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Northwest Louisiana is an amazing region with parishes rich in charm and heritage. A perfect weave of many groups, interests, and traditions make up the fabric of this prosperous locale. You?ll find the folks here hospitable and hardworking. Everyone takes part and has pride in making sure Greater Shreveport maintains its status as an All-America City and its reputation as America?s Caring Community.
Through festivals such as the African American Let the Good Times Roll Arts Festival, the Twin Eagles Pow Wow, and Holiday In Dixie, we celebrate our diversity and share in the customs of our culture. Weekdays and weekends are filled with family fun for all. Many spend time together at the Sci-Port Discovery Center and IMAX Theatre. Some never miss a game ? whether it is baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, soccer  or softball. Others are avid golfers and can be found on the green at signature courses located throughout the area. Fishing is a favorite pastime, as is waterskiing. Area residents take time out to enjoy a day of boating on nearby lakes and are often found reuniting with friends and family at neighborhood parks.
Many veterans who were once stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base have chosen to take up permanent residence in northwest Louisiana. The low cost of living, mild climate and easy access to shopping, cutting-edge health care and fully equipped recreational sites make this an ideal retirement destination.
The area has made some amazing strides in the last year and tourism is expected to double with the opening of Shreveport?s new 350,000-square-foot convention center within walking distance to a growing riverfront of activities. An influx of people traveling to our area promises further development of our downtown and brings additional entertainment opportunities. We?re excited about the success of our area. The future of Greater Shreveport is bright and we?re blessed to live in such a wonderful setting where business and leisure are easily balanced.
Education
Today?s Students, Tomorrow?s Workforce
 Greater Shreveport schools are preparing today?s students for tomorrow?s workforce and gaining national recognition for high standards. An impressive list of more than 100 elementary, middle and high schools make up a combined list of schools located in Caddo, Bossier, DeSoto and Webster. Many of the schools represented here have been singled out as Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. Caddo Parish includes the Number 1 and Number 2 elementary schools in the state, as well as the Number 2 middle school and Number 2 high school. Magnet schools, gifted and talented programs, early learning programs and industry-specific curriculum add to the high-quality learning experience.
The Academic Decathlon team, which has represented Louisiana for the past 22 years, won sixth place in the high school division at the national event in 2004 and team members received a record five individual medals.
 There are more than 21 state-approved and accredited private schools located in the Greater Shreveport area. Many of these are nationally known for their athletic programs and have merited attention for their academic achievements and test scores.
Louisiana State University at Shreveport, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Southern University of Shreveport, Bossier Parish Community College, Louisiana Tech at Barksdale, Southern Illinois University at Barksdale and Centenary College of Louisiana, which has been named one of the best values among southern regional colleges and universities by U.S. News and World Report, are among the higher learning institutions in the Greater Shreveport area.
Included in an extensive list of vocational, business and trade schools providing job readiness training and certification are Louisiana Technical College, Ayers Institute, Shreveport Job Corps Center, Diesel Driving Academy, American School of Business, American Commercial College and the Caddo Career and Technology Center.
Health Care
 Greater Shreveport has fast become a regional hub for health care and a nationally recognized medical community.
A consortium of providers and researchers from the renowned Louisiana State University Health Services Center and Level 1 Trauma Center, the LSU Medical School, Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, Willis-Knighton Health System, the CHRISTUS Schumpert Health System, Doctors Hospital and the Shriner?s Hospital are working to meet the medical needs of tomorrow and to keep us at the forefront of health care advances.
Willis-Knighton was the first private hospital in the state to team with a public academic medical center, Louisiana State University Medical Center. As a result, the two institutions offer a second-to-none organ transplant programs and The Cancer Treatment and Research Center. The Cancer Center was among the first centers in the world to offer the revolutionary TomoTherapy radiation treatment.
 The Willis-Knighton Health System continues to announce extraordinary developments. Its Heart Institute and Heart Hospital provides the most technologically advanced heart care in the region. This health system also includes a comprehensive women?s program offering care to women at all stages of life. With three suburban hospitals (South, Pierremont, Bossier) Willis-Knighton delivers more babies than any other private hospital in the area.
 Their Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center at WK Portico Center incorporates physician offices with comprehensive orthopedic and sports medicine support services. It includes the Ambulatory Surgery Center and a sophisticated Outpatient Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine program. One of the most innovative features in the new outpatient rehabilitation area is the HydroWorx? therapy pool which has a floor that rises and lowers and an underwater treadmill. This facility also houses the region?s most advanced outpatient imaging center, the WK Imaging and Technology Center. Its MRI offers the fastest and highest resolution full-body images, as well as comforting features for the patient such as noise-reduction and feet-first exams. Their CT offers unmatched speed and submillimeter detail with significantly lower radiation exposure. WK?s pediatric-specific protocols reduce radiation exposure even more and its Picture Archiving and Communication System allows physicians to access patient images and reports as they are created, enabling speedier diagnosis and treatment.
CHRISTUS Schumpert, owned by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, offers a complete range of services and boasts many health care breakthroughs. Among its list of firsts, you will find the first robotic-assisted surgery system, and a comprehensive community cancer center with the only oncology program in the region accredited by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. The hospital?s robotic system is a descendant of a robot created for the Department of Defense to allow surgeons to operate on wounded soldiers on the battlefield from a safe distance, or even perform emergency surgery on astronauts. This system is being used at CHRISTUS Schumpert for increasingly complex surgeries for prostate cancer and gynecological procedures including hysterectomy, benign tumor removal and pelvic prolapse.
New developments topping the list at CHRISTUS Schumpert include a five-story, 80-bed, 60,000-square-foot dedicated children?s hospital within the walls of their St. Mary Place facility. CHRISTUS Schumpert Sutton Children?s Medical Center, named for the family of PGA golfer Hal Sutton, will feature a 16-bed pediatric intensive care unit, a 22-private bed pediatric inpatient unit, two specially equipped dedicated pediatric surgery suites and a 7,000-square-foot outpatient clinic. Future plans also call for an after-hours clinic for minor illness and injury treatment and a pediatric emergency department. A 40-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is already complete and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Pediatrics Inpatient units will be completed in early 2006.
 Home to the area?s smallest acute care hospital, CHRISTUS Schumpert Highland takes pride in having the most futuristic operating rooms in the region. The two operating suites at Highland are highly integrated with the rest of the hospital, so that the surgeons operating on a patient can have access to imaging slides, lab reports, ultrasound and x-rays without having to leave the OR and ?break scrub.? With this advanced facility, there is no need for physicians and OR staff to leave the patient?s side for any reason. All the information is at their fingertips via a monitor that comes in on an arm suspended from the ceiling. The same goes for equipment. Where instruments, equipment and monitors formerly had to be rolled in on carts to the operating theater, there is now clear workspace to circulate around the patient. Flat panel monitors rigged on a boom from the ceiling can be pulled forward or pushed out of the way. They?re at eye level, so the surgeon can pull it as close as he or she wants to focus on a particular maneuver ? with the patient in view at the same time. The camera systems are completely digital so they provide a very detailed view for the surgeons doing minimally invasive procedures. And a large flat panel screen at the front of the room allows the entire team to see what is happening with the patient. Another feature of the suite includes the use of green lights during procedures, which create a glare-free view for physicians working with trocars and small cameras.
Approaching its one-year anniversary is the new Highland Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, located on the campus of CHRISTUS Schumpert Highland. The 38,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art center is a joint project of CHRISTUS Schumpert Health System and Highland Clinic. Conventional physical and occupational therapy is provided in the new center, but the centerpiece is its sports medicine and rehabilitation equipment. That equipment includes computerized neuromuscular evaluation and therapeutic exercise tools that simulate the activities patients perform in their sports or normal life. An indoor area decked out with sports netting is geared toward baseball, football, golf and soccer rehabilitation. Here an athlete can perform the actual motions he or she will use in the game while being photographed by a 3-D camera and digital video.
| CHRISTUS Schumpert Health System
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(318) 681-4500 |
| 1 Saint Mary Place, Shreveport |
www.Christushealth.org |
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| Doctors Hospital
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(318) 227-1211 |
| 1130 Louisiana Avenue, Shreveport |
www.doctorshospshreveport.com |
Louisiana State University
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| Health Sciences Center
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(318) 675-5000 |
| 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport |
www.sh.lsuhsc.edu |
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| Minden Medical Center
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(318) 377-2321 |
| 1 Medical Plaza, Minden |
www.mindenmedicalcenter.com |
Overton Brooks Veterans
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| Administration Medical Center
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(318) 221-8411 |
| 510 East Stoner, Shreveport |
www.va.gov/sta/guide/home.asp |
Shriners Hospital
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| for Children-Shreveport
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(318) 222-5704 |
| 3100 Samford Avenue, Shreveport |
www.shrinershq.org |
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| Willis Knighton Health System
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(318) 212-4000 |
| 2600 Greenwood Road, Shreveport |
www.wkhs.com |
Retirement
Climate, community, and golden opportunities make Northwest Louisiana an ideal place to live after retirement. The security of a strong health care environment, reasonable cost of living, and housing options to suit any range of income have for many years convinced thousands of military retirees and their dependents to make Greater Shreveport their permanent home. From independent retirees on modest budgets to affluent seniors who need help with daily tasks, all enjoy the wealth of senior services and programs found here. If retirement means more time for exercise and entertainment, you are in the right place. Excellent fishing, beautiful walking trails along the Red River, signature golf courses, stage productions comparable to Broadway, musical shows from symphony to good ole rock-a-billy reminiscent of the days of the Louisiana Hayride are just a few options on a long list of things to do.
| AARP Senior Community
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| Service Employment Center
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(318) 221-7611 |
Advocacy Center
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| for the Elderly and Disabled
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(318) 227-6186 |
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| Elderly Protective Services
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(318) 676-5200 |
Retired and Senior Volunteer
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(318) 632-2080 |
Housing
 From historical homes with bountiful gardens to new single- and multi-family residential developments showing off the latest in architectural design, it?s all here. Whether you fancy the suburbs, urban neighborhoods within walking distance to school, downtown living or the quiet of the rural south, no worry ? we?ve got you covered and without the hassle of long commutes to work or shop.
The recent creation of the West Edge, an art district in the heart of downtown Shreveport, has encouraged the development of affordable housing specially designed for artists to live and work downtown. Throughout the Ark-La-Tex, new housing developments are underway to accommodate our growing community.
All indicators are pointing toward a strong real estate market in 2006 for our area. Housing affordability and low interest rates will continue to be a driving force.
Real estate relates to supply and demand, and in our area, the demand is growing.Louisiana property taxes are among the lowest in the nation, and with the $75,000 Homestead Exemption Act of Louisiana, home ownership is even more feasible here than in most other cities. |
Equal Housing Opportunity - Shreveport Real Estate
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