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. New Orleans has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities.

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.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 11.31% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.

New Orleans is one of the most attractive larger cities for people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. This makes it a good place to live for young singles in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting their professional careers. Although New Orleans is a large city, this demographic is significant enough that young professionals will find many others like themselves here, with really good opportunities for friendships, recreation, romance, and more.

One of the nice things about New Orleans is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

New Orleans, like many big cities in America, has a public transportation system, but the citizens of New Orleans are lucky because theirs is one of the most extensive and widely used. Many commuters choose to leave their cars at home and instead use the bus to get to and from work. In fact, for some people it is feasible to forgo car ownership entirely, avoiding the cost and headache of driving in heavy traffic. The benefits include reduced air pollution and load on the road network.

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.