Welcome to CoveBear.com! - S.E. Travel Destinations: New Orleans

New Orleans is a very old city. The location for this city was always appealing to the various people who controlled it, due to its location at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Since the river was an important water road through America and could be used for transport of people and supplies, the placement of a city at the mouth of this river was a strategic necessity.

Photo by George Payne, Permission to CoveBear

New Orleans today - the Crescent City on the Mississippi River

The location of the city was originally a huge problem. The mouth of the Mississippi River is not bayed; that is, it runs far out into the Gulf of Mexico, surrounded by avenues of marsh and muck. There was not one obvious entrance to this river by ships, there were several small entries, some too shallow, all difficult to locate if you were trying to enter from the Gulf. The land area was plagued by disease-carrying mosquitoes, hurricanes, and stifling heat and humidity. For nearly 200 years, most of the people who lived in New Orleans, even after it became a bustling seaport with a major export business, left the city every summer, deeming the place unfit for humans to live in. The city was open for business the other 8 or 9 months of the year.

The delta is where the inland water in the south meets the sea. The Mississippi River delta area is full of silt that is carried down from North America. Some of the major rivers that feed the Mississippi River are the Missouri, the Platte, the Red, the Arkansas, the Ohio, the Yellowstone, and the Tennessee Rivers. Major streams such as the Wabash also drain into the Mississippi. When rains fall in the northern states, those rivers carry the excess water to the Mississippi, and out to the Gulf of Mexico. With the water comes dirt and debris, called silt, and it too is carried on out to the Gulf. Waterways that give water to the Mississippi may be called tributaries of the river. Waterways, such as the Atchafalaya River, that carry water away from the Mississippi River are called distributaries. The nearby Atchafalaya River carries water from the Mississippi River to southwest Louisiana coast lands; this water forms bayous and swamps, and with the Gulf, feeds marshlands too.

Once the silt from the Mississippi River is piled up high it becomes an island, and the mouth is further split. We see from this that new land is created by the river, by the depositing of silt at the mouth. Another way that the river has created new land is by flooding and overflowing its banks. The city of New Orleans was originally built on these natural levees that had been created by the river. Later, land was added by people so that more city could be built. The third way that this river creates new land is by silt deposits that remain on the river bottom, never making it out to the sea. This causes the river bottom to grow taller. Hence, the Mississippi River is now actually 15 feet above sea level above most of New Orleans. Since much of New Orleans is actually below sea level, it is easy to see why flooding is a fear and a problem there.

Since it became a thriving seaport, people naturally wanted to tame the area and live there. It was difficult since the available land was the crescent shaped natural levee that the river had built, with swamp behind it. Later, land was added so that more people could live there. New Orleans was important to the world for more than 200 years, as a vital seaport and the main river entrance to the continent.

At the time of the French occupation, the main goods to be brought there from the north were furs. Under the Spanish, the main goods brought to New Orleans for export from the continent were sugar, rice, cotton, and wheat. In the mid-1800's New Orleans was the world's greatest exporter of cotton, regularly shipping raw cotton and things made from cotton to England, for further distribution throughout Europe.

The original city was the old French Quarter, and was founded in 1718 by Jean Baptist La Moyne, Sieur de Bienville. The French at that time were in control of most of America and its profitable fur trade. Possession of the Mississippi Delta and its city, "La Novelle Orleans," was always important to its authority, which changed from the French to the Spanish in 1762. The Spanish controlled New Orleans until 1800. During that time, they named the territory they owned "Louisiana" after the French king Louisiana XIV and his Spanish bride, Maria Theresa. The territory of Louisiana was sold to France again and then later, finally, it became an American territory.

Since New Orleans was situated at the doorway to the continent, it had a steady influx of people, arriving by canoe or "pirogue," ship, and horse. Early on, it became a social scene and a party town, offering new visitors many restaurants to choose from, many hotels to stay in, and many shops to visit. Today, that culture of hospitality remains, and modern visitors can find lots to do there.

Photo by George Payne, Permission to CoveBear

New Orleans today, river boat on the Mississippi River

When visiting the French Quarter you will hear the phrase "Vieux Carre ' - this means "Old Square" in French, and is another name for the French Quarter. Today, the French Quarter is full of shops, restaurants, night spots, and hotels, but there are also numerous residences, grocery stores, and banks - people do live in the French Quarter.

In the French Quarter, you can stroll down Royal Street, which has lots of antique shops. Clubs are on Bourbon Street. And shops and restaurants and historical buildings are everywhere, on every street. You can sit on a bench and watch the historic Mississippi River go by.

For historical buffs, this is a grand vacation destination. The place reeks with history. You can visit historical buildings on foot in the French Quarter, and see the stately homes on St. Charles Avenue from the window of a streetcar. For nature lovers who want to combine a trip with a variety of activities, New Orleans offers a steamboat ride on the river and into a bayou, where you can see egrets, herons, and gators, as well as a zoo and a new aquarium. Lake Pontchartrain is nearby for water sports. Fishing is an easy way to pass the time.

Visit New Orleans in 2008 - Open for Business and Fun!

You can help New Orleans and surrounding areas recover after Hurricane Katrina by planning your 2008 vacation there - please support local merchants by visiting! http://www.neworleansonline.com/ and http://www.neworleans.com/ and http://www.neworleanscvb.com/ and http://www.nola.com/ and http://www.experienceneworleans.com/ and http://www.neworleansmagazine.com/.