Is New Orleans still considered a major city

[Joe Biden 2020]

Its been nearly 40 months since Katrina wiped out about half the Crescent City, but is it still considered a major city?  I think the night life and entertainment is still a booming industry, no?

[minionofmidas]

Of course. The city's rebuilding. It will be very slow to wholly recover, but it wasn't "wiped out" or anything like it.

[Verily]

It wasn't a major city by any standard but history before Katrina, either. Houston had long usurped its position as the primary port on the Gulf, the city had long been surpassed in size by dozens of other American cities, etc.

Sure, it was still important culturally. So is Plymouth, Massachusetts.

[minionofmidas]

Sure, it was still important culturally. So is Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Baltimore, Maryland might have been a more accurate comparison here.

[??????????]

It's sad that Galveston circa 1900 rebuilt faster then New Orleans circa '05.

[Daniel Z]

I still consider NO a major city, but my definition of major is probably looser than most people.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Sure, it was still important culturally. So is Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Baltimore, Maryland might have been a more accurate comparison here.

Nah... maybe Nashville.

Everybody knows Nashville... yet what is Nashville?

There are a good number of people in America that will go "Balti-wha?"  But everyone knows Nashville and New Orleans.

And both had rather unfortunate weather disasters (Nashville downtown tornado).

[minionofmidas]

Sure, it was still important culturally. So is Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Baltimore, Maryland might have been a more accurate comparison here.

Nah... maybe Nashville.

Everybody knows Nashville... yet what is Nashville?

There are a good number of people in America that will go "Balti-wha?"  But everyone knows Nashville and New Orleans.

And both had rather unfortunate weather disasters (Nashville downtown tornado).

Nashville was never more important than it is today, though.

[??????????]

Sure, it was still important culturally. So is Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Baltimore, Maryland might have been a more accurate comparison here.

Nah... maybe Nashville.

Everybody knows Nashville... yet what is Nashville?

There are a good number of people in America that will go "Balti-wha?"  But everyone knows Nashville and New Orleans.

And both had rather unfortunate weather disasters (Nashville downtown tornado).

Nashville was never more important than it is today, though.

Disagree. It was a transportation hub and supply center during the 19th century.

[The Populist]

I think so, yes.  I was there about 6 months after Katrina, and I was there about 2 months ago, and the city has really picked up since then.  It is quite impressive.

[minionofmidas]

Sure, it was still important culturally. So is Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Baltimore, Maryland might have been a more accurate comparison here.

Nah... maybe Nashville.

Everybody knows Nashville... yet what is Nashville?

There are a good number of people in America that will go "Balti-wha?"  But everyone knows Nashville and New Orleans.

And both had rather unfortunate weather disasters (Nashville downtown tornado).

Nashville was never more important than it is today, though.

Disagree. It was a transportation hub and supply center during the 19th century.

Ah, but it wasn't *more important* then that it is now. Not like Baltimore was once one of the US' four really big cities, along Boston, New York and Philly, and DC just a semi-rural backwater.
Nevermind New Orleans' former role as the US' Caribbean stronghold.

[Eraserhead]

I suppose.

[Padfoot]

As of July 1, 2007 Census estimates, New Orleans was the 78th largest city and 51st largest metropolitan area in the US.  Based on that I would say it is definitely still a major US city.  Cities of similar size include St. Petersburg, FL; Chandler, AZ; Jersey City, NJ; Norfolk, VA; Scottsdale, AZ; and Birmingham, AL.  Metro Areas of similar size include Salt Lake City, UT; the Research Triangle area in Raleigh, NC; Rochester, NY; Tuscon, AZ; Tulsa, OK; and Honolulu, HI.

I guess it really just depend on what your definition of a major US city is.  I consider any city in the top 100 for raw population or metro area population to be a major city but other people may disagree.

[Brittain33]

It's sad that Galveston circa 1900 rebuilt faster then New Orleans circa '05.

Galveston had, at most, 5% of New Orleans' population pre-storm and it can hardly said to have rebuilt to anything like its relative importance for the state.

Also, after the storm, Galveston was still above sea level.

[minionofmidas]

It's sad that Galveston circa 1900 rebuilt faster then New Orleans circa '05.

Galveston had, at most, 5% of New Orleans' population pre-storm and it can hardly said to have rebuilt to anything like its relative importance for the state.

Also, after the storm, Galveston was still above sea level.

And those parts of New Orleans that had been above sea level before the storm were still above sea level after the storm.

[??????????]

It's sad that Galveston circa 1900 rebuilt faster then New Orleans circa '05.

Galveston had, at most, 5% of New Orleans' population pre-storm and it can hardly said to have rebuilt to anything like its relative importance for the state.

Also, after the storm, Galveston was still above sea level.

Loaded with historical inaccuracies. The population level is really meaningless. Galveston did much more with much less, which actually props up my point. Galveston was an important port town for Texas at that time in history. Shipping was still very at that point in history. Lastly, Galveston was at sea level right on the gulf of Mexico at the time of the storm. Afterward, the citizens, with their own manual labor built a huge seawall and built the city up over 15 feet higher then it had been previously. Galveston lost more both property wise and life wise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galveston_Hurricane_of_1900#Background

[Associate Justice PiT]

     For me a major city has at least seven-digits population, so no.

[??????????]

     For me a major city has at least seven-digits population, so no.

To high a number.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

     For me a major city has at least seven-digits population, so no.

To high a number.

Agreed.  I'd say >100,000 people.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     For me a major city has at least seven-digits population, so no.

To high a number.

Agreed.  I'd say >100,000 people.

     FTR, I would consider a city of 150,000+ to be 'sizable.' I suppose you could take issue with the validity of that distinction, which would make sizable & major the same in my estimation.

     I would also define 25,000-149,999 to be a smaller city & 1,000-24,999 to be a town. Anything smaller than that would be a village.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

     For me a major city has at least seven-digits population, so no.

To high a number.

Agreed.  I'd say >100,000 people.

     FTR, I would consider a city of 150,000+ to be 'sizable.' I suppose you could take issue with the validity of that distinction, which would make sizable & major the same in my estimation.

Yeah, it really is a matter of opinion.  How does the census define it?

[Ban my account ffs!]

It takes more than government or money to rebuild after a catastrophe, but government plays an essential role.

Grand Forks, ND was badly damaged after historic floods in 1997 inundated nearly the entire city.

People not only took responsibility for themselves, which I think is sorely lacking in NOLA, but they took responsibility for their neighbors as well.  A fast and efficient response by the aid organizations, the National Guard, area local governments, state governments, and the federal government, an outpouring of financial support from fellow Minnesotans/North Dakotans and beyond, and a huge donation by the heiress to the McDonald's fortune allowed everybody to rebuild and come back.

The flood didn't attack individual households, it attacked a community and the community responded by acting like a community... not a fat lady sitting on a park bench or a group of rugged individuals out to prove that they can do it all by and for themselves.

When it was all over, the city, with the help of state and federal governments, made investments that raised the levees well above the record flood stage achieved in 1997 and removed all buildings next to the river, instead designating it as a parkland flood zone.

When very high crests hit the city in 2001 and 2006, they were prepared and residents watched the water put all those emergency responses and the new levee into action.. and the city escaped without a scratch.

It's not nearly the scale as NOLA, but I think people could learn a little from that experience.  It really really bothers me when people stand their on their high horse, screaming 'well, they can rebuild it all themselves.. they shouldn't rely on the government blah blah blah free market principles'

When you're in that situation and you're out working so hard that it's breaking your back... we'll see how you feel when some asshole on a horse comes along and starts poking you with a stick yelling "work harder you lazy idiot!  You should fix this all yourself.. I sure am glad I didn't choose to live here!"

"Life isn't fair" is an unavoidable thing that can be minimized when we look out a little bit for one another.. it should not be some ideal that we seek to enforce upon everybody else.

[Joe Biden 2020]

     For me a major city has at least seven-digits population, so no.

To high a number.

Agreed.  I'd say >100,000 people.

     FTR, I would consider a city of 150,000+ to be 'sizable.' I suppose you could take issue with the validity of that distinction, which would make sizable & major the same in my estimation.

Yeah, it really is a matter of opinion.  How does the census define it?

I don't know how the Census Bureau defines it, but I define it as the following:

Tiny Town -- 0 - 999
Small Town -- 1,000 - 3,999
Large Town -- 4,000 -- 9.999
Small City -- 10,000 - 99,999
Large City -- 100,000-299,999
Major City -- 300,000 and up

[Ban my account ffs!]

Small town:  1-5000
Town:  5001-9999
Small city:  10,000-49,999
Medium City:  50,000-199,999

Beyond this, I tend to think in terms of metropolitan population size.

Large city:  200,000-999,999
Major city:  1,000,000-4,999,999
Big enough to not have a generic term because everybody knows it by name:  5,000,000+