New Orleans is a large coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Louisiana. With a population of 369,749 people and 195 associated neighborhoods, New Orleans is the largest community in Louisiana. Much of the housing stock in New Orleans was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

New Orleans real estate is some of the most expensive in Louisiana, although New Orleans house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

Of important note, New Orleans is also a city of artists. New Orleans has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape New Orleans’s character.

Also of interest is that New Orleans has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 11.31% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

One thing noticeable about New Orleans, is that it has a large population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. That’s because New Orleans is full of single people in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting careers in professional occupations. This makes New Orleans a great place for young, educated career starters looking to find many people like themselves, with good opportunities for friendships, socializing, romance, and fun. In fact, New Orleans is one of the top larger cities in America for educated single professionals to flock.

New Orleans is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

One of the benefits of being a big city like New Orleans is having a public transportation system, but in New Orleans the transit system is the mode of choice for lots of people getting to and from work every day. You will find many people using the bus for their daily commute, even though other transportation options exist. If you ask these commuters, many will tell you that not having to drive in the snarl of big city traffic is one of main reasons for leaving the car at home, or even not owning a car at all. With so many people taking the bus New Orleans benefits from a reduction in air pollution and traffic.

New Orleans is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 40.74% of adults in New Orleans have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

The per capita income in New Orleans in 2022 was $37,013, which is wealthy relative to Louisiana, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $148,052 for a family of four. However, New Orleans contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

New Orleans is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call New Orleans home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of New Orleans residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in New Orleans include German, Irish, French, English, and African.

The most common language spoken in New Orleans is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Vietnamese.