New Orleans Versus Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia and New Orleans, Louisiana are only 400-plus miles apart. Both places are great cities to visit and have a good time. In the past I’ve been to both and my overall impression was this: they had lots of wonderful things to see and do but Atlanta was a bit more reserved than New Orleans. Let’s take a look and get an overall picture.
Baton Rouge is the state capitol of Louisiana: the building has 34 storeys and is both the tallest structure in Baton Rouge and the tallest capitol in the U.S.
Both were similar in size until Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. After that disaster, the population fell by more than 50%.
Atlanta is now the fifth most populous city in the “Sun Belt” – thanks to the growth of its suburbs. Its population in 2017 was 486,290 while The Big Easy came in at 393,292 that year.
New Orleans was once the commercial center of the American South, but Atlanta is richer today. However, the suburbs of Atlanta are less affluent than its inner city which is unlike the rest of the country.
Atlanta has more recent arrivals than New Orleans. And, although NOLA is famous for its multilingual heritage, few people speak anything other than English.
The population in New Orleans is 59.8% black and 34.1% white while in Atlanta it’s 52.29% black and 40.08% white.
Georgia’s state capitol in Atlanta was built in 1889. It had its dome covered with gold leaf in 1958. They used 20 ounces for this project – that’s over $30,000 in today’s money
Atlanta is the capital of Georgia and is situated among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. New Orleans is a port city that allows access to the Mississippi River. It was built above sea level, but over time it’s been sinking.
Atlanta is known for its sports teams (the Braves, Falcons and Hawks, to name a few) and its Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport or “the world’s busiest passenger airport” – having seen it many times I really believe this.
New Orleans is known for its different nicknames: The Big Easy, The City That Care Forgot, the Crescent City – however a recent study says its “America’s Most Sinful City” while Provo, Utah is the nation’s most saintly city.
Atlanta is known as the birthplace of the civil rights movement. Many visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site to learn about this Nobel Peace Prize winner’s childhood and too-short life.
New Orleans is best known as “the birthplace of jazz’ and for its food, music and its famous Mardi Gras festival that’s been held since 1699 when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans.
In Atlanta, 49% of the population has a college degree whereas in New Orleans its 35% -- the U.S. average is 32%.
Home-grown Atlanta cuisine includes any dishes with: boiled peanuts, any relish/sauce with Vidalia onions, pulled pork and Brunswick stew, pimento cheese, fried chicken and waffles, chicken with dumplings and sweet potato pie.
Traditional New Orleans dishes include: gumbo, crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, red beans and rice, beignets, New Orleans king cakes, pralines and BBQ shrimp.
So there you have it. Whether you’re in Atlanta or New Orleans you’ll feast like a king.
COMMENT: If you’re interested in how Atlanta is charging ahead in the tech world get a copy of Fast Company, September 2019 and read an article titled “Atlanta Rising.” You’ll be amazed at what you’ll read about “The Black Mecca.”
Shaun Nelson-Henrick