New Orleans
New Orleans in Louisiana, USA, is 170 km from the mouth of the famous Mississippi River. The city is relatively large to be in the United States although it has well under 500,000 inhabitants. It is not true that there are many millions of cities in the United States that many believe.
New Orleans is a city known for life-affirming nightlife, festivals, music and fun. Jazz and Creole music is heard almost everywhere, but also other music of course. Unfortunately, New Orleans is also a hard-fought city, and then we are not just thinking about the many natural disasters that have devastated the city, including through hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. No, New Orleans is also struggling with a large proportion of poor and unemployed residents.
Maybe it is the combination of the city’s exciting cultural heritage, and a hard-to-find population, which is the main reason why the city is known to many as the carnival city and the festival city number one in the United States? Tourism has traditionally been one of the city’s most important industries, and nothing beats the annual Mardi Gras carnival when it comes to the influx of tourists, so remember to book your hotel room well in advance!
New Orleans is in many ways very different from the cities further north, such as New York and Boston. The atmosphere in the city is characterized by more frivolity and openness. The climate is also completely different. Here it can be really hot all winter. But there have also been cases of minus degrees, so it is with the temperature as with the city otherwise. In New Orleans, you can never be sure of what you encounter!
Get to know New Orleans
Most of New Orleans is located between Lake Pontchartrain lagoon in the north and a meander of Mississippi in the south. The city is also called Crescent City, the ‘Crescent City’.
Large parts of New Orleans are lower than the river’s mean water level and are protected by dikes and pumping stations. During Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the dikes erupted in several places, causing a catastrophic flood that resulted in many deaths and homelessness, and major material damage.
Hurricane Rita in September caused further damage. Many moved permanently or temporarily out of the city. In 2003, the population was about 500,000, while that year-end 2005/06 had an estimated change to only about 150,000 people. However, this figure is subject to great uncertainty.
City Profile
- Abbreviation: NO
- Country: United States
The history of New Orleans
The town was built by the French in 1718. From 1764 to 1802 it belonged to Spain, then again to France until 1803, when the Louisiana Territory, ie the land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, was sold to the United States. New Orleans was a significant slave market. A large part of the population is descended from French and Spanish colonists of the 18th century. Among later immigrants, Italians form a large group. The Cajun country northwest of the city has also made its mark on the city trip, especially in the area of chef art (Cajun cuisine). Cajuns (Acadians) are descendants of French-Canadians who were banished from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by the British during the colonial war (1754-1763).
Jazz got its first development here, and one of the foremost style makers of music, Louis Armstrong, is honored with its own park in the city. You can find it at 801 N Rampart Street, in the French Quarter, not far from the cathedral.
Business structure in New Orleans
New Orleans is the most important port for the Mississippi States, and is a free port from 1947. The petroleum industry is of great importance to New Orleans, but tourism has also traditionally been one of the city’s most important industries. Blue. the annual Mardi Gras carnival has attracted many tourists.
The industry uses natural gas as an energy source and in New Orleans you will find, among other things, one of the United States’ largest aluminum plants (Kaiser), oil refineries, petrochemicals, oil mills (cotton seeds), the textile industry and the sugar industry.
There is a Norwegian Consulate General and Seamen’s Church in the city.
City of New Orleans
French Quarter in New Orleans. Photo: Ray Devlin (flickr) cc license
New Orleans today has 13 districts and 72 so-called “neigborhoods.” Not everyone is equally interesting to tourists, but since the city is not that big, you have time to get the most out of it.
French Quarter and Downtown
The oldest and best-known neighborhood in New Orleans is the French Quarter southeast of the city. The old French quarter, Vieux Carré, has narrow streets and low houses with wrought-iron grilles and lush gardens in the backyards. This is the original center of New Orleans, from the time the city was built in 1718. The heart is Jackson Square, with the Louie Cathedral and the State Museum of Cabildo, both begun in the 1790s. Nearby is the famous vegetable market French Market. Fortunately, this area was little damaged by hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The French Quarter extends along Mississippi from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue and toward the city to Nort Rampart Street. In French Quarter there is always life and mess, with street artists and musicians everywhere. Perhaps the most famous street is Rue Bourbon or Bourbon Street, which has its name after a French noble family. And what is Bourbon Street most famous for? Its many nightclubs so clear.
Downtown is historically a neighborhood located along an arm from Mississippi, east of Canal Street. For years, New Orleans was divided into a downtown and an uptown, with the French dominating downtown and the Anglo-Saxon ruling in uptown, that is on the other side of Canal Street. After World War II, the development of New Orleans began for full and districts such as Lakeview and Gentilly were provided resources. These newer neighborhoods have wide, straight streets with subtropical plantings, contrary to what one for example. can be found in the French Quarter.
Warehouse District
The neighborhood known as the Warehouse District has its name from the many trading houses and wholesalers who had their headquarters here. In particular, the activity was high until it became common with container boats. Today, the Warehouse District is modernized and a neighborhood full of art galleries, hotels, restaurants, and of course, some shopping malls.
Today, official city maps will include both the CBD and the Warehouse District as part of the so-called downtown. Together with the French Quarter, this constitutes District 1 and is the district all tourists visit. There are a number of sights and attractions downtown and the French Quarter. And it’s not just historical monuments you’ll find here. Not least, sports fans will find their way to the huge New Orleans Superdome where, among other things, NFL team New Orleans Saints play. CBD’s main park is at Lafayette Square and there are also great galleries. Lafayette Square or Place Gravier, as it used to be called in the old days, is located on the main street of Poydras Street, a street that runs parallel to more famous Canal Street.
Central City / Garden District
One of many great “mansions” in New Orleans and the Garden District. Photo: Sharon Mollerus (cc license)
The Garden District is a neighborhood in the south of New Orleans, located on St. Charles Avenue in the north, 1st Street in the east, Toledano Street in the west, and not least known Magazine Street in the south. The Garden District is the place where you will see many of the best-preserved “Southern State Mansions” in the United States. To be declared a mansion, the house must be at least 8,000 square feet, which is approximately 740 square feet.
In the Garden District you will also find attractions such as ‘the George Washington Cable House’ at 1313 8th Street and the historic synagogue Anshe Sfard. Commander’s Palace, one of New Orleans’ most famous restaurants, is also located in this district. The address of the restaurant is 1403 Washington Avenue.
Lakeview Area and Lake Pontchartrain
New Orleans has great parks with lush vegetation. For longer excursions, take the trip “behind” the New Orleans itself. To the northwest of downtown, at Lake Pontchartrain, there are both beaches and amusement places. On the way to Lake Pontchartrain, you will also pass the huge City Park, which is a solid green oasis, with several nice eateries. City Park and Lakewood are among several neigborhoods that belong to the Lakeview Area. As you understand, this is the place for outdoor areas, golf clubs and country houses. This is also the area where you will find New Orleans University.
If you are in the French Quarter or downtown you can by walking Canal Street all the way northwest then you come to New Orleans Country Club, a number of the city’s many graves and with City Park just north.
Facts about New Orleans
New Orleans is located in Louisiana and is the state’s largest city. The city is one of the most famous in the United States, not least because of its great carnival, Mardi Gras. New Orleans has also been much in the media due to the devastation caused by various hurricanes in modern times.
| Population | approx. 378,000 inhabitants, (2013). After a natural disaster, the population was reduced by about 50% from the year 2000 to the year 2009 |
| Official language | English |
| Control Form | Republic |
| Religion | Mainly Christian, with a predominance of Catholics versus Protestants. Otherwise, New Orleans is a strange mix of a variety of religions, while general statistics show that the average population of the city is less religious than the United States in general. |
| Time Difference | New Orleans is 7 hours after Norway. Ie that when it is 1200 in New Orleans then it is 1900 in Norway. |
| Currency | Dollar, (USD). Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Diners Club are the most common credit cards, and ATMs can be found almost everywhere. |
| Tips | As elsewhere in the United States, tips are expected when you are at hotels, restaurants, taxis and so on. It is common to tip with about 10% to 20% of the bill at the restaurant, depending on how satisfied you are with the service. For taxi then round off up. |
| Embassy | The closest consulate is located in Houston, Texas. Phone (713) 620-4200, at West Dallas Street. The Norwegian Embassy in the USA can be found in Washington DC. |
| Tourist | 529 Saint Ann Street (www.louisiana.gov and www.neworleansonline.com) |
| Telephone | +1 |
| Emergency | 911 |
Electricity |
110 / 120V AC, 60Hz. Two-point socket is most commonly used, although three-point is also common. You will need the adapter to use the brought electrical equipment, which should be purchased before departure. |
| National Day and Holidays | January 1, July 4 (Independence Day), as well as a number of moving holidays such as Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. |
| Visa | Basically not required for Norwegian citizens with machine-readable biometric passport. Read more about the visa for the USA at Travelplanet. |
| Vaccinations | Vaccines are not normally required for travel to the United States |
| Water | The tap water is usually perfectly safe to drink, especially in cities and in larger hotels. |
| Other major cities nearby | Houston (in Texas), Jackson (in Mississippi) and Mobile (in Alabama). |
| Safety | New Orleans is charged with some violent crime, but the majority of it takes place outside the areas where most tourists travel. Be careful walking alone at night, and stay away from the poorest neighborhoods that are part of lower Eastern New Orleans and Lower 9th Ward if you are not with people who know these neighborhoods.The French Quarter and the other major tourist areas are rarely dangerous to tourists. Here, you should rather be on the lookout for pickpockets and so-called street artists who are stealing money from you, unlike all other big cities. |
List of New Orleans Acronyms
The most commonly used abbreviations about New Orleans is NO which stands for New Orleans. In the following table, you can see all acronyms related to New Orleans, including abbreviations for airport, city, school, port, government, and etc.
