Why does New Orleans have such Strong Growth?

[ProgressiveModerate]

Especially heavily african american communities on the eastern side of the city. Given the dynamics of climate change and generally poor weather, what is making it so desireable to warrant 20%+ growth in many of these communities?

[Skill and Chance]

I know the film industry has been booming there and perhaps it is attracting African-Americans for the same reasons as Atlanta but on a more local scale?  I would say post-Katrina bounce back, but that was so long ago now.  I think it's safe to assume those who moved away for 10+ years have made their lives elsewhere?

BTW NOLA growth is the main reason I don't think Democrats should give up on Louisiana after JBE.
 Abortion will probably have to die down as a national issue first, though.     

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

Part of it is a lot these communities are finally fully rebounding after Katrina. It’ll be interesting to see if it continues or drops off

[Adam Griffin]

Yes, it's mostly Katrina-based. The drop-off in metro area population wasn't just something that happened all at once - in relative terms (i.e. compared to historical losses and what would have been expected sans Katrina), it continued at a decreasing rate for several years (more or less until the Great Recession began to ebb). The NOLA metro as a whole only reached its pre-Katrina population last year.

Orleans proper is still 15% below its pre-Katrina population - but basically is back in line with where its long-term population decline would have put it without Katrina.

[Adam Griffin]

However, it is more interesting to dig a bit deeper and see where, how and why growth patterns are occurring.

In a nutshell: gentrification, fueled mostly by a lot of non-black in-migration (particularly among Latinos). Suburban black flight has played a role as well, I suspect: 57% of the population growth in the non-Orleans NOLA metro between 2010-20 was black (!).

Areas with Growth (Population Change, 2010-20: +22.6%)
2010 Black: 67.9%
2020 Black: 62.7%
2010 White: 24.7%
2020 White: 26.9%
2010 Other: 7.4%
2020 Other: 10.4%

Areas with Losses (Population Change, 2010-20: -8.6%)
2010 Black: 48.7%
2020 Black: 42.8%
2010 White: 41.1%
2020 White: 43.2%
2010 Other: 10.2%
2020 Other: 14.0%

Orleans Population Change, 2010-20: +11.7%
Other: +1627 (4.06%)
Black: +8960 (22.30%)
Latino: +12966 (32.28%)
White: +16615 (41.36%)
Total: +40168

[Skill and Chance]

However, it is more interesting to dig a bit deeper and see where, how and why growth patterns are occurring.

In a nutshell: gentrification, fueled mostly by a lot of non-black in-migration (particularly among Latinos). Suburban black flight has played a role as well, I suspect: 57% of the population growth in the non-Orleans NOLA metro between 2010-20 was black (!).

Areas with Growth (Population Change, 2010-20: +22.6%)
2010 Black: 67.9%
2020 Black: 62.7%
2010 White: 24.7%
2020 White: 26.9%
2010 Other: 7.4%
2020 Other: 10.4%

Areas with Losses (Population Change, 2010-20: -8.6%)
2010 Black: 48.7%
2020 Black: 42.8%
2010 White: 41.1%
2020 White: 43.2%
2010 Other: 10.2%
2020 Other: 14.0%

Orleans Population Change, 2010-20: +11.7%
Other: +1627 (4.06%)
Black: +8960 (22.30%)
Latino: +12966 (32.28%)
White: +16615 (41.36%)
Total: +40168

More people are moving (back?) into the lowest-lying areas than I would have expected!

[Adam Griffin]

More people are moving (back?) into the lowest-lying areas than I would have expected!

Tons of cheap cleared land, salvageable homes for pennies on the dollar, constant demand for "seaside" property (in this case, Pontchartrain) and the always faulty belief that "it could never happen again!".

Though the correlation isn't 100% in every situation: