No money, no girlfriend, no problem in Baton Rouge, according to a recent list put together by moneyunder30.com.
Baton Rouge was ranked fifth on the “20 Best Cities to be Ranked Young, Broke and Single” list compiled by the website. Baton Rouge even beat out New Orleans, which came in at No. 7.
Baton Rouge has gained a reputation throughout the nation as a cheap city for young professionals to live in. According to apartmentratings.com, the average price for a two-bedroom apartment in Baton Rouge is only $973, which may sound pricey to some college students, but for young professionals, it’s much less than the $1,377 apartment in Houston or the $1,923 apartment in Silicon Valley.
One of Baton Rouge’s biggest industry, oil production, has continued to grow as well. Around 18 percent of companies throughout Baton Rouge are planning to hire new employees in the coming quarter, according to a recent survey by the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
Terrible traffic — something every University student is familiar with — is a major sticking point when it comes to living in the capital city. Baton Rouge has consistently resided in the Inrix Traffic Scorecard Top 25 cities with the worst traffic in the United States, as anyone attempting to travel down College Drive could have surmised.
However, traffic in Baton Rouge has actually improved, according to Inrix. In June 2011, Baton Rouge drivers could expect to spend an extra 24.7 hours in the car over a year’s time, but as of March 2013, drivers were only expected to spend 18.3 hours in the car.
While Baton Rouge’s traffic may not be in the city’s favor, its gas prices are.
Since Louisiana has one of the largest oil industries in the nation, gas prices have risen at a slower rate than the rest of the nation. A gallon of gas costs .30 cents less in Louisiana than the national average.
With President Barack Obama promoting a $1.75 increase in the minimum wage floor — up to $9, then adjusting to inflation — the cheaper gas will allow residents to enjoy the other entertainment options Baton Rouge has to offer.
And cheap entertainment is easy to find in Baton Rouge, thanks to the blog 2BRokeguys.com. The website profiles various events around Baton Rouge that are accessible for people looking for some cheap fun and include everything from restaurant specials to movie and music deals in the city. Two University alumni — Ryan Chenevert and Josh Howard — started the site and scoff at the notion that Baton Rouge is a boring town.
In an April interview with The Daily Reveille, Chenevert said some people have an idea that Baton Rouge is boring, but they were likely just “boring people.”
“Being in college is when you learn to be broke,” Howard said.
