Ivan Gillis

Active Retirement Communities

State:     Louisiana

City:       New Orleans Part 2

New Orleans is home to one of the largest and busiest ports in the world, and metropolitan New Orleans is a center of maritime industry. The New Orleans region also accounts for a significant portion of the nation's oil refining and petrochemical production, and serves as a white collar corporate base for onshore and offshore petroleum and natural gas production. New Orleans is a center for higher learning, with over 50,000 students enrolled in the region's eleven two- and four-year degree granting institutions. A top 50 research university, Tulane University, is located in New Orleans' Uptown neighborhood. Metropolitan New Orleans is a major regional hub for the health care industry and boasts a small, globally-competitive manufacturing sector.

New Orleans came into being to act as a strategically-located trading entrepot, and it remains, above all, a crucial transportation hub and distribution center for waterborne commerce. The Port of New Orleans is the 5th-largest port in the United States based on volume of cargo handled, second-largest in the state after the Port of South Louisiana, and 12th-largest in the U.S., based on value of cargo. The Port of South Louisiana, also based in the New Orleans area, is the world's busiest in terms of bulk tonnage and, when combined with the Port of New Orleans, it forms the 4th-largest port system in volume handled. Many shipbuilding, shipping, logistics, freight forwarding and commodity brokerage firms either call metropolitan New Orleans home or maintain a large local presence.

Like Houston, New Orleans is located in proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and the many oil rigs that lie just offshore. Louisiana ranks fifth in oil production and eighth in reserves in the United States. It is also home to two of the four Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) storage facilities: West Hackberry in Cameron Parish and Bayou Choctaw in Iberville Parish.

Tourism is another staple of the city's economy. Perhaps more visible than any other sector, New Orleans' tourist and convention industry is a $5.5 billion juggernaut that accounts for 40 percent of New Orleans' tax revenues. In 2004, the hospitality industry employed 85,000 people, making it New Orleans' top economic sector as measured by employment totals.

New Orleans also famously has a presence of its distinctive variety of Louisiana Voodoo, due in part to syncretism with Roman Catholic beliefs, the fame of voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau, and New Orleans' distinctly Caribbean cultural influences.  Although the exotic image of Voodoo within the city has been highly promoted by the tourism industry, there are only a small number of serious adherents to the religion.

New Orleans' pre-Katrina population of 10,000 Jews has now dropped to 7,000. In the wake of Katrina, all New Orleans synagogues lost members, but were able to re-open in their original locations, except for Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest and most prominent Orthodox synagogue in the New Orleans region. Beth Israel's building in Lakeview was destroyed by flooding, and it is currently in temporary quarters in Metairie.

A large number of institutions of higher education exist within the city, including Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans, the city's major private universities. These universities also administer the city's three professional schools, Tulane University School of Medicine, Tulane University Law School and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. The University of New Orleans is a large public research university in the city. Dillard University, Southern University at New Orleans and Xavier University of Louisiana are among some of the leading historically black colleges and universities in the United States (Xavier being the only predominantly black Catholic university in the U.S.) Louisiana State University School of Medicine is the state's flagship public university medical school, which also conducts research. Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Notre Dame Seminary and the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary are several smaller religiously affiliated universities. Other notable schools include Delgado Community College, the William Carey College School of Nursing, the Culinary Institute of New Orleans, Herzing College, and Commonwealth University.

The Canal Street Ferry connects the heart of New Orleans with the neighborhood of Algiers Point on the other side of the Mississippi River. This service has been in continuous operation since 1827. Pedestrians ride for free, while automobiles are charged a fee. Service is from 6 am until midnight.

New Orleans' professional sports teams include the 2009 Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints (NFL).

Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2008: $37,751 (it was $27,133 in 2000)

New Orleans:	$37,751
Louisiana:	$43,733

Estimated per capita income in 2008: $21,309

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $194,300 (it was $88,100 in 2000)

New Orleans:	$194,300
Louisiana:	$132,400

Mean prices in 2008: All housing units: $305,302; Detached houses: $320,426; Townhouses or other attached units: $192,638; In 2-unit structures: $222,337; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $312,538; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $370,148; Mobile homes: $60,229

Median gross rent in 2008: $908

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in New Orleans: 93.7 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

 In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

·        Climate Charts

1.      Average Temperature

2.      Precipitation (Rain)

3.      Humidity

4.      Wind Speed (MPH)

5.      Snowfall

6.      Sunshine

7.      Cloudy Days

·        Tornado Activity History

·        Hospitals & Medical

·        Airports

·        Colleges/Universities

·        High Schools

·        Locations of Interest

·        Shopping Centers

·        Churches

·        Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Creeks/Parks

·        Tourist Attractions

·        Banks

·        Housing Costs Information

·        Crime Statistics

·        Radio Stations AM/FM

·        TV Broadcast Stations

·        Discussion Forums

For the above information and photos, click this link:

http://www.city-data.com/city/New-Orleans-Louisiana.html

Total Tax Burden--Data for Calculation

http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate2.html#LOUISIANA

Listing of Active Retirement Communities:

http://www.retirenet.com/location/communities/87-louisiana/1-active-lifestyles?city=70117-new-orleans

Visit our Senior Cruising Site at: http://seniorcruisers.org

Other sites of interest:

World of Collectibles

http://www.collectibleshg.info

Information on: Architectural Collectibles, Art Collectibles, Artist Trading Cards , Books & Paper Collectibles, Brand Name Products Collectibles, Clothing Fabric & Textiles Collectibles, Collectibles UnLimited, Doll Collectibles, Household & Furnishings Collectibles, Militaria Collectors, Movies & TV Collectibles, Music Collectibles, Musical Instruments Collectibles, Nature And Animal Collectibles, Numismatics (Currency Collecting), Pottery & Glass Collectibles, Technology Collectibles, Theme Collectibles

DOGS

http://www.zcanines.com

Information on:  Overview Of Dogs, Sporting Dogs, Hounds Dogs, Terrier Dogs, Toy Dogs, Non-Sporting Dogs, Herding Dogs, Miscellaneous Class Dogs, Foundation Stock Service® Breeds Dogs

CATS

http://www.zcats.com

Information on: Cats Overview, Abyssinian Cat, America Cat Bobtail, American Curl Cat, American Shorthair Cat, American Wirehair Cat, Balinese Cat, Birman Cat, Bombay Cat, British Shorthair Cat, Charteux Cat, Colorpoint Shorthair Cat, Cornish Rex Cat, Devon Rex Cat, Egyptian Mau Cat, European Burmese Cat, Exotic Cat, Havana Brown Cat, Japanese Bobtail Cat, Korat Cat, LaPerm Cat, Maine Coon Cat, Manx Cat, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat Cat, Oriental Cat, Persian Cat, Himalayan Cat, Ragamuffin Cat, Russian Blue Cat, Scottish Fold Cat, Selrik Rex Cat, Siamese Cat, Siberian Cat, Singapura Cat, Somali Cat, Sphynx Cat, Tonkinese Cat, Turkish Angora Cat, Turkish Van Cat

BIRD WATCHING

http://www.zavians.com

Information on:  Overview Of Birds, Ostriches-Emus-Kiwis, Gulls, Plovers, Loons, Grebres, Albatrosses, Penguins, Pelicans, Tropical Birds, Storks, Flamingos-Birds, Falcons-Birds, Eagles-Birds, Hawks-Birds, Cranes-Birds, Doves And Pigeons, Parrots,Cuckoos, Owls, Nightjars, Hummingbirds, Kingfishers-Birds, Woodpeckers, Mousebirds, Passerines 

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