Algiers Point

West Bank

Second Oldest Neighborhood In New Orleans

Description

For anyone interested in getting a taste of a real New Orleans neighborhood that has the historical charm of the French Quarter and the Garden District without all of the hoopla, Algiers Point is the place to check out. Indeed, only the French Quarter is an older New Orleans neighborhood. Built on a tract of land granted in 1719 to Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the founder of New Orleans, the area grew from being the site of the colony's slaughterhouse in the 18th century to being a small town by the early 19th century. It became part of New Orleans in 1870. The beautiful old houses here date from the 1840s, and the area has a "village in the city" feel. The neighborhood is an integral part of the city and has much more in common with the rest of New Orleans on the other side of the river than it does with the suburban areas of the West Bank which surround it. At the same time, its isolated location makes it feel like its own little tight-knit hamlet, with the Canal Street ferry the only connection to the civilized world.