Nicknamed as Crescent City and The Big Easy, New Orleans is one of the most visited cities in America and has many major attractions, from the world-renowned Bourbon Street and the French Quarter's notorious nightlife, St. Charles Avenue (home of Tulane and Loyola Universities), and many stately 19th century mansions. Magazine Street, with its many historic antique shops, is also an area visited by many tourists.

Favorite tourist scenes in New Orleans include the French Quarter (known locally as "the Quarter" or Vieux Carré), which dates from the French and Spanish eras and is bounded by the Mississippi River & Rampart Street and Canal Street & Esplanade Ave. The French Quarter contains many popular hotels, bars, and nightclubs, most notably around Bourbon Street.

Greater New Orleans is home to numerous celebrations, including Mardi Gras, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The Carnival season is often known by the name of its last day, Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday"), which is held the Tuesday before the beginning of the Catholic liturgical season of Lent, which commences on Ash Wednesday thereby ending the Carnival season.

New Orleans is located in Southeastern Louisiana along the Mississippi River and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The city is bordered by Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the Gulf of Mexico to the east and is coextensive with Orleans Parish. New Orleans is known for its multicultural heritage as well as its music and cuisine and is considered the birthplace of jazz.
La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) was founded in 1718 by the French Mississippi Company, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. It was named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was Regent of France at the time; his title came from the French city of Orléans.

The Central Business District of New Orleans is located immediately north and west of the Mississippi River, and was historically called the "American Quarter or American Sector." Most streets in this area fan out from a central point in the city. Major streets of the area include Canal Street, Poydras Street, Tulane Avenue and Loyola Avenue. Canal Street functions as the street which divides the "downtown" area from the "uptown" area.

It is also home to one of the largest and busiest ports in the world, and accounts for a major portion of the nation's refinery and production of petroleum.

Some info courteous of www.wikipedia.org

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