Downtown New Orleans

The interstate 10 exit that leads directly into the "Downtown" New Orleans area at night.
Canal Street at night, looking away from the river towards Mid-City; the traditional dividing line.
A picture of the well known Bourbon Street in Downtown New Orleans in 1941.

In New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, downtown has historically referred to neighborhoods along the Mississippi River, downriver (roughly northeast) from Canal Street – including the French Quarter, Tremé, Faubourg Marigny, Bywater, the 9th Ward, and other neighborhoods. Contrary to the common usage of the term downtown in other cities, this historic application of the term excluded the New Orleans Central Business District. The term continues to be employed as it has been historically, although many younger people and migrants from other parts of the country will use "downtown" as it is used elsewhere; that is, to mean the Central Business District/Warehouse District area.