New Orleans

About New Orleans

Population

391,495 in city
1,235,650 in metro

Size

468 km² (181 mi²)

Altitude

-2.4384296513 m

Welcome to New Orleans, home of Mardi Gras and one of America's favorite cities! Founded in 1718, the Crescent City is centered on a bend along the Mississippi River about 110 miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico. Also bounded by Lake Pontchartrain to the north, the city is completely surrounded by water, with much of it actually resting below sea level. The city was named Novelle Orleans, or New Orleans, in honor of Phillippe II, Duc d'Orleans during the reign of French King Louis XV. Adrien de Pauger laid out the street plan of the now world-famous French Quarter in 1718. Now home to a wide range of shops and restaurants, the Quarter attracts visitors form all around the world. The city is most well known for the large party held annually since 1827, Mardi Gras. Carnival sweeps the city each year around February complete with extravagant parades in both the Garden District and the French Quarter. Also of note is the Jazz & Heritage Festival, which has occurred each spring since 1970. The festival pays homage to the great jazz musicians of the past since this unique musical form was born in New Orleans. The great majority of the city’s skyscrapers can be found in the CBD, with the others sprinkled throughout the rest of the city. The fusion of both French and Creole cultures make the city unlike any other within the United States. Everything about the city from the food to the architecture are distinctly New Orleans and should be experienced in person to fully appreciate all the city has to offer. On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina came ashore along the Gulf Coast with the eye wall passing just 30 miles to the east of the city. It being a Category 4 storm with sustained winds greater than 100 miles per hour, the city sustained major damage with subsequent levee and floodwall breaks flooding 80 percent of the city. In being one of America's truly unique cities and a national treasure, New Orleans is recovering and rebuilding.

Zones

Medical District (37)

Boroughs

Algiers (15), Bywater (19), Central City/Garden District (42), French Quarter/CBD (258), Gentilly (17), Lakeview (9), Lower Ninth Ward (6), Mid-City (65), New Aurora/English Turn (1), New Orleans East (21), Uptown/Carrollton (36), Viavant/Venetian Isles (12),

Metro Cities

Arabi, Belle Chasse, Chalmette, Covington, Elmwood, Gretna, Harahan, Harvey, Jefferson, Kenner, Luling, Marrero, Metairie, New Orleans, Reserve, River Ridge, Slidell

No. of Buildings

No.	Current status
528	All Buildings
436	existing
5	under construction
13	planned
49	unbuilt
25	demolished

Tallest Buildings

#	Building	Height	Year
1	One Shell Square	697 ft	1972
2	Capital One Tower	645 ft	1984
3	Plaza Tower	531 ft	1969
4	Energy Center	530 ft	1984
5	First Bank & Trust Tower	481 ft	1987

Building types

No.	Type
304	low-rise building
128	high-rise building
32	skyscraper
11	mast (pole)
11	church
11	bridge
11	open-air structure
7	sculpture
4	stadium
2	building with towers
2	hall
1	mast (wired)
1	monument
1	airport tower
1	fountain
1	silo

Other buildings

No.	Type
9	Famous buildings
10	Buildings with construction images