The New Orleans Metropolitan Area, consisting of the Greater New Orleans region and three addtional parishes which share the perimeter of Lake Ponchartrain, is the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Louisiana, centered around the city of New Orleans. The U.S. Census official designation of the area as of the 2003 definition is New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner MSA with a population of 1.3 million in seven parishes of southeastern Louisiana.[link]
The area was affected by Hurricane Katrina in late August of 2005, with effects ranging from moderate to devastating in various portions of the metropolitan area. As reconstruction continues, residents continue to gradually return. At the end of December, 2005, it was estimated that the current population of the New Orleans metro area was approximately 900,000 to 950,000. As of June 2006, most population estimates put Greater New Orleans' population at approximately 1.2 million.
Of those, four comprise the Greater New Orleans region, based on the state of Louisiana historical and economic regions [link]: Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, and Saint Bernard.
New Orleans Metropolitan Area is composed of five areas, mostly defined by the natural boundaries of Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River: the East Bank, the West Bank, the Lower Mississippi River Delta, the North Shore and the River Parishes.
Greater New Orleans
The layout of the Greater New Orleans region's names East Bank and West Bank are unusual because the Mississippi River actually meanders through the region in a more west-to-east orientation rather than north-to-south. The names of the two areas are relative to their continental directions. For example, the East Bank, though north of the Mississippi River, is on the side of the river in the eastern half of the United States.
Since Louisiana is under constant threat from hurricanes, the Louisiana State Police are prepared to enact a contraflow lane reversal program in order to evacuate the metropolitan area as quickly as possible.
