Nueva Orleans (the name of New Orleans in Spanish) remained under Spanish control until 1803, when it reverted briefly to French rule. Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez successfully directed a southern campaign against the British from the city in 1779. Beginning in the 1760s, Filipinos began to settle in and around New Orleans. During the American Revolutionary War, New Orleans was an important port for smuggling aid to the American revolutionaries, and transporting military equipment and supplies up the Mississippi River. The French colony of Louisiana was ceded to the Spanish Empire in the 1763 Treaty of Paris, following France's defeat by Great Britain in the Seven Years' War. His title came from the French city of Orléans. It was named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was regent of the Kingdom of France at the time.
La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) was founded in the spring of 1718 (May 7 has become the traditional date to mark the anniversary, but the actual day is unknown) by the French Mississippi Company, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, on land inhabited by the Chitimacha. Main articles: Louisiana (New France) and Louisiana (New Spain)
As of 2017, Orleans Parish is the third most-populous parish in Louisiana, behind East Baton Rouge Parish and neighboring Jefferson Parish. The city and Orleans Parish ( French: paroisse d'Orléans) are coterminous. Concerns about gentrification, new residents buying property in formerly closely knit communities, and displacement of longtime residents have been expressed. Since Katrina, major redevelopment efforts have led to a rebound in the city's population. New Orleans was severely affected by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, which flooded more than 80% of the city, killed more than 1,800 people, and displaced thousands of residents, causing a population decline of over 50%. State and federal authorities have installed a complex system of levees and drainage pumps in an effort to protect the city. The city has historically been very vulnerable to flooding, due to its high rainfall, low lying elevation, poor natural drainage, and proximity to multiple bodies of water. New Orleans in 1840 was the third-most populous city in the United States, and it was the largest city in the American South from the Antebellum era until after World War II. įounded in 1718 by French colonists, New Orleans was once the territorial capital of French Louisiana before becoming part of the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Additionally, New Orleans has increasingly been known as "Hollywood South" due to its prominent role in the film industry and in pop culture.
The city has been described as the "most unique" in the United States, owing in large part to its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage. The historic heart of the city is the French Quarter, known for its French and Spanish Creole architecture and vibrant nightlife along Bourbon Street. New Orleans is world-renowned for its distinctive music, Creole cuisine, unique dialects, and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras. Serving as a major port, New Orleans is considered an economic and commercial hub for the broader Gulf Coast region of the United States. With a tabulated population of 383,997 in 2020, it is the most populous city in Louisiana. New Orleans ( / ˈ ɔːr l( i) ə n z, ɔːr ˈ l iː n z/, locally / ˈ ɔːr l ə n z/ French: La Nouvelle-Orléans ( listen)) is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the southeastern region of the U.S. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport