New Orleans
384,320 (city & parish), 1,240,977 (metro)
Central
Humid subtropical (Short, mild winters and hot, humid summers)
New Orleans
READY? YOUR NEW TEAM IS IN…
If y’all gonna be livin’ here, don’t be sayin’ it wrong. It’s pronounced “New OR-linz.” Not “New Or-LEANS.” And definitely not “New Or-lee-ans.” If you ever hear either of the latter two pronunciations, it’s someone a) being a goofball, b) yanking your chain, c) both a & b, d) being a total tourist, or e) trying to rhyme song lyrics. (If they say, “New Or-lee-on,” they’re probably French.)
It is difficult to live in New Orleans and not get caught up in the whole historical vibe here. This is THE American original. There is no other city like it on earth. In many regards, it’s as if New-Orleans keeps time in a bottle that still has a little absinthe in the bottom. It all began in 1718, when La Nouvelle-Orléans was established by the Mississippi Company, which had a French-granted trade monopoly for the West Indies & North America. The nickname The Crescent City is no mere accident of geography made into a charming moniker. It speaks to the fundamental basis of the city’s existence.
Neighborhoods
Nickname[s]
The Crescent City
The Big Easy
The City That Care Forgot
Nawlins
NOLA
Motto
Laissez les bon temps rouler! (Let the good times roll)
Proud to call it home
Random song about the city
Laissez les bon temps rouler! (Let the good times roll)
Proud to call it home
Pro Sports Teams
New Orleans Saints (NFL)
New Orleans Pelicans (NBA)
New Orleans Zephyrs (PCL)
New Orleans Krewe (IWFL)
New Orleans Jesters (NPSL)
Also Known For...
Introducing voodoo to the U.S.
The birth of jazz
Humidity
Beignets
Bayous
Beads
Boobs for beads (don’t do it)
Exquisite decay
A Mississippi Delta accent that sounds like Brooklyn
The smell
Dancing in the street
Being the most haunted city in America
The oldest continuously operating restaurant in the U.S.
The oldest continuously operating cathedral in the U.S.
Coining the name “Uncle Sam”
The country’s largest municipal park
The world’s first equestrian statue where the horse has more than one foot off the base
Giant frozen daiquiris (don’t do it)
Po’ boy sandwiches
Dixieland
The Superdome
Mardi Gras
Angel Heart
Being one of two U.S. states that do not have counties
The French Quarter
The country’s first opera performance
Drive-through daiquiri stands
The nation’s best pharmaceutical school
The Tremé neighborhood and the HBO series, Tremé
Bourbon Street (don’t do it)
WHO DAT!
Streetcars
Swamp tours
The Carousel Bar
Drinking in the street—legally
Tons of French street names that are in no way pronounced like French
Jambalaya
Gumbo
The Sazerac
Inventing poker and craps
The country’s greatest number of historic districts
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the world’s longest continuous bridge
Not burying their dead, but putting them in above-ground tombs
Ann Rice, Elmore Leonard, James Booker, Truman Capote, Mac “Dr. John” Rebennack, Louise Armstrong, Allan Toussaint, Mahalia Jackson, Reese Witherspoon, Harry Connick, Jr., Ellen DeGeneres, Edgar Degas, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, Jeanne Lafitte, Pierre Lafitte, Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Tyler Perry, Carl Weathers, James Carville, Bryant Gumbel, Ray Nagin, Cokie Roberts, Terence Blanchard, Big Al Carson, Mahalia Jackson, Wynton, Branford & Ellis Marsalis (Jr. & Sr.), The Neville Brothers, Randy Newman, Eli & Peyton Manning, Mel Ott, Marie Laveau, Babe “Mr. Bojangles” Stovall
Living In and Around New Orleans
One of the first things people think of when talking about New Orleans is the French Quarter. And it is charming. One challenge with living there full time is that it means your living in other peoples’ vacation. We love the Quarter, and frequently stay there when we visit. But for something approaching a normal living situation (whatever that might actually be in New Orleans), it’s advisable to look elsewhere. Keep the Quarter as that special gift you get to visit periodically.
That said, if the idea of a truly historic neighborhood near the quarter is appealing, you might enjoy The Garden District. Historians consider it one of the country’s best-preserved collections of historic Southern mansions. The Garden District proper is where you’ll find the bigger, more exquisite homes with more exquisite price tags. The Lower Garden District is less exquisite with more affordable properties. Both get good scores for education and amenities.
If an artsy neighborhood holds appeal (not that you won’t find that almost anywhere around here), consider Downtown/Warehouse District. In the 19th century, this was an industrial neighborhood with grain, coffee and produce storage for shipment through the port. In the latter 20th century, it began evolving into the “SoHo of the South.” You’ll find loft living here, nightlife, restaurants, artists and (oh, yes) The Superdome.
Getting away from the hubbub of the Quarter, the Uptown/Carrollton area to the west has much to recommend it. This neighborhood is one way to get away from the tourists and have terrific access to amenities, good schools—and oh, just maybe, a home that’s still on the Mardi Gras parade route. It’s walkable. It’s bikable. And hey—Whole Foods is here.
Want out of the city and into the ‘burbs? About 20 minutes from town is Metairie. The name is from the French word for a small tenant farm. In this case, small is relative. If it were incorporated, it would be Louisiana’s fourth largest city, and it’s the fifth largest census-designated place in the country. With a population bumping the 140,000 mark, it’s a charming city on Lake Pontchartrain. With plenty of amenities, it offers a relatively low median home price around $210,000 and a wide array of housing options. You can find a 1-bed/1-bath condo for about 50K, a 6-bed/5-bath mansion on the lake for about $2.5 million, and a wide array of affordable properties in between. That includes plenty of inventory in the 300K range that are decent sized family homes. There’s also easy access to boating, fishing and swimming at Lake Pontchartrain.
About half an hour directly across the lake from Metairie is Mandeville, which has a much different vibe. A town of about 11,000, it has grown up from a weekend destination for New Orleanians. If you want a multi-million-dollar mansion, it’s here—along with an array of historic cottages, modern townhouses and ranch-style homes. Good schools here as well. Not to mention Ruby’s Roadhouse, which has been in continuous operation since 1920s.