This proud city once ravaged by a devastating hurricane is still home to a proud tradition and culture. New Orleans was founded by French colonists and still carries many of those French traditions to this day. The architecture in the city is known for having a clear French and Spanish Creole influence, and the annual Mardi Gras celebration harkens back to French colonial times. The climate in New Orleans is hot to mild, reaching temperatures around 90 degrees during the summer, and temperatures as low as 40 degrees during the winter. The city has rain for almost an entire third of the year, totaling more than five feet in overall precipitation throughout the year. As a result of this climate, New Orleans is in extreme danger from hurricanes. Because of its low elevation, the city has flooded due to hurricane activity several times in the last century.
New Orleans was one of the most populated cities in the nation throughout much of the 1800s, largely due to its prominent status as a port for Atlantic trade. This population started to decrease in the 1960s before Hurricane Katrina substantially diminished the city's total population in 2007 to 60% of its pre-hurricane levels.
Most of New Orleans' economy revolves around its port. The port handles 62 million tons of cargo, 50,000 barges, and 700,000 cruise passengers every year. This is the 12th largest port in the country. This proximity to the coast means that New Orleans also hosts a substantial number of offshore oil rigs. Louisiana is the fifth largest producer of oil in the United States. Additionally, New Orleans relies heavily on tourism. 40% of its tax revenues come from $5.5 billion tourism industry. Aside from these industries, New Orleans' most prominent business is its lone Fortune 500 company, Entergy.
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