New Orleans in a nutshell

Welcome to New Orleans.
New Orleans is a large metropolitan city, an international port and a "melting pot" of many races and cultures. It is also a remarkable collection of historic neighborhoods, many of them as separate and distinctive as if they were separate townships or small villages.
Here, in this little corner of Europe and the Caribbean in the American South, the history is as colorful as the local architecture; the food is the stuff of legend. Haitian and African Creoles developed an exotic, spicy cuisine and were, uh, instrumental in creating jazz and Zydeco. Spanish style and Creole builders gave New Orleans the St. Louis Cathedral, named for a French king.

The street names are French and Spanish, the Creole architecture comes in a carnival of tropical colors, and the voodoo is a Caribbean import.
The magic is irresistible. In fact, New orleans celebrates almost anything in the Big Easy. 'Laissez les bons temps rouler' (Let the good times roll) is more than a reminder of our French heritage, it's a way of life that began three centuries ago.

New Orleans History