The City of New Orleans founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville
La Nouvelle-Orleans was founded by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville on 7th May 1718.
The city quickly developed around the “Old Square”
Today, the district is more commonly called the French Quarter.
New Orleans is world-renowned for its distinctive music, Creole cuisine, unique dialects, voodoo, superstitions and its annual celebrations and festivals – most notably Mardi Gras.
The French Quarter is the historic heart of the city, the oldest neighbourhood in New Orleans.
The French Quarter is known for its French and Spanish Creole architecture, and vibrant nightlife along Bourbon Street.
The most well known of the French Quarter streets, Bourbon Street, or Rue Bourbon, is known for its drinking establishments.
Most of the bars frequented by tourists are new, but the Quarter also has a number of notable bars with interesting histories.
‘The Old Absinthe House’ has kept its name – even though absinthe was banned in the U.S. from 1915 to 2007, because it was believed to have toxic qualities.
New Orleans and its French Quarter are one of a few places in the United States where possession and consumption of alcohol in open containers is allowed on the street.
Today, Voodoo lives on in New Orleans.
People see it as part of their culture, and it’s also a major draw to the tourists, who flock to the city to visit the shrines and tombs.
New Orleans remains a city of rich culture, proud people, and historic neighbourhoods, that have survived and thrived against odds.
New Orleanians have always held tight to their unique culture, exuding pride of place and relishing their music, cuisine, and festivity.
New Orleans is about to embark on it’s fourth century since Bienville founded the city on the banks of the Mississippi, over three hundred years ago.
