History UsefulNotes / NewOrleans

New Orleans has a rich cultural history. Sitting out the mouth of the mighty Mississippi River where it meets the Gulf of Mexico, the city was founded by French traders in 1718 but was likely a hub of commerce and conflict long before then as a gateway for goods and people to enter the middle of North America. The [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchColonialEmpire French]], [[UsefulNotes/TheKingdomOfSpain Spanish]], [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire British]], numerous indigenous groups, and (later) Americans all fought for control of the port. Enslaved African people comprised a large portion of the city's population as the city became a major hub of chattel slavery, but the French Code Noir provided slightly more opportunities for freedom than the British system, and New Orleans soon boasted the highest population of free Black people in North America. The mixing of their cultural traditions with French Catholicism, native practices, and the many other ideas and beliefs that intersected in this place led to the development of the city's unique Afro-Creole culture.

If you're visiting the city, you may notice the streets here tend to be rather narrow, because they were originally built for horse and carriage. Do not complain; this indicates that a natural disaster has never annihilated the surrounding area and created room for a wider road. Tourists think being they're cute by pronouncing the name of the city "N'awlins". To not incur the wrath of a local, just go with "Nu-OH'rlins"[[note]]For the city, at least. The parish (county) would be pronounced "Or-LEANS".[[/note]]. Once you've lived here a couple of years, your speech will naturally slur it down, but don't force it.

Ah, the Big Easy, famous for Mardi Gras, [[HollywoodVoodoo voodoo]], and {{Jazz}}. Commonly associated with Cajun culture, despite being at least an hour east from most of it (Cajuns make up around 1% of the city's population). Also, hurricanes--both meteorological and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_(cocktail) mixological]]. The French have a consulate there. Another claim to fame is the food; you can find almost any kind of seafood (except lobster) here. The squeamish can rest easy about how well-cooked their food is.

* Creator/HarryConnickJr

Ah, the Big Easy, famous for Mardi Gras, [[HollywoodVoodoo voodoo]], and {{Jazz}}. Commonly associated with Cajun culture, despite being at least an hour northeast from most of it (Cajuns make up around 1% of the city's population). Also, hurricanes--both meteorological and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_(cocktail) mixological]]. The French have a consulate there. Another claim to fame is the food; you can find almost any kind of seafood (except lobster) here. The squeamish can rest easy about how well-cooked their food is.

Ah, the Big Easy, famous for Mardi Gras, [[HollywoodVoodoo voodoo]], and {{Jazz}}. Commonly associated with Cajun culture, despite being at least an hour away from most of it. Also, hurricanes--both meteorological and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_(cocktail) mixological]]. The French have a consulate there. Another claim to fame is the food; you can find almost any kind of seafood (except lobster) here. The squeamish can rest easy about how well-cooked their food is.

* "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E145TheMasks The Masks]]", one of the later episodes of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'', takes place during Mardi Gras.

* ''ComicBook/CatAndMouseRolandMann'' prominently uses New Orleans as a major setting for both the 1990 and 2019 runs.

New Orleans's oldest (and for a long time ''only'') pro sports team, the Saints of the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague, were for many years the absolute worst team in the entire league--they went their first two decades without putting up a winning season and over thirty years without winning a playoff game. Locals obligingly rewarded this performance by nicknaming the team "the Ain'ts," and at particularly rough spots in their career, people would show up at home games wearing paper bags over their heads to avoid the shame of being known as Saints fans. After Katrina forced them to play their home games elsewhere while their home stadium, the Superdome, underwent repairs and housed thousands of displaced residents, many feared that the city would lose its team to a larger and wealthier market. In 2006, however, the Saints returned to the city with new head coach Sean Payton and powerhouse quarterback Drew Brees in tow, and went on to put up the best season in the franchise's history, nearly reaching a Super Bowl, and eventually winning one in 2010. The morale boost this gave to the city is hard to quantify, and the Saints don't seem likely to go anywhere anytime soon with one of the most dedicated fanbases in sports.

Now New Orleans loves its Saints, even though their new winning reputation was blotted by the revelation that some of the defensive coaches ran a "bounty" scheme that encouraged Saints players to intentionally injure opponents. The scheme ran for several years, including the Saints' Superbowl win in 2009, and killed quite a few careers when it was exposed. The Saints struggled under the penalties the NFL imposed, particularly in 2012, but rallied to return to being a top League contender with their hometown support alive and well.