7th Ward of New Orleans

The 7th Ward is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is geographically the third largest of the 17 Wards of New Orleans, after the 9th Ward and 15th Ward.[1]

This article is about the legally defined voting ward. For the New Orleans neighborhood, see Seventh Ward, New Orleans.
House on the 7th Ward side of Esplanade Avenue

Boundaries and geography

The 7th Ward stretches from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain. The eastern, or "lower" boundary is Elysian Fields Avenue, the boundary with the 8th Ward. In the "up-river" direction to the south-west, the boundary is Esplanade Avenue, the border with the 6th Ward; then from where Esplanade meets Bayou St. John the boundary follows the bayou north to the lake, with the 5th Ward being across the bayou.

Features and landmarks

The London Avenue Canal runs through the ward from just in from Gentilly Ridge to the Lake. Dillard University is in the Ward, as is most of the University of New Orleans campus near the lakefront. The New Orleans Fairgrounds, home to horse racing and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, is just back from Esplanade Avenue, as is Saint Louis Cemetery #3. Frenchmen Street, the popular destination for food and live music, is in the front of the ward near the French Quarter.

History

As with most of New Orleans, the area along the high ground of the riverfront was developed first; this area is today the Marigny Triangle of the Faubourg Marigny. The Pontchartrain Railroad, the first US railroad away from the Atlantic coast, ran for a century along Elysian Fields between the Riverfront and the famous camps at Milneburg. The area is known for the Creole citizens who once heavily populated the area. Esplanade Ridge between Rampart and Bayou St. John was one of the first parts of town substantially developed away from the riverfront. Some of the elegant early 19th century Creole-style mansions can still be seen along Esplanade. The areas between Gentilly Ridge and the Lakefront was developed in the 20th century with improved drainage; see Drainage in New Orleans.

Ruined house in flood silt near the London Avenue Canal after the Hurricane Katrina levee failure disaster

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, the effects were disastrous. The London Avenue Canal breached catastrophically on both sides, flooding the majority of the Ward and the surrounding area. The 7th ward has since seen many residents return.

Famous 7th Ward New Orleanians

Notable people from the 7th Ward include artists Charlie Johnson, Louise Mouton, John Scott, Richard C. Thomas; jazz musicians/composers Joe Jones, Lionel Ferbos, Jelly Roll Morton, director, actor Vernel Bagneris, Barney Bigard, and Sidney Bechet, Allen Toussaint, singer Lee Dorsey, singer Lizzie Miles, Jazz singers Germaine Bazzle, Sharon Martin; actor Anthony Mackie, rapper/producer Mannie Fresh, rapper Mia X, author/commentator Melissa Harris-Perry, civil rights leader A. P. Tureaud, playwright Tyler Perry, authors Brenda Marie Osbey, Mona Lisa Saloy, Fatima Shaik, Gospel-R&B composer, singer, singer John Boutte, performers Connie & Dwight Fitch, singer-songwriter Frank Ocean and fellow schoolmate R&B singer Luke James, Tyrann Mathieu football player for the LSU Tigers and Kansas City Chiefs, Leonard Fournette football player for the LSU Tigers and Jacksonville Jaguars, boxer Joseph Dorsey Jr., mayors Ernest Morial, Sidney Barthelemy, mathematician Beverly Anderson, rap artists Scott Arceneaux ($crim) and Aristos Petrou (Ruby da Cherry) of Suicideboys, C. Ray Nagin.

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2010-04-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) New Orleans Districts and Wards

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