Moving to New Orleans?

Algiers Point really is New Orleans' best kept secret.
A small gem-like community set at the point where the Mississippi River bends sharply opposite the French Quarter, Algiers Point feels like a small river town, while it faces the whole panorama of New Orleans from its 18th century cathedral to the skyscrapers of today. Algiers has beautiful, intact Creole cottages, and gorgeous double-shotguns painted every color of the rainbow. And the sparkling ferry terminal and nearby Mississippi River Bridge offers commuters a quick ride into the city, whether they're going for work or for play.

Some of Algiers Point's homes suffered wind damage due to Katrina, but since the West Bank was spared any flooding, Algiers is back and brighter than ever. In fact, this is one of the most desirable neighborhoods in New Orleans, where residents can find safety and convenience, as well as beauty and charm literally at their front doors. Whether you savor a long walk on the levee or enjoy visiting the fanciful floats stored at Blain Kern's Mardi Gras World, Algiers will never fail to beguile and surprise you. And you'll say what so many Algiers residents have said before, "When you live in the Point, you have it all!"

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Broadmoor is a nationally recognized historic district and home to more than 7,000 people. It has a number of architecturally significant homes. Native daughters and sons include Sen. Mary Landrieu, as well as music producer Dave Bartholomew, who named his early record label Broadmoor Records.

Demographically, Broadmoor is a microcosm of New Orleans: 67 percent African-American, 26 percent white and 4 percent Hispanic. We have a public library and a number of schools. For more than 100 years, Broadmoor has been known as a great place to raise a family.

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Nestled into the curve of the Mississippi as it winds its way down river from the French Quarter and the Marigny, Bywater is a relaxed neighborhood of shotgun houses and Creole cottages which is home to the most thriving bohemia in the city. Although the area endured moderate Katrina flooding, this vibrant, creative and eclectic place has barely missed a beat in digging out and transforming its trash into treasure. Here corner groceries and neighborhood bars coexist with artists' studios and late-night cafes in a way that truly says New Orleans...funky, cutting-edge, embracing and fiercely protective of its own unique energy. Whether you're looking for a home with lacy woodwork and heart-of-pine floors or a gallery selling fine jewelry and outsider art, Bywater has it all in a way that will charm, delight and astonish you.

The area is home to young professionals, musicians, painters and photographers who find inspiration in its closely-packed houses and unexpected gardens. Bywater isn't just an area where history is preserved: it's an area where the 19th and 20th centuries live in cheerful cross-pollination with the 21st, and tomorrow's creations are nurtured in the warm glow of an intact and colorful past.

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The large double-galleried houses and charming cottages that line Esplanade Avenue, from the river out to City Park, are some of the most beautiful in New Orleans, but for many years Esplanade Ridge has been a uniquely under-valued area. Its great live oaks and sycamores shade a boulevard as wide and impressive as St. Charles Avenue, but its homes still remain within reach of those whose love of history is accompanied by a more modest budget. Here you can find a mansion waiting for your tender loving care or a private home that's been restored back to all its 19th century charm...because Esplanade Ridge is rapidly becoming into one of the most desirable sections in town. If you can only dream of a white-columned residence on Prytania Street, such a home is waiting for you right now in Esplanade Ridge.

Built on naturally occurring high ground, these homes escaped the most severe flooding of Katrina, although there was some wind and roof damage. However, one side-benefit of the hurricane is you can now admire the beauty of the buildings even more clearly through the thinned leaves (although this will change come spring as the trees fill back in). The residents of Esplanade Ridge, who've fought so hard to bring their neighborhood back from urban decay, aren't letting a hurricane stop them, and have quickly returned to clean up their homes and make the area shine. Take a walk down Esplanade Avenue when the mockingbirds are singing in the trees, and you'll know you're in a very special place. Quiet, elegant, and filled with the beauty of the past, Esplanade Ridge speaks to those who value an earlier time of gracious living and elegant Creole charm.

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Truman Capote once described New Orleans as "of all secret cities, the most secretive, the most unlike, in reality, what an outsider is permitted to observe." And New Orleans' French Quarter may be its most secretive neighborhood. Here in an area famous for its raucous night life and hedonistic abandon, there lives a community in love with the area's timelessness, its beautiful buildings with handcrafted details, its proximity to the river, and its quality as a great, walkable neighborhood of world-class restaurants and vibrant street life.

If you like the pulse of great music coming to you on the coffee-scented air; if you enjoy walking down an ancient street where overhanging balconies spill pools of mysterious shadow; if stepping off of a crowded sidewalk into a secret garden makes your heart skip a beat, then you "get" the French Quarter. Here in one of the oldest communities in the United States, history isn't distant...it isn't even the past. Here, where the ravages of Hurricane Katrina touched so lightly, artists, writers and performers are back in business living with successful businessmen, street urchins, restaurateurs and the descendants of French aristocrats. They've created a culture that's unlike anything anywhere else: part Venice, part Venice Beach, part magic, and purely and inimitably the French Quarter.

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For many people, their first view of the Garden District comes from a streetcar rolling up St. Charles Avenue. This is often enough for them to form a life-long love-affair with the place. Whether you're searching for a ghost in Lafayette Cemetery, exploring the memory of New Orleans' ante-bellum past, watching a Mardi Gras parade, or viewing the secluded mansions, the Garden District will work its spell on you. A close-knit, neighborly and friendly place, the Garden District is also minutes away from the Central Business District, the French Quarter, the Warehouse Arts District, and the University Section of Uptown. Its canopy of oak trees is world-famous, while its characteristic gardens of hibiscuses and crape myrtles, angel trumpets and bougainvillea, make it New Orleans' most beautiful inner-city neighborhood.

The Garden District developed in the 1840s as the city expanded upriver, and as such it was located on relatively high ground close to the Mississippi. During the flooding following Hurricane Katrina, this area was almost completely spared, although a number of homes had damaged roofs. Today, the Garden District is again nearly pristine, although those famous streetcars are still waiting to return. Here, as in the past, you can sit on a shaded gallery and watch the world go by...or walk down a street lined with live oaks and enjoy, as writers and artists have before you, some of the world's most stunning man-made beauty.

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Gentilly, the long graceful New Orleans neighborhood stretching from Esplanade Avenue up to the Industrial Canal, is an area much favored by retirees, families with young children, and those attending and affiliated with Dillard University, its chief landmark and pride. Built along a naturally occurring ridge, its housing stock ranged from 19th century shotguns to early 20th century bungalows and mid-20th century ranch houses, all set in a landscape of old trees, wide lawns, and the broad boulevard called Elysian Fields, its chief thoroughfare and spine.

Gentilly, however, was hard-bit by Hurricane Katrina, and is still struggling to rebuild. While some residents have returned and are reclaiming their houses piece-meal, the neighborhood still awaits direction from city regarding what its future footprint and land-usage requirements should be.

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The "Irish Channel" was originally home to many of the Irish workers who came here in the 1830s to dig the New Basin Canal, completed in 1840. This area of small cottages and "shotgun" houses, located on narrow lots, continued to be inhabited throughout the 19th and 20th centuries primarily by blue-collar workers, who could afford the more modest prices. The houses here are smaller than those in the Garden District and Uptown, but what they lack in square footage, they more than make up for in fine decoration and charm.
Their close proximity creates a feeling of community and coziness, where neighbors can still share a cup of coffee or a moment of gossip over a backyard fence.

Today, the Irish Channel is one of the most eclectic neighborhoods in the city, with residents drawn from every walk of life and every income level. Many families are multi-generational, having raised children and grandchildren here, while others are among the city's newest arrivals. Located along the strip of high ground facing the Mississippi, the "Channel" has gone from being a less-than-desirable address to being one that's extremely valuable, if for nothing else than its elevation.   And the cultural variety here, from the heterodoxy of Magazine Street to the beautiful serenity of St. Mary's Assumption Church, offers something from everyone, whether or not he or she comes from the Emerald Isle.

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This is the section of New Orleans north west of the city, and is bordered by water on three of its sides. With Lake Ponchartrain to the north, the 17th Street Canal to the west, and the Orleans Avenue Canal to the east, the New Orleans Lake Area not surprisingly has a large sailing and boating community. In fact, it is served by two yacht clubs - the New Orleans Yacht Club and the Southern Yacht Club.

Aside from water, the area has two large parks - the New Basin Canal Park and City Park. The Lakefront Area also serves home to the historic West End neighborhood and community.
Formerly undeveloped swamp land, wide spread residential development after World War II developed the area predominantly with bungalow style housing.

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The Lower Garden District is often confused with its more famous neighbor, the Upper Garden District, but it has a unique, eclectic flavor all its own.  Centered around Coliseum Square, the area is one of graceful vistas and curving streets, replete with classical names like Dryades, Melpomene, and Terpsichore.  Indeed Lee Circle, originally Tivoli Circle, was envisioned as an anchor for the nine streets which extending up from it, all named after the nine muses.  The houses here actually predate those of the Garden District proper, since they were built in the early years of the 19th century as the city expanded upriver from the French Quarter.  Since the area is still in the process of being revitalized, many magnificent homes can be purchased here at reasonable prices, especially for those willing to invest a little "sweat equity."

Since the Lower Garden District was already in the process of revival before Hurricane Katrina, anticipation is strong that trend will continue, since the area remained dry and relatively undamaged.  Today, as in the past, the Lower Garden District is a neighborhood ripe for discovery, filled with architectural gems, magnificent old streets, interesting residents, and a rich cultural heritage that only keeps getting better and better with time.

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Residents of the Faubourg Marigny are very proud of their neighborhood...and who can blame them?
Here in this small wedge of real estate located just downriver from the French Quarter, you'll find everything that makes New Orleans a uniquely wonderful place.  The jazz clubs lining Frenchman Street are world-famous, and every night you can hear name acts jamming with the hippest stars of tomorrow.  The Marigny is home to some of the city's trendiest restaurants, places where new chefs are constantly reinventing the city's cuisine.  The neighborhood galleries and antique stories offer gems for every pocketbook, from museum-quality art to thrift-shop chic.  And the area's eclectic mixture of late Georgian, Creole, and Greek Revival houses nestle closely together, forming a fascinating and varied cityscape.

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Located midway between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain , Mid-City is a neighborhood which has carved out its own unique identity. It is egalitarian, cheerful, a little more blue-collar and a lot more diverse than its more staid Uptown neighbor.

Mid-City offers younger people looking to purchase historic homes a great value. Residences boasting original architectural features including gas jets, cypress cabinetry and wide-plank wooden floors could be purchased for a fraction of the price of similar properties Uptown.

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New Orleans East is undoubtedly the largest section of the city of New Orleans. The area covers land east of the Industrial Canal and north of the Mississippi River. Locals usually refer to this area as "New Orleans East," although some use this term to refer to a smaller section of the area.

There was little development of this land until the late 19th century. Before this time, only two areas were built out - the higher strip of ground along Gentilly Road (along the old bayou's natural levee), and "camps" of houses raised on stilts, developed in clusters along the edge of Lake Ponchartrain. Much development began after the Industrial Canal was completed in 1920 and post WW II, for those who preferred a more suburban lifestyle.

Today, New Orleans East continues to grow and rebuild after the destruction of Katrina. Residents are very proud and protective of their neighborhoods, and are dedicated to bringing them back.

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A very distinctive region of New Orleans, the Ninth Ward refers to the area located in the easternmost portion of the city. This downwater area of the city is famous in name due to it being the largest geographically out of the 17 wards of New Orleans.

Landmarks of this region have been given extra exposure in recent years by the Hot Boys music video - "We On Fire," which was filmed in part in the Ninth Ward. Many local musicians now frequently mention the area within their tunes.

Currently, actor Brad Pitt is developing and rebuilding homes in this area with the "Make It Right" project, focused on the lower ninth ward.

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Located on the northern border of the French Quarter above Rampart Street, Treme is a uniquely historic neighborhood that's poised to become the next big real estate opportunity in New Orleans.  This lovely area of small Creole cottages, many over 200 years old, has remained largely frozen in time due to investor neglect.  But this neglect has left it intact, and remarkably unchanged from the time when it housed New Orleans' first Free People of Color. 

Treme is a neighborhood in transition, which smart investors have already begun to realize.  And as the city rebuilds and redraws its footprint, it's a resource New Orleans will come to value more and more:  an intact historic neighborhood located on high ground, ready to become home to a community that values its heritage and is eager to embrace its charm and beauty.

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The grand mansions along St. Charles Avenue that drowse beneath their stately trees. The energetic bustle of Magazine Street. The spires of Tulane and Loyola Universities.  The cool shade of Audubon Park. The raised Creole cottages and restrained Greek Revival houses and gabled Tudors and Carpenter's Gothic fantasies that line streets named Jefferson and Napoleon and Austerlitz and Audubon. And did we mention the Zoo? And the golf course? Uptown New Orleans is the epitome of the gracious, gentle beauty that's defined New Orleans for many generations. And that beauty is still here, a little wind.

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The Warehouse District, which adjoins the CBD, is New Orleans' answer to New York's SoHo (without the exorbitant price tag). In addition, the Warehouse area has become the locus of a major renaissance in New Orleans in the last twenty years in terms of the visual arts, as more and more painters, sculptors and photographers have moved here to live and work.

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