In short
New Orleans was French until 1762, Spanish until 1800, French again, then sold to the United States in 1803. Louisiana is the only American state whose law derives from the civil code rather than common law.
The French Quarter is in fact Spanish in architecture: two fires in the late eighteenth century destroyed the French city.
What it really costs
Housing is markedly cheaper than in the major American coastal cities, which has drawn a creative population that stays year-round.
The St Charles streetcar, running since 1835, crosses the city for a few dollars and serves the Garden District. It is the oldest still operating in the world.
What nobody tells you
Hurricane season runs from June to November. The city sits partly below sea level, and Katrina in 2005 remains formative, in the landscape and in people's minds.
Bourbon Street and Frenchmen Street are two different worlds: the first is a corridor of bars for visitors, the second is where residents go to hear jazz.
Summer is brutal: heat and humidity make walking punishing from June to September. March–April and October–November are the windows, and March is also carnival.