New Orleans

New Orleans, the largest city in Louisiana, is located in the southeast part of the state, between the Mississippi River and Lake Ponchartrain.

New Orleans has one of the world's greatest international ports and it is a major focus of the city's economy. New Orleans is known for its multicultural heritage as well as its music and cuisine. It is considered the birthplace of jazz.

One of the few cities of the nation that has been under three flags, New Orleans has belonged to Spain, France, and the United States.

New Orleans is famous for its French Quarter, with its mixture of French, Spanish, and native architectural styles. The Mardi Gras—a week of carnival held in New Orleans before the beginning of Lent—is the most spectacular festival in the U.S. and is a popular tourist attraction. Despite Hurricane Katrina, the 2006 Mardi Gras was still scheduled to be held.

The French founded the city in 1718, in that time seven small tribes known as the Muskogeans inhabited the Florida Parishes north of Lake Pontchartrain and, occasionally, the banks of the Mississippi River.

In 1763, the French colony was ceded to the Spanish Empire and remained under Spanish control for 40 years.*br>
Louisiana reverted to French control in 1801, but two years later Napoleon sold it to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. The city grew rapidly, due to early settlers arrived mostly from France, Canada and Germany, while the French imported thousands of African slaves.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, New Orleans dominated the Caribbean as the most active port city and trade destination for island crops like sugar cane, rum, tobacco and fruit.

Under French, Spanish and American domination, Creole society coalesced as Islanders, West Africans, slaves, free people of color and indentured servants poured into the city along with a mix of French aristocrats, merchants, farmers, soldiers, freed prisoners and nuns.

New Orleans was, for its time, a permissive society where educated gens de couleur libres were master builders who developed elegant Creole architecture and chefs who developed the city’s sophisticated Creole cuisine.

By the early 20th century, New Orleans was ripe for the musical revolution that gave birth to jazz. Blacks had long congregated at Congo Square every Sunday to dance and sing to an African drumbeat - the only place in the South where this was permitted.

New Orleans is one of the most visited cities in The United States. Around 14 million visitors attend each year, either for the Carnival celebrations, the Mardi Gras, the Sugar Bowl, Voodoo Fest, Southern Decadence or the Essence Festival.

Also the manufacturing industry is a significant part of the economy, with petroleum, petrochemical, shipbuilding, and aerospace industries all playing a role. The New Orleans region also functions as a mining, processing, and transportation center for other minerals, principally sulfur. Service industries are playing a larger role, with health care and telecommunications leading the way. The New Orleans region is widely regarded as a leading center of medicine and health care in the South.

Mayor: C. Ray Nagin (to May 2010)

2000 census population (rank) : 484,674 (31); % change: –2.5; Male: 227,094 (46.9%); Female: 257,580 (53.1%); White: 135,956 (28.1%); Black: 325,947 (67.3%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 991 (0.2%); Asian: 10,972 (2.3%); Other race: 4,498 (0.9%); Two or more races: 6,201 (1.3%); Hispanic/Latino: 14,826 (3.1%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 73.3%; 65 and over: 11.7%; Median age: 33.1.

2004 population estimate (rank) : 462,269 (35)

Land area: 181 sq mi. (469 sq km);

Alt. : Highest, 15 ft.; lowest, –4 ft.

Avg. daily temp. : Jan., 51.3° F; July, 81.9° F

French Quarter
The heart and cultural center of New Orleans is the French Quarter, a must-see for its high energy, rich history, diverse architecture, music, street performers, renowned jazz clubs, lively nightlife and the finest art galleries and restaurants in the city.

National D-Day Museum
The mission of this museum focuses on the remembrance and celebration of the American Spirit, teamwork, courage and sacrifice of the men and women who served during World War II.

Bourbon Street
The partying never stops on Bourbon Street, the French Quarter's liveliest and wildest thoroughfare, where the rhythmic sounds of jazz, country western, Dixieland and sultry blues permeate the air. Brimming with life, you'll find everything from shopping to music to Cajun food to nightclubs.

Audubon Zoo
Take a worldwide safari through Asia, Africa, Australian Outback and the Louisiana Swamp to view more than 1,500 animal species.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
Home to sea creatures from the Caribbean, Amazon, Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River.

Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World
Where else can you see giant alligators that float and King Kong several stories high? Tour the studio of the Mardi Gras float designers to see how it's done.

Preservation Hall
Historic and inexpensive jazz venue may not serve food or drinks, but the music it serves up is first rate. **Due to the hurricane Katrina, Preservation Hall is closed indefinitely.

Garden District
An area of the city that features numerous historic homes.

New Orleans is famous for the influence of its French founders and the architectural treasures they left. But history didn't stop when the United States purchased Louisiana, and every age since has brought new influences.

Creole is a language, a cuisine and a population with roots in Africa via the West Indies. Many of their ancestors came to the islands and Louisiana as slaves, some as free people, and they mixed with French, Indian and Spanish immigrants. Their descendants give New Orleans much of its flavor.

The food, the festival, the music are shared pleasures, because somehow a novel ethnicity, born of the New World, has emerged in New Orleans. Creole cuisine, jazz and other forms of local music, Mardi Gras — all these famous attributes of the city give New Orleans a powerful sense of identity.

Of all American cities, New Orleans knows best how to party.

Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras Day is on Tuesday because it is the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. For some reason, the French are famous for celebrating Fat Tuesday over the centuries. It must have something to do with their mix of wine, Catholicism, amorous French tendencies, the massive popularity of masking and satire during the French Renaissance.

Jazz Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is a 10 day cultural and music festival consisting of two main components: the Louisiana Heritage Fair and the Evening Concerts. The Louisiana Heritage Fair showcases over 600 musicians on 12 stages, an amazing array of authentic Louisiana cuisine, crafts and art displaying the talents of artisans from around the state and world, a series of educational workshops, and as always, second-line parades happening each day of the festival. The Evening Concerts take place at different venues around New Orleans.

French Quarter Festival
French Quarter Festival is a three day fest of free concerts with over 140 live performances by local musicians at fifteen stages. This festival is on the second weekend in April

Greek Festival
Annual Greek Festival features Greek folk dancing, music, jewelry, gifts, and lip-smacking good food.

Voodoo Music Experience
The sixth annual Voodoo Music Experience will feature 2 days of non-stop music, featuring 3 stages and over 60 musicians.

International Arts Festival
Music from Cuba, the Carribean, and Africa in the middle of City Park's 100-year-old oak trees. Performers will include India Arie, The Revealers, The Roots, Bunji Garlin, Bamboula 2000, Mutabaruka and more. This festival was formerly called Reggae Riddums

Skating
Audubon Park is an ideal in-line skating area just west of the Garden District along the banks of the Mississippi. You can circle the park or concentrate on speed near the river in adjacent Levee Park, where you are less likely to crash into other park users. Lakeshore Park, a 16km (10mi) narrow shoreline strip fronting Lake Pontchartrain, is also a great place to blade with long, paved trails. Skates are available for rent near both parks.

Cycling
New Orleans is a great city for biking - it's flat and compact - just watch out for those hungry potholes that swallow skinny tyres. A better bet is to hop on a fat-tyre mountain bike - the perfect urban swamp cruiser. Casual bicycling is done in City Park, around the lakefront and on the bike trail around Audubon Park and Levee Park. For long-distance rides and tours, make sure you're well prepared for rain.

Fishing
The good news for anglers is that Louisiana's commercial live catch leads the nation. Freshwater fishing is also appealing as the warm inland waters are incredibly productive habitats for catfish, sacalait (white perch) and bass. Casual anglers can try for the catfish and sacalait in Bayou Metairie at City Park. There's no equipment rental, but cane poles are sold cheaply at the boat rental near the Casino Building. Inexpensive daily fishing permits are required.

Louis Armstrong musician;

Truman Capote author;

Fats Domino musician;

Louis Gottschalk pianist and composer;

Bryant Gumbel TV personality;

Lillian Hellman playwright and author;

Al Hirt musician;

Mahalia Jackson singer;

Dorothy Lamour actress;

Wynton Marsalis musician;

Huey Newton activist;

Marguerite Piazza soprano;

Rusty Staub baseball player;

Ben Turpin comedian;

Shirley Verrett mezzo-soprano;

Carl Weathers actor;

Del Williams football player.