ll this prosperity, including the lucrative slave trade, would end in 1862 during the Civil War, when New Orleans' forts were captured by the Union navy and the city was occupied by the Union army, then the U.S. government, for the next 15 years. After the war, New Orleans would never be the same. It endured a bitter Reconstruction Period, in which there was graft and corruption in the highest places. It wasn't until 1880 that port activity finally began to pick up and people began to work again, this time in a more industrialized economy. Near the turn of the century, New Orleans was still the largest city in the south with over 216,000 inhabitants. The biggest event of this period was the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884-85, located on 264 acres of Audubon Park. The fair made New Orleans a world-class city for the first time in its history. During this same period, another popular event was born. Due to the American laws forbidding the use of masks, many New Orleanians formed private clubs, and in 1827, a group of men donned costumes and marched down the street, throwing flowers to the crowds. In 1837, the first parade took place, but it was marred by violence, so the participants decided that they would form a secret society to restore order and dignity to the celebration. In 1857, the Mystic Krewe of Comus was born, staging a nighttime parade ending with a tableau ball. In 1872, the Krewe of Rex was hurredly formed in order to present a parade for the visiting Russian Grand Duke, and became the most notable of all the Mardi Gras organizations. Mardi Gras was born in the Crescent City!

From the very beginning, New Orleanians loved to have fun, so gambling gradually appeared once again in more than 80 establishments, and about 800 saloons and dozens of "houses of ill repute" opened up around the city. The most famous of these areas was Storyville, named after city alderman Sidney Story. Story first proposed moving all of these houses into one legalized district in 1897, and Basin Street was chosen for the site. There was even a directory of prostitutes published, the "Blue Book", in which over 700 different women were listed according to their race and status. These establishments turned out to be the true birthplace of jazz in New Orleans, with greats like Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong as regular performers. Storyville did not last too long into the 20th century however, as it was closed down by the Secretary of the Navy in 1917. After the First World War, New Orleans went through another growth spurt, expanding its area to the lake. This was made possible partly through the invention of a heavy duty pumping system which could move vast quantities of water from the below-sea-level parts of the city into the lake, making land that had previously been swamps now habitable for residents.

Despite serious tragedies like the Hurricane of 1915, the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1918 (35,000 dead), and the Great Flood of 1927, New Orleanians prevailed. New Orleans has recently built its port into the largest in the United States and the second largest in the world, Amsterdam being the first. By 1980, more than 40 countries maintained consular offices, and more than 5,000 ships visited the city every year. The 1984 World's Fair (a local success, but failed to generate enough outside tourism) brought about a revitalization of the riverfront, an area long in need of development, and scores of new high-rise hotels. Tourism is now the number one economy since the oil bust of the 80's, and new attractions like the Aquarium of the Americas and Six Flags New Orleans promise to bring more family entertainment to the previously adult-oriented fare. New Orleans has a lot to offer, from its food to its music to its love of life. Laissez les bon temps rouller!