The 6th Ward or Sixth Ward is one of the seventeen

Wards of New Orleans The city of New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana, is divided into 17 wards. Politically, the wards are used in voting in elections, subdivided into precincts. Under various previous city charters of the 19th century, aldermen and later ci ...

, located in the Downtown section of the city of

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Boundaries

The 6th Ward is a long narrow ward stretching back from the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. The boundary to down-river or "lower" side (to the north east in this case) is Esplanade Avenue, across which is the 7th Ward. The upper limit is Saint Philip Street, across which is the 5th Ward. The back boundary is

Bayou St. John Bayou St. John () is a bayou within the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. The Bayou as a natural feature drained the swampy land of a good portion of what was to become New Orleans, into Lake Pontchartrain. In its natural state, it extended much ...

, the land across which is also part of the 5th Ward. This geographically small ward is just under 40 blocks from front to back, but only 4 blocks wide.

Features and landmarks

At the Riverfront is the Governor Nicholls Street Wharf. Just back from the wharf is the lower terminus of the Riverfront Streetcar line. Continuing inland, beyond a

flood wall A flood wall (or floodwall) is a primarily vertical artificial barrier designed to temporarily contain the waters of a river or other waterway which may rise to unusual levels during seasonal or extreme weather events. Flood walls are mainly u ...

is the

French Market The French Market (french: Marché français) is a market and series of commercial buildings spanning six blocks in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as a Native American trading post predating European colonization, the market ...

and the old

New Orleans Mint The New Orleans Mint (french: Monnaie de La Nouvelle-Orléans) operated in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a branch mint of the United States Mint from 1838 to 1861 and from 1879 to 1909. During its years of operation, it produced over 427 million ...

building, now a museum. Beyond a largely commercial section of Decatur Street which includes some of the city's better known music clubs and bars is the still largely residential section of the lower

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Sq ...

. Cabrini Park is a piece of public green space here in the city's oldest urban neighborhood. On the other side of Rampart Street, the 6th Ward includes the heart of the

Tremé Tremé ( ) is a neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana. "Tremé" is often rendered as Treme, and the neighborhood is sometimes called by its more formal French name, Faubourg Tremé; it is listed in the New Orleans City Planning Districts as Trem ...

neighborhood, including Saint Augustine Church and the Backstreet Cultural Museum. The Ward continues back along Esplanade Ridge, developed by the city's Creole communities in the 19th century, including elegant old mansions along Esplanade, one of which was the residence of Edgar Degas during the time he stayed with his relatives in the city. Just back from Broad St. is the former home of jazz musician

Paul Mares Paul Mares (June 15, 1900 – August 18, 1949), was an American early dixieland jazz cornet and trumpet player, and leader of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. Mares established himself as a respected bandleader over a group of wild and strong ...

, where the

New Orleans Rhythm Kings The New Orleans Rhythm Kings (NORK) were one of the most influential jazz bands of the early to mid-1920s. The band included New Orleans and Chicago musicians who helped shape Chicago jazz and influenced many younger jazz musicians. History The ...

rehearsed while they were in town. At the back of the Ward along the Bayou is the historic home of James Pitot, second

Mayor of New Orleans The post of Mayor of the City of New Orleans (french: Maire de La Nouvelle-Orléans) has been held by the following individuals since New Orleans came under American administration following the Louisiana Purchase — the acquisition by the U.S. ...

, now the Pitot House museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:6th Ward Of New Orleans Wards of New Orleans