New Orleans is situated along a crescent-shaped portion of the Mississippi River, 120 miles from where it streams into the Gulf of Mexico. New Orleans is Bounded on the north by the Lake Pontchartrain, most of the land area of the city lies below sea-level and is protected from storms by natural and human-made levees. Between 1699 and 1762 the French who colonized Louisiana fought with many problems and obtained only limited support from their government. However, they left an permanent imprint, improved later by French-speaking immigrants from Acadia and Saint Domingue. That legacy has remained evident in New Orleans. New Orleans is known as the capital of French Louisiana in 1722. French architecture, language, customs, and identity as well as the dominance of Roman Catholicism persisted across time. African slaves formed a major portion of the colonial population and also shaped the city's culture. The city population recorded in 2006 is estimated as 187,525.
Economy: New Orleans is the largest city in Louisiana and is the major port entry of U.S. It has long been one of the busiest and most competent international ports in the country. It imports coffee, sugar, and bananas and its exports include oil, petrochemicals, rice, cotton, and corn. Coastal traffic is dense (the city is at the junction of the Intra-coastal Waterway with the Mississippi River), and New Orleans is a major rail, highway, air, and river hub. It posses an international airport too. New Orleans is one of the leading industrial centers in the south because of its fine port, although most of the larger industries were developed relatively recently. Food processing is a great enterprise. It also have shipbuilding and repair yards & factories manufacturing a wide variety of goods, including wood, paper, and metal products, foods and beverages, building stone, medical and building equipment, communication systems, apparel and aircraft parts. There is also printing and publishing. Along Mississippi River located many oil and chemical plants, west of New Orleans.
The Climate of New Orleans is humid subtropical, with cool winters and hot, humid summers. New Orleans experiences snowfall only on rare occasions.
City Attractions: North of broad Canal Street is a biggest tourist attraction. St. Louis Cathedral (1794); and other 18th- and 19th-century structures. It is fully fledged with several world-famous restaurants, specializing in shrimp, oysters and fish from nearby waters uphold the New Orleans tradition of good living, and the annual Mardi Gras is perhaps the best-known festival in the United States.
Also adding to the color of the city are the many parks including an aquarium, museums including a voodoo museum, the National D-day Museum, and the New Orleans Museum of Art, and gardens; the Jazz-land Theme Park is a few miles to the east. The Louisiana Superdome; a home of the National Football League's New Orleans Saints, is also the site of the annual Sugar Bowl football game. New Orleans is also an educational center.
AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA, as of July 2006, efforts continue to clean up debris and restore infrastructure. Though most of the city has reopened for residents, and areas that suffered limited damage have considerably restarted functioning, the parts of the city which are severely damaged still have irregular utilities and city services, and the most severely damaged portion of the Lower Ninth Ward is still not officially open for residents to return to live.
Education: Several institutions of higher education also exist within the city including University of New Orleans, Tulane University, Loyola University, Dillard University, Southern University of New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana, Louisiana State University Medical School, Our Lady Holy Cross College and many other.
Real Estate: Property values in central New Orleans is up by 49.1% since August 2005 (Times Picayune). It is very exciting to know about the rebuilding of New Orleans. The city is going to be better than ever. This property value increase is because of the new construction and remodeling. This is also the perfect time to buy a home with a great bargain in an excellent area for a huge discount.
New Orleans is going to be alright. Since Hurricane Katrina has damaged much of this beautiful town the market is very quiet. It will be rebuilt better than ever. This is a great opportunity for New Orleans to have a fresh start. If you want to be the part of this New city can match the mortgage quotes for Free. We match your quotes with the top mortgage lenders of that area and let you know the best suitable one for you. To know the quotes please fill the form with necessary details.
