New Orleans

New Orleans is a consolidated city-parish in the southern part of the United States state of Louisiana, near the Mississippi River. With a projected population of 383,997 people in 2020, it will be the most populated city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans, which serves as a major port, is regarded as an economic and commercial centre for the wider Gulf Coast area of the United States.

New Orleans is known around the globe for its distinctive music, Creole food, different accents, and yearly festivities and festivals, the most well-known of which is Mardi Gras. It is the French Quarter, which is renowned for its French and Spanish Creole architecture as well as its lively nightlife along Bourbon Street, that serves as the historic centre of the city. The city has been referred to as the "most distinctive" in the United States, due in great part to its multi-cultural and linguistic history, which is represented throughout the city. Additionally, New Orleans has been widely regarded as "Hollywood South" as a result of its significant position in the film industry and in popular culture throughout time.

In 1718, French colonists established New Orleans as the territorial capital of French Louisiana. After the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, New Orleans became a part of the United States as part of the Louisiana Territory. As of 1840, New Orleans had the third-highest population of any city in the United States, and it continued to be the most populous city in the American South from the Antebellum era until after World War II. A combination of factors has made the city historically very susceptible to floods. These factors include heavy rains, a low lying elevation, inadequate natural drainage, and its closeness to many bodies of water. In an attempt to keep the city safe, state and federal officials have constructed a complicated system of levees and drainage pumps across the area.

More than 1,800 people were murdered and thousands of people were displaced by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, resulting in a population loss of more than 50% in New Orleans. The storm flooded more than 80 percent of the city, caused more than 1,800 deaths, and displaced thousands of inhabitants. Since Hurricane Katrina, substantial reconstruction initiatives have resulted in a significant increase in the city's population. Concerns have been raised regarding gentrification, new inhabitants purchasing property in previously tightly knit communities, and the displacement of long-term residents.