Like the Megalopolis, New Orleans is not a homogeneous area.The city has French, Spanish, and Caribbean influences from its diverse historical past, and new immigrants to the area have made New Orleans even more of a cultural melting pot. New Orleans is a city of Festivals that honor various cultural traditions. Soul Fest pays tribute to African American music, food and culture. St. Patrick's Day festivities honor the history of the Irish people that have made New Orleans their home since the 1840s. The most famous event that blends cultures in New Orleans is Mardi Gras.
Another similarity between New Orleans and Megalopolis is the fact that in both areas, inhabitants have been dramatically modified the ancestral landscape. The area of New Orleans was originally swamp and marshland. City builders drained and shored up this area to provide a foundation for development and growth. Due to the low lying nature of New Orleans levees had to be built to prevent flooding. Residents of the city began building artificial levees as early as 1726. Congress passed the Louisiana Hurricane protection Project as part of the Flood Control Act of 1965. The project was to construct a series of control structures, concrete floodwalls and levees to provide hurricane protection to areas around Lake Pontchartrain. It was expected to take about 13 years to complete and cost about $85 million dollars. It was a joint federal, state and local effort.
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, the project which included about 125 miles of levees, was estimated to be 60 percent to 90 percent complete in different areas and the estimated completion date for the whole project was 2015.
(Sources: USA today and BestofNewOrleans.com ; photo Google Images)
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