New Orleans, LA
Up From Katrina
CALL IT A Crescent City miracle, of sorts: For the first time in years, (some of) the news coming out of New Orleans is actually quite good. The hottest rapper alive, Cash Money Records' own Lil Wayne, has been reinvesting in his old neighborhood, using some of the millions he's made on his record-breaking album and concert profits to build up schools in the inner city.
Although it's still well below its pre-Katrina population peak, recent studies indicate that New Orleans has recovered close to 90 percent of its previous employment and is finally growing again. Construction (and reconstruction) projects abound, and the area is swarming with investors looking to do good by helping this mind-bogglingly unique city — which just four years ago became a damning byword for civic neglect at every level — get back on its feet. And despite the innumerable problems that remain, New Orleans's talent for throwing one hell of a party — its airport is named after Louis Armstrong, for God's sake — remains undimmed.
- ASIAN POPULATION
- 2.7%
- BLACK POPULATION
- 63.5%
- LATINO POPULATION (OF ANY RACE)
- 4.0%
- WHITE POPULATION
- 31.6%
- POPULATION GROWTH
- -43.0% since 2000 (U.S. average: +8%)
- POPULATION EDUCATION: HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE (U.S. AVERAGE: 84%)
- 80.5%
- POPULATION EDUCATION: UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE (U.S.AVERAGE: 27%)
- 29.0%
PEOPLE
Click to view larger image
- Population:
- City 301,000
- Metro: 1,000,000
- Neighboring Cities:
- Baton Rouge - 80 miles
- Jackson, Mississippi - 190 miles
- Houston - 350 miles
- PROS
The food, the drinks, the music, the nightlife, the architecture. . . . Also, numerous federal, state and local initiatives to help the city rebuild are making the city something of an entrepreneurs' paradise.
- CONS
Crime, always high, hit shocking levels in the years after Katrina; despite recent investment and repopulation, large swaths of the city remain ravaged.
New Orleans Featured Content
in Business
The Idea Village
supports entrepreneurial talent in New Orleans with consulting, strategy, marketing assistance and direct grants.
in Pleasure
Nightlife in New Orleans is just about unparalleled. Outdoor recreation can be found at Lake Ponchartrain, north of the city. New Orleans has two major professional sports franchises — the NFL's Saints, beloved Super Bowl champs and restorers of the city's hope; and the NBA's Hornets. It also has a AAA minor-league baseball team, the Zephyrs (affiliated with the Florida Marlins).
in Networking
The New Orleans Young Leadership Council
is a 1,200-member volunteer organization that helps promote the local business culture by recruiting talent to New Orleans.
