New Orleans Being located on a crescent-shaped bend of the Mississippi River, New Orleans is commonly referred to as “The Crescent City,” and was founded in 1718 by Jean Baptiste LeMoyne, Sieur de Bienville, and his brother, Pierre. This Southern Louisiana city is one of the busiest seaports in the world, despite the fact that it's situated about 110 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Not surprisingly, New Orleans is bordered on all sides by waterways, bayous, the Mississippi River, and finally Lake Pontchartrain. Lake Pontchartrain is home to what we now suspect is the second longest over-water bridge in the world, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, originally built in 1956. The twin spans of the Causeway (the second span, 80 feet away handles traffic in the opposite direction and was opened in 1969) is an amazing 23.8 miles across, and is held in place by 9,000 concrete pilings. |
New Orleans has changed national flags a number of times, being owned by the French, the Spanish, and finally coming under the control of the Americans, being purchased from France in 1803. The most famous part of the city is the French Quarter, really a misnomer since much of the architecture is of Spanish influence and was built during the time when Spain was in control of the city. Locally, street signs refer to the French Quarter as Vieux Carre.
 | A view from the stern of the Canal Street ferry headed toward Algiers Point. Here we are looking back at the Central Business District (CBD) of New Orleans (the WTC and aquarium are in the center of the photo). |
 | Photo taken in September, 2000: looking down the streetcar track which lines the neutral ground (the median) of Canal Street—the heart of the Central Business District. The outskirts of the French Quarter is just to the right. |