Ninth Ward/Lower Ninth Ward/Bywater (Upper Ninth)

Sep 24

Located in the easternmost portion of the city, the Ninth Ward encompasses one of the largest regions of New Orleans. Reaching from Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River, the region divided laterally—following the construction of the Industrial Canal in the early 1920s—into two distinct parts, the Upper and Lower Ninth, which have several distinct neighborhoods, including Holy Cross, St. Bernard Parish, and Viavant/Venetian Isles; the Upper Ninth Ward includes New Orleans East, Gentilly, the Bywater, and St. Claude neighborhoods. A historic Black neighborhood, the Ninth Ward also possessed the highest percentage of Black homeowners prior to Hurricane Katrina. Musicians from the pianist and songwriter Fats Domino to the rapper Magic came from the Ninth. The Upper Ninth neighborhood is also home to some of the finest and most diverse wining and dining options in the city.