About The French Quarter
The only intact French Colonial and Spanish settlement remaining in the United States
Founded in 1718 by French Canadian naval officer Jean Baptiste Bienville as a military-style grid of seventy squares, the French Quarter of New Orleans has evolved over four centuries of urban development.
The French Quarter, also known as the Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, a city often called “the most unique in America.” It is widely known for Bourbon Street and its Mardi Gras celebrations.
As one of the country’s most-haunted cities, it really comes to life each October with haunted houses, cemetery tours, macabre museums, and, of course, a grand Halloween parade. Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, historic preservationists launched an authentic restoration of this eighteenth-century “time capsule” — a project that continues today.
When you’re visiting New Orleans, especially if you take the time to walk around the French Quarter at night, it is easy to see why many people make this claim. The glow of gas lamps, the sound of jazz drifting through the streets, and the sense of history in every doorway make the experience unforgettable.
The spooky streets and alleyways come alive as your imagination plays tricks on you. It seems as if every alleyway, every door, and every window into a historic home, could be harboring one of New Orleans’ ghosts.
It is easy to imagine every house as haunted, with ghosts lingering in each doorway, window and hall. The French Quarter occupies the same 6×13 block area that was laid out in 1722 as the original City of New Orleans.
This port town of New Orleans has the second most registered historic houses per capita in America with over 10,500 (second only to St. Augustine, FL). Time.com listed New Orleans as one of the world's 100 greatest places in 2021.
The city is among the most recognizable half-square miles in the world and is synonymous with the city as a whole. It is bounded by Rampart Street, Esplanade Avenue, Canal Street, and the Mississippi River. Although certain areas are well known to tourists, there are actually several distinct neighborhoods.
The French Quarter is what many call the heart of New Orleans. This famous city on the Mississippi River turned 300 years old in 2018. This rich history is felt as soon as you enter the French Quarter and become entranced by the architecture, Cajun cuisine and lively music coming from restaurants and street corners.
Vieux Carré Historic District (French Quarter) was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 21, 1965. Many of the buildings have been documented by the National Park Service’s Historic American Buildings Survey. The Vieux Carré is also the subject of an online lesson plan, The Vieux Carré: A Creole Neighborhood in New Orleans.
The lesson plan has been produced by the National Park Service’s "Teaching With Historic Places" program which offers a series of more than 160 classroom-ready lesson plans that use historic sites as a means for exploring American history.
Originally, buildings in the French Quarter were constructed of wood, which quickly decayed in damp surroundings. Today, only one French-colonial building remains — the circa 1750 Ursuline Convent, which now houses the Archives of the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans.