As the city grew, the high ground along the
natural river levee and a couple of natural ridges (from a previous river bed location) was
developed first. If you look closely at the 1878 city drainage map to
the left you'll see the population concentrated near the river and on
the Metairie ridge or the Gentilly ridge. The swamps are clearly marked.
Towns like Carrollton (now called the Riverbend) emerged and
were subsequently absorbed into the city. The remainder of the land was called
the back swamp and was filled with mosquitoes and mud. Not until the 20'th
century were low lying areas like Mid City and Lakeview claimed for
development by a combination of drainage and pumping technologies. New Orleans
East was the last major tract to be developed for residential use, emerging
from the swamps after WW II to service new industries along the intra-coastal
waterway.
The historic high ground is now being called the "Sliver by the River." It should logically be the top priority area for redevelopment. Outside the sliver additional mitigation efforts will be needed to minimize the impact of future flooding.
This-elevation map gives you a look at a portion of Orleans. Even this
little bit isn't very encouraging. The Crescent City name comes from
the high ground (in brown) running along the river levee from the French Quarter
uptown toward Audubon Park. Just north of the crescent the elevation
drops sharply into the Central City bowl (in yellow). Metairie Ridge angles north
west while Gentilly Ridge can be seen to the north east.
On the westbank, Algiers Point is high ground but as you move away from
the levee the elevation drops off quickly. Much of the new development
is south of US90 and well below sea level.