--- title: Neighborhoods Around New Orleans | Harlow Realtors description: Explore neighborhoods around New Orleans — Metairie, Kenner, Uptown, and more — with local context from Harlow Realtors. --- [Skip to content](https://harlowrealtors.com/neighborhoods-around-new-orleans#main-content) [![harlow-logo-rect-green-tight](https://harlowrealtors.com/hs-fs/hubfs/harlow-logo-rect-green-tight.png?width=1200&height=480&name=harlow-logo-rect-green-tight.png)Homepage](https://harlowrealtors.com/?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://harlowrealtors.com?hsLang=en) - [Buyers](https://harlowrealtors.com/buyers-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Sellers](https://harlowrealtors.com/sellers?hsLang=en) - [Neighborhoods](https://harlowrealtors.com/neighborhoods-around-new-orleans) - [Local News](https://harlowrealtors.com/local-news-growth-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Local Happenings](https://harlowrealtors.com/local-happenings-in-new-orleans-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Join Harlow](https://harlowrealtors.com/join-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Contact](https://harlowrealtors.com/contact-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) [Buyers](https://438req.share-na2.hsforms.com/2SVECYkaIQXuv6PmgWz94Zw) - [Home](https://harlowrealtors.com?hsLang=en) - [Buyers](https://harlowrealtors.com/buyers-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Sellers](https://harlowrealtors.com/sellers?hsLang=en) - [Neighborhoods](https://harlowrealtors.com/neighborhoods-around-new-orleans) - [Local News](https://harlowrealtors.com/local-news-growth-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Local Happenings](https://harlowrealtors.com/local-happenings-in-new-orleans-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Join Harlow](https://harlowrealtors.com/join-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Contact](https://harlowrealtors.com/contact-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) [Buyers](https://438req.share-na2.hsforms.com/2SVECYkaIQXuv6PmgWz94Zw) # Neighborhoods around New Orleans Explore neighborhoods around New Orleans at your own pace — from the French Quarter and Uptown to Metairie, Kenner, the Westbank, the Northshore, and the River Parishes. Compare the feel, commute, housing styles, and everyday priorities that make each area distinct.   Metairie: Convenient, community-minded, and close to the lake, downtown, and major routes. Metairie offers a wide range of homes, schools, parks, and everyday amenities.   French Quarter: Historic architecture, lively streets, and a walkable setting define this iconic neighborhood. Buyers should consider noise, renovation details, and the rhythm of tourism.   Garden District: Tree-lined blocks, grand homes, and classic New Orleans character make the Garden District especially distinctive.   Mid-City & Bayou St. John: A relaxed, central area with green space, local restaurants, historic homes, and easy access to City Park and the bayou.   Marigny & Bywater: Colorful architecture, music, and neighborhood culture create a creative, walkable feel near the river.   Lakeview: Near Lake Pontchartrain, Lakeview offers a mix of newer and established homes, open space, and a quieter residential pace.   Uptown: Uptown blends universities, parks, restaurants, and historic streets with a variety of housing styles.   Kenner: A practical suburban option with access to the airport, schools, parks, and regional employment centers.   River Parishes: Communities along the Mississippi River offer distinct small-town settings, industrial and cultural history, and different commute patterns.   Neighborhood fit is personal. Harlow Realtors can help you compare streets, commute, home style, and day-to-day priorities as you explore. ![Golden-hour aerial view over French Quarter rooftops in New Orleans](https://harlowrealtors.com/hubfs/nola-aerial-french-quarter.jpg) Neighborhoods ## New Orleans neighborhoods: where to live and why New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, and the city still shows every layer of its past. French, Spanish, and American eras each left their mark on the streets, which is why no two neighborhoods here feel the same. The old faubourgs (suburbs of the original city) each grew up with their own architecture, culture, and personality. Here is an honest walk through the main ones, what makes each special, and who each one suits. ### A quick word on architecture You will hear a few terms over and over. Creole cottages are the city's oldest house type: one and a half stories, steep roofs, built right up to the sidewalk, many from the early 1800s. Shotgun houses are narrow, one room wide, with doors lined up front to back; the old saying is you could fire a shotgun through the front door and out the back without hitting a wall. Greek Revival mansions and Victorian doubles came later, mostly Uptown. Much of what looks "French" in the Quarter is actually Spanish: two great fires in 1788 and 1794 burned the French city down, and the Spanish rebuilt it in brick with courtyards and cast iron galleries. --- ### Faubourg Marigny Just downriver from the Quarter, and where locals go when the Quarter gets to be too much. Creole cottages and shotgun houses painted in bright colors. Frenchmen Street is the live music heart of the city, three blocks of clubs with no cover attitude. More neighborhood, less tourist trap. Best for: musicians, artists, and night owls who want the Quarter's energy with a front porch. --- ### Bywater Downriver past the Marigny. A former working-class neighborhood turned creative enclave: street art, colorful shotguns, Crescent Park along the riverfront. Still more affordable than the Marigny, though that gap keeps shrinking. Best for: creatives and first-time buyers who got priced out closer in. --- ### Treme One of the oldest Black neighborhoods in America and the cradle of jazz culture. Congo Square, where enslaved Africans gathered on Sundays to drum and dance, sits at its edge in Louis Armstrong Park. Creole cottages and deep cultural roots. Best for: buyers who put history and culture first. --- ### Uptown and Audubon The university district, home to Tulane and Loyola, wrapped around Audubon Park and the Audubon Zoo. Big Victorians, Arts and Crafts bungalows, and some of the city's prettiest residential streets. Magazine Street cuts through with six miles of shops and restaurants. Best for: academics, families, and park lovers. --- ### Lower Garden District Between the Garden District and the Warehouse District. A mix of mansions, cottages, and condos, with Magazine Street energy at a lower price than its famous neighbor. Best for: buyers who want to be near everything without paying Garden District prices. --- ### Warehouse District and the Arts District Old cotton warehouses converted into condos and lofts, now the city's gallery and museum row. Home to the National WWII Museum and some of the best restaurants in town. Best for: condo and loft buyers who want modern living in a historic shell. --- ### Mid-City Geographically central, as the name says. Bayou St. John winds through it, and City Park (1,300 acres, one of the largest urban parks in the country) anchors the north end. Diverse housing stock: shotguns, bungalows, and new construction side by side. Best for: buyers who want a central location, park access, and relative value. --- ### Lakeview Near the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Suburban feel inside the city limits: yards, new construction, good schools nearby. Almost entirely rebuilt after the levee failures of 2005. Best for: families, boaters, and anyone who wants new construction with space around it. --- ### Gentilly Historically the heart of Black middle-class New Orleans, with brick ranch homes on generous lots. Dillard University and the University of New Orleans are nearby. Deep community roots and some of the best value per square foot in the city. Best for: buyers who want space, value, and neighborhood history. --- ### Algiers Point Across the Mississippi, a short ferry ride from the Quarter. Nineteenth-century cottages on quiet streets, with the best skyline view in the city. It feels like a small village that happens to face downtown. Best for: commuters who want quiet streets and a front-row view of the skyline. --- Finding your fit ## How to choose Start with your daily life, not the architecture. If you work downtown and want to walk to dinner, the Quarter, Marigny, Warehouse District, and Algiers Point (via ferry) put you there. If schools and yards matter, look at Lakeview, Uptown, and Gentilly. If culture is the point, Treme, Marigny, and Bywater are where the city's music and art actually live. Every neighborhood here rewards a slow drive through on a Sunday afternoon. Do that before you decide. [Talk through a neighborhood](https://438req.share-na2.hsforms.com/2SVECYkaIQXuv6PmgWz94Zw) [![harlow-footer-logo-small](https://harlowrealtors.com/hs-fs/hubfs/harlow-footer-logo-small.png?width=300&height=143&name=harlow-footer-logo-small.png "harlow-footer-logo-small")](https://harlowrealtors.com/?hsLang=en) - Home - Buyers - Sellers - Neighborhoods - Local News - [Local Happenings](https://harlowrealtors.com/local-happenings-in-new-orleans-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Join Harlow](https://harlowrealtors.com/join-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Contact](https://harlowrealtors.com/contact-harlow-realtors?hsLang=en) - [Style preview](https://harlowrealtors.com/style-preview-old-new-orleans?hsLang=en) --- Harlow Realtors · Christian Harlow, Broker · 609 Metairie Rd #105, Metairie, LA 70005 · 504-267-1195  Licensed by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission