- Wendy Daniels owns a real estate development consulting business and is a mother of three.
- She was drawn to Atlanta for entrepreneurial opportunities, but later relocated.
- She says living in Baton Rouge means less travel time and better career opportunities.
This essay as stated is based on a conversation with Wendy Daniels, owner of Beechwood Residentiala real estate development firm based in Baton Rouge. It has been edited for length and clarity.
As a child, I moved around a bit, living in New Orleans and Oakland, California, before my parents settled in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when I was in seventh grade. When I left home for college to study urban planning, I thought I would never in a million years return to Baton Rouge.
After graduation, I was recruited for a position in Atlanta. It felt like the city chose me. I loved that I never had to look for something to do because there was so much going on. Growing up, I didn’t know many black entrepreneurs, but in Atlanta, I worked with the best and brightest. When I became a mother, I liked that my children were also around.
But during my 15 years in Atlanta, the city lost some of its appeal. One of the biggest obstacle was traffic. It was unbearable. I lived 10 minutes from downtown, but picking up the kids from daycare and back home could easily take over an hour on a Friday afternoon. This affected my career because I had to leave the office or client meetings by 2:30 to get to daycare on time.
I felt a sigh of relief every time I left town
When I visited my mom in Baton Rouge, I felt so relaxed. I found myself missing the social culture of Louisiana. In Atlanta, nine out of every 10 people I met were also transplants. My house became the house where everyone gathered on holidays and after work, but I was trying to create that sense of neighborhood in a city that didn’t have one.
By the time I had three small children, I knew him needed to leave the city. At that stage, it just didn’t seem right for our family. I owned my own business and knew I could keep my clients. My husband got a job in Baton Rouge, about a 10-hour drive from Atlanta, and we packed up.
in placed on a short term lease while we decided where we wanted to shop. Although I was from the city, many things had changed. Shortly after we arrived, the owner of the rental invited us for a glass of wine and said she wanted to get to know us. This is exactly the community culture I wanted. I felt like I could breathe again.
We spent more on housing but much less on education
We sold our house in Atlanta and bought one in a hot neighborhood in Baton Rouge. Our housing costs actually went up, but it wasn’t an apples-to-apples comparison. We lived in a much nicer area.
However, we have saved money for preschool and private tuition. In Atlanta, private Catholic schools cost about $20,000 per child per year. In Baton Rouge, I put all three kids through private school for that amount.
The biggest change in my life was the traffic situation. I could drop off all three kids and get to my office in 25 minutes, whereas in Atlanta, that could take an hour. I didn’t realize how much stress he was causing me until he left.
At first, I had to go to Atlanta every month for work. I could leave home and be at my airport gate within 20 minutes. I’ve never flown private, but I can’t imagine it gets much better than that. While I could fly directly to Atlanta or Washington DC, most of the other flights had connections, which was a change from Atlanta, where I could fly directly anywhere.
The move also boosted my career
I’m very good at what I do, but there was a lot more competition in Atlanta. Although I had a good network, it wasn’t as deep as the networks of people who had family connections in Atlanta or went to college there.
When I moved, I was able to tap into a wonderful network. It’s not just because I grew up here – because, in a smaller town, you can have a bigger impact. I have the mayor’s number and I’m sure I can get the governor on the phone if needed. Because of networking and less competition, my business has flourished.
Living in Baton Rouge is not a big city, but it has everything I need. Sure, I may have to look harder, but I can still go to the symphony, meet friends for drinks, and make professional connections, all without the stress I had in Atlanta.
