The best neighborhoods to move to in New Orleans depend on what you want from the city. Here are 15 neighborhoods and suburbs compared by a local crew: what each feels like, the houses you will find, who it suits and what move day is like on those streets.
New Orleans is a city of small places. Our crews work in every one of these areas, so this guide covers what the brochures skip: what each area feels like, what the houses are built like, who tends to be happy there, and what move day looks like on that block.
One thing to know first. The oldest parts of the city sit on the natural levee the Mississippi built up over centuries. Locals call that high strip along the river the "sliver by the river," and most of it stayed dry after the levee failures of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Neighborhoods closer to the lake sit lower, and several of them flooded badly. That history still shapes the housing: in the low areas you will see many homes raised on piers or rebuilt well off the ground, which means more steps on move day.
If you only have a minute, start here:
If you only have a minute, start here:
| Area | Feel | Housing | Good for | Moving note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uptown | Oak-lined, residential, two universities | Shotgun singles and doubles, raised cottages, large older homes | Families, students, faculty | Parade routes on St. Charles and Napoleon during Carnival |
| Garden District | Quiet, historic, grand | 19th-century mansions, raised center-hall homes, some condos | Established households, retirees | Tall porch steps, antiques, wrought-iron gates |
| Irish Channel | Close-knit, walkable, near Magazine St. | Shotguns (single, double, camelback), cottages | Young professionals, couples | Narrow streets, tight parking, steep camelback stairs |
| Carrollton | Riverbend shops, streetcar, two universities nearby | Shotguns, doubles, raised cottages | Students, young families | Streetcar on Carrollton Ave; load from side streets |
| Broadmoor | Residential, recovered, community-minded | Early 1900s Craftsman and Colonial Revival homes | Buyers who want an older house near Uptown | Low-lying; flooded badly in 2005; many homes raised |
| Carrollton | Riverbend shops, streetcar, two universities nearby | Shotguns, doubles, raised cottages | Students, young families | Streetcar on Carrollton Ave; load from side streets |
| Broadmoor | Residential, recovered, community-minded | Early 1900s Craftsman and Colonial Revival homes | Buyers who want an older house near Uptown | Low-lying; flooded badly in 2005; many homes raised |
| Mid-City | Central, mixed, near City Park | Shotgun doubles, raised-basement bungalows, apartments | Young professionals, first-time buyers | Flooded in 2005; Endymion rolls through |
| Lakeview | Suburban feel inside the city | Ranch homes, many new raised houses | Families | Wide streets but lots of exterior stairs |
| Tremé | Historic, musical, next to the Quarter | Creole cottages, shotguns, older doubles | People who want culture and a short walk downtown | Second lines and events can close blocks |
| Tremé | Historic, musical, next to the Quarter | Creole cottages, shotguns, older doubles | People who want culture and a short walk downtown | Second lines and events can close blocks |
| Marigny | Creative, musical, next to the Quarter | Creole cottages, shotguns | Singles, artists, night owls | Small lots, busy evenings near Frenchmen |
| Bywater | Artsy, colorful, riverside park | Shotguns, Creole cottages | Creatives, remote workers | Narrow one-way streets |
| Gentilly | Residential, roomy lots | Bungalows, ranch houses, some shotguns | Families, university staff | Flooded in 2005; many homes now raised |
| Algiers Point | Small-town feel across the river | Victorian and Greek Revival cottages, shotguns | Commuters to downtown, retirees | Bridge access; ferry is foot traffic only |
| Metairie | Suburban, convenient | Ranch homes, apartments, newer builds | Families, anyone who wants a driveway | Easiest truck access of the bunch |
| Old Metairie | Established, leafy | 1920s-era Colonial Revival and Craftsman homes | Families who want older homes with yards | Big furniture, long driveways |
| Northshore | Quieter, more space | Single-family homes on larger lots | Families, remote workers, retirees | About 24 miles of bridge each way |
Uptown is the big stretch of the city between the river and roughly Claiborne, running from the Garden District up toward Carrollton. St. Charles Avenue and its streetcar run through the middle, Tulane and Loyola face Audubon Park, and Magazine Street gives you miles of shops and restaurants. Housing is a full mix: shotgun singles and doubles on the side streets, raised cottages, and large older homes on and near St. Charles. It suits families who want old houses and big trees, plus a lot of students and faculty. Most of Uptown sits on the higher ground near the river.
The moving reality: Uptown streets are often lined with parked cars on both sides, and the oaks hang low over some blocks, so we scout truck placement ahead of time. During Carnival, parades form around Napoleon Avenue and roll down St. Charles, and the city restricts parking along the routes. If you can, avoid booking an Uptown move on a parade day.
The Garden District sits between St. Charles and Magazine, from about Jackson Avenue up to Toledano depending on which map you use. It was laid out in the 1830s as part of the old City of Lafayette, which New Orleans annexed in 1852, and it is known for its 19th-century mansions, raised center-hall houses and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 on Washington Avenue. It is quiet, walkable and steady, and it suits established households and retirees who want history at the front door.
On move day, think tall front steps, iron gates, and furniture that is old, heavy and irreplaceable. We pad antiques at the house, not in the truck. See our Garden District movers page for what we bring for these homes.
Next to the Garden District, between Magazine and the river, the Irish Channel was a working neighborhood for dock workers in the 1800s: Irish, German and Italian immigrants, free people of color and native-born families. Shotgun houses dominate, single, double and camelback, along with some older raised cottages. It is walkable, social, and close to Magazine Street, and it suits young professionals and couples.
Streets here are narrow and parking is tight. Camelback shotguns have a second story only at the rear, reached by a steep, narrow staircase, so queen box springs and big dressers need planning. Our Irish Channel crew page covers how we handle it.
Carrollton was once its own town at the upriver end of the city. Today it is the bend of the river past Audubon Park, where the St. Charles streetcar turns onto South Carrollton Avenue and Oak Street gives the area its own little main street of shops, bars and restaurants. Shotguns, doubles and raised cottages fill the side streets, with plenty of rentals near Tulane and Loyola. It suits students, faculty and young families who want the Uptown feel with a neighborhood center of their own.
Move day here is about the streetcar and the side streets. A truck can't sit on the tracks, so homes right on Carrollton or St. Charles load from the nearest cross street, and lease turnover near the universities makes the end of the month busy. See our Carrollton movers page for block-by-block notes.
Carrollton was once its own town at the upriver end of the city. Today it is the bend of the river past Audubon Park, where the St. Charles streetcar turns onto South Carrollton Avenue and Oak Street gives the area its own little main street of shops, bars and restaurants. Shotguns, doubles and raised cottages fill the side streets, with plenty of rentals near Tulane and Loyola. It suits students, faculty and young families who want the Uptown feel with a neighborhood center of their own.
Move day here is about the streetcar and the side streets. A truck can't sit on the tracks, so homes right on Carrollton or St. Charles load from the nearest cross street, and lease turnover near the universities makes the end of the month busy. See our Carrollton movers page for block-by-block notes.
Mid-City is right in the middle of the map, with the Canal streetcar running up Canal Street and splitting toward City Park and the cemeteries. Shotguns, including lots of doubles, are the most common house type, with raised-basement bungalows, two-story homes and newer apartment buildings mixed in. It suits young professionals and first-time buyers who want to be central.
Mid-City sits lower than the riverfront and took water after Katrina. Ask about a home's flood history and whether it has been raised. During Carnival, Endymion, one of the biggest parades, rolls through Mid-City, so that weekend is a bad time to move in. Our Mid-City movers plan around it.
Lakeview runs between City Park and Lake Pontchartrain and feels like a suburb inside city limits: wider streets, driveways, yards and lots of kids on bikes. On the morning of August 29, 2005, a section of the 17th Street Canal floodwall failed and flooded the neighborhood deeply. Much of Lakeview was rebuilt afterward, and you will find older ranch-style homes next to newer houses built high off the ground. It suits families who want space and a calmer pace.
Lakeview is one of the easier areas to park a truck in, but the newer raised homes often have a full flight of exterior stairs to the front door. Tell us about the stairs when you book a Lakeview move so the crew size fits.
Gentilly sits between the old city and the lakefront, with Dillard University on the edge of the London Avenue Canal. Houses range from older shotguns to early 20th-century bungalows and mid-century ranch homes, often on bigger lots than you find closer to the river. It suits families and university staff who want a yard without leaving Orleans Parish. The London Avenue Canal floodwalls breached on both sides in 2005, and Gentilly took more than ten feet of water in places. Many homes have been rebuilt or raised since, so expect steps.
Broadmoor sits between Claiborne and Eve Street, below Uptown, on land that was marsh until drainage pumps made building possible in the early 1900s. Over a third of its homes went up in the 1920s, many Craftsman and Colonial Revival houses built high off the ground. It is one of the lowest parts of the city and flooded badly in 2005. Residents fought a plan to turn it into green space, came back and rebuilt; the Rosa F. Keller Library reopened in 2012. It suits buyers who want an older house near Uptown at a slower pace.
For moving, ask whether the house has been raised and how many steps lead to the door, and check the flood zone before you sign. Our Broadmoor movers page covers the stairs and street parking.
Tremé sits just outside the French Quarter, across Rampart Street, and is often called the oldest Black neighborhood in the country. Congo Square, in the corner of Louis Armstrong Park, is where enslaved people gathered on Sundays to play music and dance, and St. Augustine Church dates to 1841. The streets are lined with older cottages, shotguns and doubles. It suits people who want culture on the block and a short walk downtown.
Second lines and neighborhood events can close streets, especially on weekends, so check what is planned for your block before you book a Tremé move.
Broadmoor sits between Claiborne and Eve Street, below Uptown, on land that was marsh until drainage pumps made building possible in the early 1900s. Over a third of its homes went up in the 1920s, many Craftsman and Colonial Revival houses built high off the ground. It is one of the lowest parts of the city and flooded badly in 2005. Residents fought a plan to turn it into green space, came back and rebuilt; the Rosa F. Keller Library reopened in 2012. It suits buyers who want an older house near Uptown at a slower pace.
For moving, ask whether the house has been raised and how many steps lead to the door, and check the flood zone before you sign. Our Broadmoor movers page covers the stairs and street parking.
Tremé sits just outside the French Quarter, across Rampart Street, and is often called the oldest Black neighborhood in the country. Congo Square, in the corner of Louis Armstrong Park, is where enslaved people gathered on Sundays to play music and dance, and St. Augustine Church dates to 1841. The streets are lined with older cottages, shotguns and doubles. It suits people who want culture on the block and a short walk downtown.
Second lines and neighborhood events can close streets, especially on weekends, so check what is planned for your block before you book a Tremé move.
The Faubourg Marigny sits just downriver from the French Quarter, across Esplanade. It was laid out on Bernard de Marigny's plantation starting in 1805, and its streets are lined with one- and two-story Creole cottages built close to the sidewalk, plus shotguns. Washington Square Park is the neighborhood's green space, and Frenchmen Street is one of the best live-music strips in the city. It suits singles, artists and anyone who likes to walk to dinner and a show. Evenings near Frenchmen get crowded, so we load early in the day.
Bywater runs from Press Street down to the Industrial Canal, between St. Claude and the river. It sits on the natural levee and was largely spared flooding in 2005. Shotgun houses are the most common type, along with Creole cottages, many of them painted bright colors. Crescent Park follows the riverfront, with an entrance over the arched steel bridge at Piety and Chartres. It suits creatives and remote workers who want character and a short ride downtown. Streets are narrow and many are one-way, so a smaller truck or a short carry from the corner is sometimes the smart call.
Algiers Point is the old neighborhood tucked into the bend of the river across from the French Quarter. It became part of New Orleans in 1870, and its historic district is full of Greek Revival and Victorian homes, Creole cottages and shotguns, most of them one story. The levees around it held in 2005 and it did not flood. It feels like a small town: quiet streets, a levee path along the river, and a pedestrian ferry to the foot of Canal Street. It suits downtown commuters and retirees who want calm.
The ferry carries people, not furniture, so moving trucks come over the Crescent City Connection.
Metairie is an unincorporated community in Jefferson Parish and the largest community in the parish, right next to the city line at the 17th Street Canal. Veterans Boulevard is the main commercial strip, with Lakeside Shopping Center and plenty of everyday errands. Housing is mostly ranch-style homes, apartment complexes and newer builds with driveways. It suits families and anyone who wants easy parking and quick access to I-10 and the Causeway. Several Carnival parades roll on Veterans, so check the schedule if you move in February or March. Our Metairie moving company page covers the suburbs from Old Metairie to the Kenner line.
Old Metairie grew along Metairie Road, which follows an old natural ridge and is considered the oldest road in the area. Upscale tracts went in there in the 1920s, after a streetcar line was built along the road, and the area still has Colonial Revival and Craftsman homes, mature oaks and big yards. It suits families who want an older house with room to spread out.
Mandeville and Covington sit across Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway runs about 24 miles from Metairie to Mandeville, so the Northshore is a commute, not a short hop. In return you get larger lots, quieter streets and the Tammany Trace, a paved trail on an old rail line that links Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Lacombe and Slidell. It suits families, remote workers and retirees. For movers, the bridge adds drive time to the job, so give yourself a full day for the move.
When you know where you are going, get a ballpark price online in about 60 seconds, and add your stairs and big items so it matches the actual house. Local moves are hourly, and we confirm the final price with you before move day. AD Movers has been moving people around Greater New Orleans since 2013, licensed with the Louisiana Public Service Commission (license #8127) and fully insured. Call (504) 237-0855 with questions about a specific block.
The higher ground along the river, the so-called sliver by the river, stayed mostly dry. That includes the French Quarter, the Marigny, Bywater, the Warehouse District, the Garden District, much of Uptown and Carrollton. Algiers Point on the Westbank also did not flood. Lakeview, Gentilly, Mid-City and Broadmoor took water, and many homes there have been raised since.
Families often look at Lakeview, Uptown, Gentilly and Old Metairie for yards and quieter streets. Metairie and the Northshore add driveways and more space if you are willing to commute. Visit on a school-day morning and a weekend evening, and check the flood zone and the number of steps to the door, since raised houses are common in the lower areas.
Mid-City, the Irish Channel, the Marigny, Bywater and Carrollton are popular with young professionals because they are central, walkable and close to restaurants and music. Rentals there are often half of a shotgun double or a unit in a converted house, so ask about stairs, parking and where a moving truck can stop before you sign the lease.
It is a shotgun house with a second story only over the back part of the house. The upstairs is usually reached by a narrow, steep staircase, which matters when you move large furniture. Queen box springs and big dressers are the usual trouble, so send your mover a photo of the stairs before move day and plan which pieces go up.
If your street is near a parade route, yes. Parades close streets and parking in Uptown, Mid-City and Metairie for weeks before Fat Tuesday, and Endymion rolls through Mid-City. Pick a weekday away from parade days, or move before the season starts. In general, October and November are the easiest months to move; March and early April are next.
The Causeway bridge alone is about 24 miles from Mandeville to Metairie, and traffic varies a lot at rush hour. Drive it at the time you would actually commute before you commit to a house. For a move, the bridge adds drive time to the job, so plan on a full day when you are moving from the city to St. Tammany.
Metairie and much of Lakeview are the easiest for a truck: wider streets, driveways and room to park close. The Marigny, Bywater, the Irish Channel and the French Quarter are the hardest, with narrow one-way streets and cars on both sides. Raised houses anywhere add stairs. None of that rules an area out; it just changes the crew size and the time.
Look up the flood zone and ask whether the house has flooded or been raised. Count the steps to the front door, check the tightest doorway and stair turn against your biggest furniture, and look at where a truck can park. Ask if the street is on a parade route. Those few checks tell you most of what move day will be like.
Picked your neighborhood? Get a ballpark for the new address in about 60 seconds, or call (504) 237-0855.
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