Natchitoches, Louisiana is known to many tourists as the “City of Lights,” but it is home to around 17,000 residents, including college students and high school boarding students who live here during the school year. To these tourists, Natchitoches has it all: a historic Front Street, the beautiful Cane River and firework shows for the whole city to watch. But to many of its residents, Natchitoches has dropped the ball when it comes to things like public transportation, drivable roads and more youth-geared activities.

The city of Natchitoches is the home of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, Louisiana Scholars’ College and the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts. All three are located on the same campus. These educational institutes bring in thousands of students to Natchitoches every year, many without cars or any forms of transportation. There are no rideshare apps like Uber or Lyft in the city, so many students and residents alike are forced to travel by foot. This is difficult due to the lack of sidewalks, crosswalks and safety measures for people on foot in Natchitoches.

From NSU’s campus to the only Walmart in town, it is 1.7 miles, and it takes an average of 38 minutes to get there on foot. For a student who has to walk there, and then back to their dorm with groceries, it can be very difficult. NSU’s campus itself is very walkable fortunately, but students cannot get everything they need to thrive on the campus, causing the need for them to travel into the city.

Having public transport, such as buses that travel around town, would help many residents get where they need and would stop putting walkers in dangerous territory. If public transport is unattainable, then Natchitoches needs to work on becoming a more walkable city. Not only is there a need for sidewalks on most roads, but people who travel on foot need things like crosswalks with signals letting you know when to cross, shade to stand under and street furniture. If the city could implement a few of these things, it would help lots of Natchitoches residents have more accessible travel options, and hopefully one day public transport will become an important issue to city officials, but until then we shall wait.

One trait of Louisiana that you can find mostly anywhere in the state is roads in poor or almost unusable conditions. One pothole can pop your tire and ruin your week. State and city officials are not putting money towards improving roads and streets in Louisiana, and this is no different in Natchitoches. Roads cost money and time to repair, and it seems like the state does not have enough of either, yet when you cross the state line into Texas, you can realize that that state has no problem delegating the necessary funds to keep roads smooth. Natchitoches has a lot of traffic, especially during the month of December, which causes road conditions to worsen. This may deter tourists from coming back, and definitely angers residents on their commute. With more funds allocated to repaving roads, Natchitoches residents and tourists will rejoice alike.

While Natchitoches has many events during December to showcase Front Street and the Christmas lights, some residents feel that “third places” are lacking for youth in the city. The reference of “third place” refers to a sociological term for places that are separate from your home and your work – for children, their school. They are necessary for relaxation and fun, and for youth, it gives them a place to go after school or on the weekends while their parents may be at work. Children and teens need places to decompress, and lack of activities for teens can cause a rise in youth crime, which has become a problem in Natchitoches. Places like a bowling alley used to be great for children and students to have fun at, but are now closed, leaving children to find other ways to spend their evenings.

Even though Natchitoches, like any other city, has its faults, the city does a lot for its residents, including weekly firework and drone shows, parades and events like farmer’s markets. There is always a way to improve, and to make the city better. Students spend many months as residents of the city, and should be thought of when decisions about the city are being made.