New Orleans

New Orleans is a major city in southeastern Louisiana, situated on the Mississippi River near the Gulf of Mexico.

Known for its distinctive French and Spanish colonial architecture, jazz music, and Creole cuisine, the city hosts Mardi Gras and draws millions of visitors annually.

Locals pronounce it variously—often closer to "New OR-lins" or "NAW-lins" than the three-syllable version outsiders use.

Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, and its recovery remains a touchstone for debates about race, poverty, and government response to disaster.