New Orleans

New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a <a href="/facts/Consolidated_city-county/lJh200yX">consolidated city-parish</a> located along the <a href="/facts/Mississippi_River/RduarPzj">Mississippi River</a> in the U.S. state of <a href="/facts/Louisiana/2GvfFcKE">Louisiana</a>. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 census, New Orleans is the <a href="/facts/List_of_municipalities_in_Louisiana/CPrIhwF8">most populous city in Louisiana</a>, second-most populous in the <a href="/facts/Deep_South/XU4yQQBa">Deep South</a>, and the twelfth-most populous in the <a href="/facts/Southeastern_United_States/jlyYnNvo">Southeastern United States</a>; the <a href="/facts/New_Orleans_metropolitan_area/jv0pfDll">New Orleans metropolitan area</a> with about 1 million residents is the <a href="/facts/List_of_metropolitan_statistical_areas/Y2yX0KJg">59th-most populous metropolitan area</a> in the nation. New Orleans serves as a major port and commercial hub for the broader <a href="/facts/Gulf_Coast_of_the_United_States/ggS4KL87">Gulf Coast region</a>. The city is coextensive with <a href="/facts/Orleans_Parish%2c_Louisiana/IgCn61KH">Orleans Parish</a>.
New Orleans is world-renowned for <a href="/facts/Music_of_New_Orleans/NxI2fRt9">its distinctive music</a>, <a href="/facts/Louisiana_Creole_cuisine/n5om2KAL">Creole cuisine</a>, <a href="/facts/New_Orleans_English/0K2upQdW">unique dialects</a>, and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably <a href="/facts/Mardi_Gras_in_New_Orleans/REG4U1Gg">Mardi Gras</a>. The historic heart of the city is the <a href="/facts/French_Quarter/hu1n3vcm">French Quarter</a>, known for its <a href="/facts/French_architecture/y88eRC4K">French and Spanish Creole architecture</a> and vibrant <a href="/facts/Nightlife/hSWbTMjx">nightlife</a> along <a href="/facts/Bourbon_Street/ESIDWWrc">Bourbon Street</a>. The city has been described as the "most unique" in the United States, owing in large part to its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage. Additionally, New Orleans has increasingly been known as "Hollywood South" due to its prominent role in the film industry and in pop culture.
Founded in 1718 by French colonists, New Orleans was once the territorial capital of <a href="/facts/Louisiana_(New_France)/Q1cy1DI2">French Louisiana</a> before becoming part of the United States in the <a href="/facts/Louisiana_Purchase/9uI6F0Uz">Louisiana Purchase</a> of 1803. New Orleans in 1840 was the third most populous city in the United States, and it was the largest city in the <a href="/facts/Southern_United_States/ppnGuAtB">American South</a> from the <a href="/facts/Antebellum_South/F1Ctu5qX">Antebellum era</a> until after <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>. The city has historically been very vulnerable to <a href="/facts/Flood/FDQjJeXW">flooding</a>, due to its high rainfall, low lying elevation, poor natural drainage, and proximity to multiple bodies of water. State and federal authorities have installed <a href="/facts/Drainage_in_New_Orleans/thcspMUu">a complex system of levees and drainage pumps</a> in an effort to protect the city.
New Orleans was <a href="/facts/Effects_of_Hurricane_Katrina_in_New_Orleans/jfBfsS0u">severely affected</a> by <a href="/facts/Hurricane_Katrina/EflS9fkS">Hurricane Katrina</a> in late August 2005, which flooded more than 80% of the city, killed more than 1,800 people, and displaced thousands of residents, causing a <a href="/facts/New_Orleans_diaspora/gGztR2Vf">population decline</a> of over 50%. Since Katrina, major <a href="/facts/Urban_renewal/xAKjesVQ">redevelopment</a> efforts have led to a rebound in the city's population. Concerns have been expressed about <a href="/facts/Gentrification/kk1nchr7">gentrification</a>, new residents buying property in formerly close-knit communities, and displacement of longtime residents. Additionally, high rates of violent crime continue to plague the city with New Orleans experiencing 280 murders in 2022, resulting in the <a href="/facts/List_of_cities_by_homicide_rate/uCIcKpjU">highest per capita homicide rate</a> of any municipality in the United States.

New Orleans open-in-new

New Orleans