Apartments for Rent in New Orleans, LA (2,803 Rentals)

Named for the Duke of Orleans of the 1700's, New Orleans came to true prominence in the 1800's due to its proximity to the mighty Mississippi River. By 1860 the city boasted upwards of 160,000 residents, representing a true melting pot of diverse French, Spanish and African American cultures. As late as the early 1900's, nearly half the city's population still engaged in French as a primary language. Tourism proved to be a steady economic flow for New Orleans, and the annual Mardis Gras festival has bloomed into a worldwide phenomenon. While always prone to flooding (the city's famous raised cemeteries are as functional as they are strangely beautiful), the landing of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was catastrophic. Federal levees failed, entire neighborhoods were destroyed, and upwards of 30,000 residents fled the city, never to return. Rebuilding efforts still continue to this day, although the spirit of New Orleans and its people is a tough one to dampen and the city has grown in leaps and bounds since the destruction of Katrina.