ABOUT NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans was founded by Jean Baptiste La Moyne, Sieur de Bienville in 1718. Located on a curve in the east bank of the Mississippi River the city was formulated in an organized manor into a rectangular community known as the French Quarter. The city became known as the Crescent City as it grew to the west, north, and east, following the curve in the river.
New Orleans has been the capitol of Louisiana but it was removed in 1825 to Donaldsonville. It came back to the city in 1864 but once again removed and given to Baton Rouge in 1879. The city today has a population of nearly a half a million people.New Orleans has over 35,000 structures on the National Register of Historic Places,15,000 more than its closest competitor Washington DC.
Today there are huge pumps and canals which drain the city who’s annual rain fall is around 80". The city’s canals in mileage exceed that of Venice. One of its streets called Canal Street was intended for a canal but was never built. The street was then used mainly for public transportation, mostly by the Canal St. Streetcars.
The city is surrounded by swamps and marshes with a high sea level of approximately six feet. Levees were built around the city to protect it from the spring rise in the Mississippi River level, and tidal surges from hurricanes. New Orleans has been hit by two major category 3 hurricanes, Hurricane Betsy in September 1965 and Hurricane Katrina Category 4 in August 2005.
Katrina was the largest hurricane to ever hit United States, destroying the the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The death toll from hurricane Katrina was 1836, 1577 from Louisiana and 238 from Mississippi. The Bush administration sought $105 billion dollars for repairs and reconstruction.
Mardi Gras is a famous parade that takes place in New Orleans each year the day before Ash Wednesday.Mardi Gras is an ancient custom that originated in southern Europe. It celebrates food and fun just before the 40 days of Lent.
Carnival refers to the season which begins on January 6. Purple in the parade represents justice, green stands for faith, and gold signifies power. These colours were chose by The King of Carnival 1872 for his first parade calling it "Symbolism of Colors." The French Quarter has seen the passing of the parade for 117 years but in 1973 due to the size of the parade and its floats a ban should be put in place in those narrow streets.
New Orleans first skyscraper was built in 1807 and was the first four-story building in the city on the corner of Royal St. and St. Peter St, in the French Quarter. The Central Business District skyscrapers west of Canal Street were a product of the oil-boom during the 1970s and early 1980s.35% of the city's operating budget comes from tourism dollars.