's a wide range of accommodation styles here, with apartments and townhouses of one, two, and three bedrooms. All have a private patio or balcony, and some utilities are included in the rent.
Living in Gardere
Most of Gardere has a low walk score, as the majority of grocery stores, retail stores, and places to eat are located in the northern part of the neighborhood; people living closer to the river therefore have a distance of one or two miles to travel for these purposes. Most people who live in Gardere commute to work, and nearly 80 percent have a commute time of less than 30 minutes. Although Gardere itself doesn't have a lot in the way of retail and outlet shopping, it's close enough to East Baton Rouge, and Baton Rouge itself, that residents have plenty of options for retail therapy, dining, and entertainment.