{"id":13213,"date":"2013-05-28T03:20:34","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T10:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/?p=13213"},"modified":"2013-05-28T03:20:34","modified_gmt":"2013-05-28T10:20:34","slug":"moving-to-new-orleans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/moving-to-new-orleans\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Things You Should Know Before Moving To New Orleans"},"content":{"rendered":"

1. It\u2019s pronounced New Or-luns, not New Or-leans.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nUnless you want a giant neon sign hanging from your forehead that reads \u201cI am not from here.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. It is known as the \u201cCrescent City\u201d.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nBecause of its moon-like shape hugging the Mississippi River.<\/p>\n

3. Two words: The food.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nOkay here\u2019s some more words: In New Orleans<\/a> beignets have been a staple of Creole cuisine, and is the basis for one of the city\u2019s most popular dives: Cafe du Monde. The delicacies were even named the Louisiana<\/a> state doughnut back in 1986. Unfortunately not every state has named their own doughnut. Call your local congressman today to rectify this egregious matter.<\/p>\n

4. Speaking of which, in New Orleans it\u2019s not a \u201csub,\u201d it\u2019s a \u201cpoboy.\u201d<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

5. The term \u201cDixieland\u201d originates in the city.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nDixieland referenes the Old South and the style of jazz performed by early New Orleans performers. It\u2019s since been used as a name for pretty much every middle-of-nowhere rinky-dink theme park ever.<\/p>\n

6. Most of the buildings and architecture around today actually have more of a Spanish history.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nDue to a city-wide fire that spread in the 1700s under Spanish rule, most of the earlier French buildings were lost.<\/p>\n

7. Guinness officially named the nearby Lake Pontchartrain Causeway the longest continuous bridge in the world.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nSee, even Louisiana can have nice things.<\/p>\n

8. The New Orleans Superdome is one of the largest enclosed arenas in the world.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nIt\u2019s so big that condensation inside it can allegedly make rainstorms within the dome. You can stop reading here and just pack your bags now, really. It doesn\u2019t get much cooler than that.
\n
\nvar googletag = googletag || {};
\ngoogletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || [];
\n(function() {
\nvar gads = document.createElement(‘script’);
\ngads.async = true;
\ngads.type = ‘text\/javascript’;
\nvar useSSL = ‘https:’ == document.location.protocol;
\ngads.src = (useSSL ? ‘https:’ : ‘http:’) +
\n\/\/www.googletagservices.com\/tag\/js\/gpt.js’;
\nvar node = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0];
\nnode.parentNode.insertBefore(gads, node);
\n})();<\/p>\n

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
\ngoogletag.defineSlot(‘\/1014900\/M_Blog_300x250_Inline’, [300, 250], ‘div-gpt-ad-1425403311834-0’).addService(googletag.pubads());
\ngoogletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
\ngoogletag.enableServices();
\n});<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n
\n
\ngoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1425403311834-0’); });\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

9. Mardi Gras may not have originated here (it actually got its start in Mobile, AL) but it sure as hell stayed.<\/h2>\n

10. In fact, the Endymion Krewe has more than 2,500 members and sees about 15,000 guests to its parades every year.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nOf it\u2019s circa 80 parades per year, their parades are the largest the city sees.<\/p>\n

11. The motto of the Endymion Krewe is \u201cThrow Until It Hurts\u201d.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nMeaning you are guaranteed to get cool stuff hurled precariously close to your face at any moment.<\/p>\n

12. Endymion has also been grand marshaled by many a famous face, such as Marisa Tomei, Dan Aykroyd, Kevin Costner, Kelly Clarkson, and Maroon 5.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

13. Speaking of famous people, a ton of them were born in the city.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nThey are known to return every now and then for a visit, including Reese Witherspoon, Harry Connick, Jr., and Ellen DeGeneres (who was actually born right outside the city in Metairie).<\/p>\n

14. Lee Harvey Oswald, president JFK\u2019s assassin, was born in New Orleans in 1939.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nThis factoid is meant to counterbalance all the positives on this list; otherwise, the world may step into chaos.<\/p>\n

15. History question: During the Civil War, what was the largest city in the Confederate States of America? You guessed it: New Orleans.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nLike most Southern cities, it has a storied and bloody history that shows how it\u2019s grown over the years, but also one that can\u2019t be ignored. Just avoid asking everyone which side their great grandparents fought for.<\/p>\n

16. It was New Orleans where voodoo was first introduced into the United States.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nIn fact, in the 1800s Voodoo queens became central figures in the culture. In New Orleans, Marie Laveau gained prominence amongst these figures. She was an oracle, performed exorcisms, and overthrew the other queens in the city. Because of this influence she is remembered to this day. Fun fact: her tomb in the New Orleans cemetery even warrants more visitors than Elvis Presley\u2019s in Tennessee. That\u2019s a legacy.
\n
\nvar googletag = googletag || {};
\ngoogletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || [];
\n(function() {
\nvar gads = document.createElement(‘script’);
\ngads.async = true;
\ngads.type = ‘text\/javascript’;
\nvar useSSL = ‘https:’ == document.location.protocol;
\ngads.src = (useSSL ? ‘https:’ : ‘http:’) +
\n\/\/www.googletagservices.com\/tag\/js\/gpt.js’;
\nvar node = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0];
\nnode.parentNode.insertBefore(gads, node);
\n})();<\/p>\n

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
\ngoogletag.defineSlot(‘\/1014900\/M_Blog_300x250_Inline2’, [300, 250], ‘div-gpt-ad-1425403275176-0’).addService(googletag.pubads());
\ngoogletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
\ngoogletag.enableServices();
\n});<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n
\n
\ngoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1425403275176-0’); });\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

17. Vampires and werewolves and fae-folk… oh, you get it.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nHBO\u2019s uber-popular southern paranormal drama \u201cTrue Blood\u201d takes place in the fictional town of Bon-Temps, LA and throws a gallon of supernatural paint at the wall to see what sticks. What does this have to do with New Orleans? Not much, but it\u2019s probably the most recognizable popular culture representation of a Louisianian town and is hard to ignore because of it. Just don\u2019t let the were-panthers scare you off.<\/p>\n

18. Louisiana is 1 of 2 states in the U.S. that does not have counties.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nInstead, the state prefers the term \u201cparishes.\u201d Unsurprisingly, New Orleans is situated in Orleans Parish<\/a>.<\/p>\n

19. The city was originally founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville for the sole purpose of being safe from hurricanes.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nAn act that would today earn him his own facepalm gif.<\/p>\n

20. The French Quarter, known as the heart of New Orleans.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nA popular tourist stop for shopping and street vendors. It\u2019s actually the small square area that Bienville first founded when he discovered the area. Thirteen city blocks long by six deep – the original boundaries of New Orleans.<\/p>\n

21. Alcohol is practically given away in the city and can be found at any time of day.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nBars stay open day and night, and because of the city\u2019s festivals happening throughout the year, most bars give patrons little to-go cups for their favorite poisons. Inebriation, ahoy!<\/p>\n

22. Like gambling? Thank New Orleans.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nThe city was the place where both craps and poker were invented.<\/p>\n

23. The first opera in the U.S. was performed in New Orleans way back in 1796.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nThey may not be popular nowadays but this early form of performance art is easily traceable to having influenced the influx of the theater arts in the US, including the myriad interpretations of Shakespeare\u2019s plays stateside and the eruption of Broadway throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.<\/p>\n

24. The New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl in 2010.<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nI\u2019m not a big sports guy, but I got out of pretty much all my classes the day after, so I\u2019m with everyone who consider this to be a generally cool thing.<\/p>\n

25. Treme (pronounced tre-may).<\/h2>\n


\nSource<\/a><\/span>
\nOnce known as the \u201cBack of Town,\u201d is one of the oldest neighborhoods in New Orleans and is widely known as a racially mixed area. It\u2019s an integral center of the city\u2019s African-American and Creole culture. HBO made the polarizing TV show \u201cTreme,\u201d chronicling life of a cast of characters living in this lesser off section of the city. Sorry, no joke here. Have you seen \u201cTreme?\u201d They mean business on that show.<\/p>\n

Embed Slideshow<\/h3>\n