New Orleans metro area contains much more than the French Quarter.
Centered initially on Orleans, it has grown to encompass the entire
region surrounding Lake Ponchartrain. Six parishes now make up
the metropolitan area. Elements of four more parishes (that's
"Louisiana Speak" for county) and two counties in Mississippi are being
absorbed into the metro area as the city grows in the 21st century.
Even Thibodeaux and Houma in Lafourche parish to the southwest, could
become part of the city over time.
Hurricane Katrina affected most of this area. St. Bernard and
Plaquemines were devastated. Parts of Orleans were destroyed by
flooding. These areas are having a great deal of trouble regaining their
populations due to lack of everything including housing, power, infrastructure,
jobs.
Other parts of the city are bouncing back more rapidly. The experience in
these areas is more typical of what we have seen in past
hurricanes. Jefferson and St. Tammany suffered heavy
damage and some flooding, but have been quick to recover some semblance
of normalcy. St Tammany has seen its population increase by 50%. The French Quarter, Carrollton and Algiers have been
leading the recovery in Orleans.
Washington Parish was hit hard by the storm after it made landfall
along the Mississippi-Louisiana border. The western most parishes
suffered wind damage but not flooding that devastated the east.
Drill down on the image above to learn more about the neighborhoods that make New Orleans what it is.
New Orleans–Metairie-Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area, or the Greater New Orleans Region (as it is often called by the Louisiana Tourism Commission) is a metropolitan area designated by the United States Census encompassing eight parishes (the Louisiana equivalent of other states' counties) in the state of Louisiana, centering on the city of New Orleans. As of the April 1, 2012, estimate, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a population of 1,227,096.