FRENCH QUARTER, NEW ORLEANS, LOUSIANA - FOUNDED IN 1718

Founded as a military-style grid of seventy squares in 1718 by French Canadian naval officer Jean Baptiste Bienville, the French Quarter of New Orleans has charted a course of urbanism for parts of four centuries. The French Quarter, Louisiana (estimated population of 3,286), also known as the Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. New Orleans is often called "the most unique city in America". New Orleans may be known for Bourbon Street and its Mardi Gras celebrations, but one of the country’s most-haunted cities comes to life in October as well, with haunted houses, cemetery tours, macabre museums, and, of course, a huge parade. 

In the mid-twentieth century, historic preservationists successfully began the authentic restoration of this eighteenth-century “time capsule," a project that continues to this day. 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 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 an historic home, can be harboring one of New Orleans’ ghosts. Every home you come to is easy to imagine it being haunted, with the ghosts inside tormenting the living. 

Today the French Quarter 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 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.