Greater New Orleans
New Orleans was founded by French settlers in 1718 as Nouvelle-Orleans. The site was selected because it was a rare bit of natural high ground along the flood-prone banks of the lower Mississippi River and was adjacent to the trading route and portage between the Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain via Bayou St. John.
In 1722, the colonial capital of French Louisiana was moved from Biloxi, Miss., to New Orleans. For the next century, the city changed hands between the French and Spanish until Louisiana became an American Territory in 1803 after the sale by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Through the 19th and 20th centuries, New Orleans remained not only one of the most populous cities in the United States but also one of the nation's most important ports with its location at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Besides the original French and American citizens, displaced Acadians from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, as well as French Creoles from Saint Domingue (currently Haiti) came to settle in the New Orleans area. These Francophone settlers brought their architectural and culinary traditions to the city and still characterize the local culture and environment.
New Orleans is characterized by its many historic neighborhoods celebrating unique and diverse architectural traditions. Architectural styles unique to the Greater New Orleans area include the Creole cottage, the American townhouse, the Creole townhouse, the raised centerhall cottage, the shotgun house and the double gallery house. The California-style bungalow house came to the city in the mid-20th century.
The higher ground of New Orleans that lies along the Mississippi River, where a natural earthen levee developed, is where most of the older architecture is found. This architecture also can be found along naturally occurring higher ridges throughout the city. At the beginning of and into the middle of the 20th century, levees were constructed, as well as canals and pumps within the city limits, which allowed for the development of the areas found below sea level. These precedents in engineering allowed for great development throughout what is now the Greater New Orleans area.
Suburbs of New Orleans that make up the Greater New Orleans area are Metairie, West Bank and Kenner.
Hurricane Katrina did not hit New Orleans straight on, but the storm surge from Lake Pontchartrain generated a tremendous amount of pressure on the levees until they gave way and flooded the city for several weeks. After this occurrence, New Orleans lost 75 percent of its housing stock. Half its residents were displaced and have relocated around the country since the storm.
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