New Orleans

Nestled along the lower Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana, New Orleans today is a city of roughly 380,000 people (2020 census), making it the largest city in Louisiana and the cultural capital of the American South. As of 2025 the city’s population is estimated around 351,000, after decades of fluctuation due to migration and natural disasters. New Orleans’s demographics are distinctive – a majority African American community (about 55% Black in recent estimates) with significant White (around 32%), Hispanic/Latinx and other minority populations. Its economy is richly diversified: historically built on the port, oil, and petrochemical industries, today New Orleans also thrives on higher education, health care and especially tourism and creative sectors. In fact, tourism alone generated roughly $5.5 billion in economic impact in 2017, accounting for about 40% of the city’s sales tax revenue.

New Orleans enjoys a mild subtropical climate: lush winters and long, hot summers. It lies at sea level along the Gulf Coast—half the city actually sits at or below sea level and relies on levees and pumps for flood control. Annual rainfall is abundant (about 50 inches per year), with muggy summers often pushing the mercury above 90°F (32°C) and winters usually staying well above freezing (January daily mean around 0.7 °C). The city’s subtropical environment has earned it the nickname “The City That Care Forgot,” a nod to its warm climate and relaxed pace. Swampy bayous, oak-lined parks and live oaks dripping Spanish moss are ubiquitous in the modern landscape, even as skyscrapers rise downtown.

New Orleans is Louisiana’s cultural, economic, and academic hub. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, its city population was 383,997 (with the wider New Orleans–Metairie metro area about 1 million). In 2025 that number is projected to have declined slightly to ~351,000. The city’s racial makeup is majority African American (around 55%), with Whites accounting for roughly 32%, Hispanics/Latinos ~5%, Asians 2%, and the rest Native Americans or multi-racial. Economically, New Orleans generates about $51 billion in annual Gross Metropolitan Product (2023 data), ranking it among the top 25 city economies in the nation. Wall Street may dominate New York, but New Orleans dominates Gulf Coast shipping: it operates one of the world’s largest seaports and is a leading center of oil refining and petrochemical production. The city is also an educational and healthcare nexus (home to institutions like Tulane University and Ochsner Health) and a growing tech hub. Crucially, hospitality and the creative industries are major employers; tourism and conventions alone bring in millions annually. In short, by the numbers New Orleans is a mid-sized Southern city with outsized economic influence due to its port, energy, and cultural sectors.

The Crescent City lies in North America, at the heart of the Deep South. Geographically, it is situated on the Mississippi River’s east bank, about 90 miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico. The surroundings are flat coastal plain: swamp and river delta to the south and wetlands to the east. This low-lying terrain means New Orleans is mostly at or below sea level, compelling an extensive levee system. Unlike Denver on a plain or Denver on mountains, New Orleans is a river city, shaped by water in every direction: the great river to the west, Lake Pontchartrain to the north, the Gulf to the south. One quip says it’s “sitting on earth, suspended on water.” Summer heat is tempered by Gulf breezes and numerous canals; winters are mild.

The origins of New Orleans stretch back to the early 18th century. French colonists under Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville founded the city in 1718 on a crescent bend of the Mississippi. Its lofty French architecture and place names reflect this colonial past. In 1763, following the Seven Years’ War, France ceded Louisiana (and New Orleans) to Spain, before Napoleon returned it to French hands in 1800. A mere three years later, in 1803, the United States acquired New Orleans in the Louisiana Purchase, opening the Mississippi to American trade. New Orleans prospered in the antebellum era: by 1840 it was the third-largest city in the U.S. and the largest in the entire South. Its port rivaled those of Boston and Philadelphia in volume, and cotton and sugar made it a wealthy, if highly stratified, city. A turning-point came during the War of 1812. In January 1815, General Andrew Jackson famously led a motley American force to defeat the British at the Battle of New Orleans, cementing the city’s place in U.S. lore.

After the Civil War, New Orleans navigated Reconstruction and Jim Crow, remaining a vibrant trade center into the 20th century. Jazz music was born here in the early 1900s, and by the 1920s French Quarter nightlife was legendary. In the late 20th century, the city weathered boom and bust. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck a devastating blow. Most of the city flooded due to levee breaches, over 1,800 residents perished, and the population plunged by roughly half. Recovery has been dramatic in parts: downtown and certain neighborhoods have been rebuilt, while others still bear scars. Today’s New Orleans bears the imprint of all these eras. Historic plaques line Jackson Square (dating back to Bienville’s era), but storefronts also advertise energy consultants and tech startups. The Hurricane Katrina catastrophe remains a defining milestone, but so does the city’s resurgence, balancing respect for the past with modern growth.

New Orleans has a singular cultural flavor – a composite of French, Spanish, African, Caribbean and Southern influences. Its local character is clear the moment you step off the plane or cruise ship: street signs in French (e.g. “Rue” for street), a laid-back attitude, and ubiquitous music on the sidewalks. French and Creole heritage endure not only in architecture but in living traditions. French speakers and Louisiana Creole dialects are rare today, but a few elders still converse in those tongues. More commonly, everyday Louisiana English is spiced with Cajun and Creole phrases (“lagniappe,” “lagniappe” means “a little something extra,” etc.). The city celebrated its bicentennial in 2018 with French-Yiddish merriment, acknowledging its Francophone roots.

Tradition reigns in New Orleans. As one guide poetically notes, “New Orleans is a city of habits that evolved into venerable traditions.” Sunday red beans, jazz funerals, and carnival masquerades all started as everyday customs and became city landmarks. The annual Mardi Gras parade season (Carnival) is the most vivid expression of this heritage: weeks of masked balls and all-night parades where costumed “krewes” toss beads through the streets. But even outside Mardi Gras, the spirit of celebration is constant. Live jazz pours out of clubs on Frenchmen Street every night, and festivals fill the calendar year-round – from Jazz & Heritage Festival each spring to the Congo Square Rhythms in summer to the French Quarter Festival and countless ethnic parades.

Compared to other big cities, the pace of life in New Orleans feels languid. Locals pride themselves on Southern hospitality and warmth. Strangers often greet with a smile or a friendly “How you doin’?” – even at the deli or in a fix-it shop. As one visitor noted, “Residents exude warmth and friendliness,” a trait attributed to the city’s Christian charity and old-world charm. Cafés on Jackson Square spill outdoors with people casually lingering over café au lait and beignets. Street musicians playing in the sun are as common as pickup trucks on the road. Yet underneath this conviviality is a sharp wit: New Orleansers joke that the city is so laid-back “even the clocks take their time.”

Despite these charms, life here has its gritty side. The city long wrestled with economic inequality and crime. For decades, New Orleans has suffered among America’s highest homicide rates. That reality tempers the otherwise whimsical image. Over the last five years the city has made some inroads in public safety; as of mid-2024 reported crime was down about 26% compared to the prior year. Visitors are still cautioned to stay alert, especially after dark. But more often, a newcomer will remember the kind streetcar drivers, the sweet smell of magnolia trees, and the easy laughter of people at Café du Monde. In the final count, “the French Quarter feel” – the friendly French-speaking French Quarter sign at street corners, red umbrellas, wrought-iron balconies – is what leaves a lasting impression.

For any traveler, New Orleans delivers a feast of must-see sights. Chief among them is the French Quarter, the historic old town founded in 1718. Its heart is Jackson Square – a public plaza dominated by the white-stone St. Louis Cathedral (the oldest continuously active Catholic cathedral in the U.S.). Surrounding the Square and nearby Bourbon Street are pastel-colored townhouses with ornate iron balconies draped in flowers. Here one can step into legendary spots: swaying porch musicians, statuary, street-art vendors, and the world-famous Café du Monde serving praline beignets and chicory coffee. The Quarter also houses the Preservation Hall for nightly acoustic jazz concerts, and the boutiques of Royal Street for antiques and fine art.

Beyond the Quarter, attractions abound. The National WWII Museum in the Warehouse District has repeatedly ranked among America’s top museums – immersive exhibits on the D-Day landings, Midway, and more draw military history buffs. Art lovers will gravitate to the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and the adjacent Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park. Crescent City natives admire Audubon Park and Zoo uptown, and even the locally cherished City Park with its ancient oaks and botanical gardens. For panoramic fun, the riverfront Steamboat Natchez offers daily paddlewheel cruises past the skyline. Not to be missed are the above-ground cemeteries (like St. Louis No.1) – eerie “Cities of the Dead” where ornate mausoleums house generations of New Orleanians.

Classic sights also include the Garden District, a few miles uptown, where grand 19th-century mansions line oak-shaded streets. One can ride the historic St. Charles Avenue streetcar along a canopy of oaks and past Loyola University to the grand columns of Tulane University. The Museum of Art and Confederate Memorial in the city round out more culturally oriented stops. In all, there is a pleasing tension between worn historic quarters (the “sleek elegance and gentle decay” of old New Orleans) and revitalized modern districts filled with galleries and cafes. Every corner offers a taste of the city’s layered story: Bourbon Street’s neon bars vibrate next to French-colonial homes; the low-slung levees remind that the mighty river and gulf are never far away.

New Orleans is well-connected. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) lies about 11 miles west of downtown; it serves dozens of airlines and nonstop routes to cities worldwide. Closer in, small Lakefront Airport offers limited commuter flights. Major highways converge here as well, making it a crossroads of the Gulf Coast: Interstate 10 and 610 circle the city, while I-55 and I-59 head north. Amtrak’s Crescent line (from New York to New Orleans) arrives daily at Union Passenger Terminal, conveniently next to the streetcar lines and bus center. By car, the scenic routes along the river (US-61) or Gulf (US-90) offer memorable drives.

Once in town, visitors find multiple transit options. The city’s famed green-and-red streetcars traverse key corridors – the Riverfront, Canal Street, St. Charles (to Garden District), and Rampart-St. Claude lines. These charming old streetcars (some dating to the 1920s) offer an easy way to sightsee above-ground. A comprehensive bus system (RTA) covers all neighborhoods, and modern light-rail Streetcar Line Extension (opened 2016) reaches Tulane Avenue. Taxis, ride-hailing and river ferries (to Algiers Point across the Mississippi) are abundant. Note that the French Quarter itself is very walkable, and is largely free of car traffic. Many locals and tourists alike get around on foot or bicycle rental.

The currency is U.S. dollars and English is spoken universally (though many menus still list dishes in French names). Tipping is customary – about 15–20% at restaurants and bars. The city’s pace and dress code are informal; casual wear is fine almost anywhere (though upscale restaurants may have a jacket requirement for men). New Orleanians are quick to greet “ya’ll,” so conversing with a friendly “bonjour” or “merci” (thanks) in passing is always appreciated. Culturally, people here move slowly – if you’re in a hurry, plan more time than usual.

Historically New Orleans has had higher crime rates than many cities, but conditions vary by neighborhood. The most touristy areas (French Quarter, CBD, Garden District) are generally safe by day. Visitors should use normal precautions at night, stay in lit areas, and keep belongings secure. The NOPD notes that overall crime has been declining in 2024. Above all, sensible traveler behavior (not flashing valuables, traveling in groups if possible after dark) will help ensure a pleasant trip. First aid or police help is readily available downtown. With these cautions noted, New Orleans remains a welcoming city – one that rewards the open-minded visitor with unforgettable music, food, and Southern hospitality.