Book Hotels in New Orleans-La

Founded in 1718 by Jean_Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, New Orleans was named after the Duke of Orleans, Phillippe II, who ruled France as a youth, for King Louis XV. New Orleans is the oldest city of the south and is called the Crescent City because it lies along a large curve of the Mississippi River. A section, known as the French Quarter, is the original section. The lack of natural drainage is due to the fact that a lot of New Orleans lies below sea level but have alleviated this by drainage pumps that is the greatest system in the world. Levees, which are great walls, have been built to prevent floods in New Orleans. A small number of Asians and whites make up 45% of the population and blacks 55% are blacks. White descendants are of European immigrants who came to New Orleans in search of freedom and to find opportunities. In the early 1700's, blacks were brought to the city of New Orleans as the first slaves.

New Orleans was devastated by a category 5 hurricane, Katrina, August of 2005. This was one of 5 of the deadliest storms in history. Over 1500 residents lost their lives in this storm when 80% of the city was flooded. Human interference that caused coastal erosion caused the flood walls, levees and pump stations to fail against such a powerful storm. An amendment to the states constitution was put into affect in 2006, to restore the shoreline from revenues generated from off shore drilling of oil. Parts of the city of New Orleans have been rebuilt, after Katrina and even after this devastation occurred, the people who call this home, are strong and will rebuild again, stronger than ever and the Mardi Gras' will continue on. New Orleans is known for mild winters and hot, humid summers, subtropical. The average temperature for January is 62 degrees and 91 degrees in July. When you visit New Orleans you may want to wear a jacket in order to be safe. When the cool night air sets in you may feel a tad bit chili. When you visit someone in New Orleans take time to visit more of the historical sights. When New Orleans has a festival or event they rally want to celebrate and you are invited. You can enjoy the festivals, the foods and the entertainment that you will see at the festivals.