When was New Orleans founded and by whom?
French colonists under Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville established the settlement in the spring of 1718. They named the colony La Nouvelle-Orléans to honor Philippe II, Duke of Orléans.
Questions about New Orleans
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What happened during the Natchez revolt in 1729?
The Natchez revolt erupted when an attack on Fort Rosalie resulted in the deaths of over 200 French colonists. Governor Étienne Perier launched a retaliatory campaign that effectively destroyed the Natchez people but soured relations with other tribes like the Chickasaw and Choctaw.
How did Hurricane Katrina affect the population of New Orleans in 2005?
Storm surge from Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic failure of federally designed levees flooding 80 percent of the city on the 29th of August 2005. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population to be 223,000 in July 2006 representing approximately 60 percent of its pre-Katrina population.
Who was Marie Laveau and what role did she play in Louisiana Voodoo?
Marie Laveau contributed to the fame of voodoo practitioners while Mary Oneida Toups led The Religious Order of Witchcraft meeting at Popp Fountain in City Park. Louisiana Voodoo developed due to syncretism with African and Afro-Caribbean Roman Catholic beliefs.
What is the racial makeup of New Orleans according to the 2020 census?
In 2020, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 53.61 percent Black or African American, 31.61 percent non-Hispanic white, and 8.08 percent Hispanic and Latino American. Out of Louisiana's 64 parishes it is one of six that have an African-American majority as of the 2020 census.