Algiers

Although a devastating fire destroyed Algiers Point’s courthouse and most of its Greek Revival and Italianate buildings in 1895, the small town soon rose from the ashes. Within a year, a new courthouse and rows of attractive cottages and larger houses were under construction, thanks to a thriving shipbuilding industry and commerce from the Southern Pacific Railroad. Since the 1800s, the Canal Street ferry has linked Algiers Point to the Central Business District and the Vieux Carré.

Bywater

Like many of New Orleans' riverside neighbors, Bywater was settled on the site of plantations carved from land grants made by French and Spanish rulers. Early inhabitants belonged to the artisan class and included Creoles, free people of color, and immigrants from Ireland, Italy and Germany. A mix of Creole cottages and Victorian shotguns, Bywater hosts the annual Mirliton Festival.

Carrollton

After the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad began operating in 1835, rural Carrollton experienced rapid growth which led to its or in 1845. Ten years later, it became the Jefferson parish seat of justice, and was annexed by NOLA in 1874. Today, the St. Charles Avenue streetcar links Carrollton’s Oak Street and Riverbend historic areas to other historic neighborhoods, just as it did more than 150 years ago.

Central Business District

Much of the Central Business District was once Faubourg St. Mary, the sector where Americans settled after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Residential life centered on Lafayette Square, with business, commerce and industry concentrated in the Warehouse District and in the area of Picayune Place. Canal Street’s “neutral ground” separated the city’s French and American populations. Today, the area commingles museums, foundries, apartments, hotels, restaurants, art galleries, offices and stores.

Central City

Central City’s first settlers were Irish immigrants who moved to New Orleans in the 1830s to work on the New Basin Canal. Thanks to plentiful rental housing, a succession of working-class immigrants including Germans and Jews shaped the area’s character by building churches and synagogues and establishing businesses on Dryades Street. Today, churches like First Emmanuel Baptist, First Street Methodist and St. John the Baptist form the core of neighborhood life.

Esplanade Ridge

Extending from the Vieux Carré to City Park, ER embraces three areas which developed sequentially over the course of a century. The oldest, Faubourg Tremé is characterized by early 19th century Creole cottages. Beyond Claiborne Avenue, shotgun houses built in the mid- to late 19th century are common. Across Broad to Bayou St. John, turn-of-the-century revival architecture predominates. Like St. Charles Avenue Uptown, Esplanade Avenue served as the grand residential avenue of Esplanade Ridge.

Faubourg-Marigny

Faubourg Marigny developed in the 1700s as a residential neighborhood immediately downriver from the Vieux Carré. In Marigny, the Creole cottage predominates streetscapes of a diverse array of architectural styles and warehouses testify to its history as an industrial center beginning in the 1800s. Today, Frenchmen Street’s lively cafes contrast with Washington Square’s lush tranquility.

French Quarter

Garden District

After the Livaudais Plantation was subdivided in the 1820s, the Garden District became a fashionable residential neighborhood for wealthy Americans eager to outdo their French Creole counterparts in the French Quarter and along Esplanade Avenue. Incorporated as part of the city of Lafayette in 1833, it was annexed by New Orleans in 1852. The area’s lush gardens and spectacular houses attract visitors from around the world.

Holy Cross

Wedged between the levees of the Industrial Canal and the Mississippi River, Holy Cross stretches as far as the St. Bernard Parish line. The area derives its name from Holy Cross High School, which was founded in 1859 and built in 1895. Largely residential and having a rural flavor, the neighborhood grew steadily from the mid 1800s through the 1930s. Twin “steamboat houses,” inspired by the Japanese exhibit at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, draw many curious visitors to Holy Cross.

Irish Channel

Originally part of the city of Lafayette, the Irish Channel began as a working-class counterpart to the prestigious Garden District just across Magazine Street. Many of its vast collection of single story “doubles” were built in the mid to late 19th century when work on nearby wharves was plentiful. Clay Square provides a shady respite in the midst of this urban neighborhood.

Lower Garden District

In the early 1800s, plantations immediately downriver from the city of Lafayette were subdivided into what is now called the Lower Garden District. Known for its streets named for Greek muses, the Lower Garden District encompasses blocks of modest cottages close to St. Mary’s and St. Alphonsus churches as well as elegant townhouses on Coliseum Square. Magazine Street’s cafés, artists’ studios, antique stores and galleries serve today’s residents.

Mid-City

In the 19th century, the low-lying swamp lakeward of the French Quarter was called “back of town.” Today it is Mid-City, a neighborhood which developed in the early 20th century after the area was drained. Stretching along Canal Street from the French Quarter to the cemeteries, Mid-City was once New Orelans’ geographical center. Today, historic pumping stations are a familiar sight in this area, which is home to many eateries, schools, and churches well-loved by locals.

New Marigny

Encompassing the early 19th century, Creole faubourgs of Nouvelle Marigny and Franklin, New Marigny was home to one of the nation’s largest populations of free people of color before the Civil War. French Creoles and Germans also helped shape the district’s distinct character. Neighborhood landmarks from the late 19th century – St. Roch Cemetery and St. Roch Market – draw many locals and visitors to this area where jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton lived.

Parkview

Parkview lies immediately adjacent to City Park’s vast green spaces and Bayou St. John’s restful waters. A relatively “young” historic district, Parkview developed in the early 20th century after a modern drainage system made its once-swampy land habitable. A series of subdivisions appeared and a handsome collection of houses followed. Colonial Revival and bungalow styles predominate in this almost exclusively residential district.

Treme

Uptown

Uptown began as a series of wedge-shaped plantations situated between the city of Lafayette downriver and Carrollton upriver. The residential heart of New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th century, Uptown embraces a number of neighborhoods as well as colleges, universities, and historic Audubon Park. A lively array of shops, restaurants and galleries on Magazine Street serves locals and visitors.

Vieux Carré

Known as the heart of New Orleans, the Vieux Carré was enclosed by ramparts when the French founded the city in 1718. Although fires in 1788 and 1794 destroyed most of the original French and Spanish architecture, later Vieux Carré structures reflected the late 18th century taste for deep, narrow buildings and rear courtyards. An appealing mix of the commercial and the residential, neighborhood life has centered on Jackson Square for nearly 300 years.

Warehouse District

Westbank