Is New Orleans protected? Here is what that you must know

If you begin planning your dream trip to New Orleans, I am certain the considered security has crossed your thoughts. Certain, New Orleans could also be nicknamed “The Large Plain,” however is life actually that straightforward right here? I’ve lived in New Orleans for about six years, and I’m right here to clear up any considerations you’ll have about visiting New Orleans.

Earlier than we begin a deep dive into Crescent Metropolis crime, it is necessary to do not forget that most main cities can have excessive crime charges. New Orleans is not any totally different.

By the numbers, New Orleans just isn’t protected. New Orleans leads the nation in homicides, and it isn’t trending in the suitable route. New Orleans additionally has a significant downside with automotive theft. Nevertheless, you possibly can go to town and keep protected, if you’re good about the way you journey.

It is a very troublesome state of affairs as a result of New Orleans can be a extremely nice metropolis. A vibrant historical past, distinctive culinary scene, and a few of the finest individuals you may ever meet make it a first-class vacation spot.

I really like this metropolis a lot and I would not stay right here if I did not really feel protected. I’m assured which you could safely discover New Orleans and have a good time right here.

Is it protected to go to New Orleans?

Total, New Orleans is usually thought of protected for tourism, however like some other main metropolis, you may want to remain vigilant and belief your intestine. Though New Orleans is without doubt one of the most visited cities in Louisiana, it isn’t as massive as different main cities across the nation.

New York (greater than 8 million), Los Angeles (greater than 3 million), and Chicago (2.6 million) can spherical out the inhabitants of New Orleans (369,000). New Orleans is not even within the prime 50 most populous cities.

So, if you begin evaluating crime statistics to different cities, it makes extra sense to check them to cities that share the identical inhabitants, like Arlington, or Cleveland, and even Honolulu. Nevertheless, New Orleans sadly nonetheless ranks above the nationwide common for each violent crime and property crime.

How protected is public transportation in New Orleans?

The primary type of public transportation in New Orleans is the favored avenue automotive. Avenue automobiles are a really reasonably priced strategy to see town ($1.25) and can take you all over the place from Canal Avenue to the riverbank and past.

Basically, avenue automobiles are protected to experience, and the identical goes for buses, however I would not essentially experience them late at night time. Like some other main metropolis, night time tends to deliver out the unhealthy guys.

Even in the course of the day, you may need to make sure that your baggage are secured. Public transport throughout the board is a simple goal for petty crime, pickpockets and basic scammers.

In the course of the day, although, I can not advocate avenue automobiles sufficient. There are 4 streetcar traces, the St. Charles Avenue Automotive is the oldest constantly working tram line on this planet. She’s been strolling the oak-lined streets of St. Chuck since 1835!

Take avenue automobiles in the course of the day, then within the night swap to a ride-sharing possibility like Uber or Lyft. Each are very talked-about in New Orleans, and you should not have any issues discovering a experience.

Is violent crime an issue?

New Orleans is not the most secure metropolis within the nation, and there is not any strategy to sugarcoat that. New Orleans ranks increased than the nationwide common relating to violent crimes, however these crimes have a tendency to remain in residential neighborhoods and away from most vacationer areas.

If it is any comfort, New Orleans is not essentially the most harmful metropolis in Louisiana. That “honor” goes to Monroe, adopted carefully by Alexandria, the place Opelousas introduced residence the bronze. That is particularly for violent crimes.

Though New Orleans is way from the biggest metropolis within the nation, it nonetheless has a criminal offense fee 150% increased than the nationwide common. With regards to violent crimes, New Orleans ranks thirty second out of 100. There’s a 1 in 72 probability of turning into a sufferer of a violent crime in New Orleans.

A big portion of violent crime within the metropolis is because of gang exercise. Though it might be scary, you might be unlikely to come across any violent crime throughout your go to to New Orleans. Most violent crimes in New Orleans contain events who already know one another, not random shootings in high-tourist areas.

For a few years, New Orleans held the doubtful title of being the homicide capital. Though town has made nice strides because it final held that title in 2011, New Orleans sadly ranked first in main metropolis homicides for 2022, with a fee of 74.3 homicides per 100,000 individuals.

NOPD affords an interactive crime map that may be very helpful for each vacationers and locals. Every crime is color-coded (aggravated assault, carjacking, housebreaking, and many others.) and you may click on on any crime and it’ll let you know the date and site of the particular crime.

Check out this desk evaluating crime charges in a couple of of the nation’s largest cities:

Will vacationers really feel protected in New Orleans?

Basically, sure. Many vacationers who come to New Orleans follow the identical common vacationer areas: the French Quarter, the Warehouse District, the Central Enterprise District, and maybe the Backyard District.

Since these New Orleans neighborhoods are filled with vacationers, it isn’t the violent crimes that you must fear about. Petty theft poses a a lot better menace to vacationers touring to New Orleans.

Similar to some other main metropolis, areas which might be closely tourism-focused are susceptible to petty crime equivalent to pickpockets and being scammed. Should you stick to those New Orleans neighborhoods, you must really feel simply as protected as you do in cities like Chicago, Houston, or Boston.

If you click on on this interactive crime map, you may discover that one kind of crime stands out above the remainder. Sure, New Orleans does have a car theft downside.

This can be a downside for everybody. Shockingly, the Orleans Parish District Lawyer was robbed at gunpoint not too long ago (October 2023). The automotive thief was arrested inside 24 hours and nobody was damage, however this exhibits that nobody is protected from crime.

It isn’t simply car theft, it is also smash-and-grab kind crimes. The French Quarter, the Central Enterprise District, and plenty of different areas of downtown New Orleans have grow to be the goal of criminals who steal automobiles or break home windows to grab backpacks, laptops, and many others.

In case you are planning to lease a automotive in New Orleans, I counsel you to be sure that nothing is seen from the surface. Hold your belongings within the trunk if that you must, and at all times park your automotive in well-lit areas. Parking tons are higher as a result of they typically have safety cameras.

Do I want journey insurance coverage?

I do not care the place you journey, journey insurance coverage is at all times a good suggestion. Should you’ve been saving for months to plan your excellent trip, would not you need to ensure you’re coated? Between canceled flights, hurricanes, and different random climate delays, you by no means know what is going on to occur.

Nobody plans for issues to go mistaken, however when/in the event that they do, getting journey insurance coverage from a dependable firm like VisitorsCoverage will put all of your worries to relaxation so you possibly can benefit from the straightforward program to the fullest.

Many journey insurance coverage insurance policies will even cowl injury to rental automobiles in addition to theft, which is at all times a plus. Once more, nobody plans to get pickpocketed or have their rental automotive window smashed, but when you end up on this state of affairs, it is a good suggestion to be coated.

Is the French Quarter in New Orleans protected?

Basically, sure. One of many important causes individuals journey to New Orleans is to go to the French Quarter. Stroll the well-known streets, soak up all of the historic structure, and naturally, perhaps have a drink or two.

Talking of ingesting, you possibly can undoubtedly take your drink in a plastic cup and take a stroll across the French Quarter. We might speak about bars within the French Quarter all day, however that is a distinct article. Basically, the French Quarter is protected.

I would not fear about violent crime within the French Quarter. Consider the French Quarter as you’ll Occasions Sq.. Petty theft could be very common in tourist-heavy areas like this, so you may need to know your wits about you.

Scammers are the largest security concern within the French Quarter. It is laborious as a result of there are such a lot of avenue performers, it is simple to get entranced by nice jazz or proficient drummers and never notice you’ve got been pickpocketed.

My security tip whereas strolling round, particularly within the French Quarter, is to maintain your valuables in a entrance pocket or put on a cross-body bag. You need not go to any extremes right here, simply make sure that your zippers are closed and that you just stay vigilant.

Is New Orleans protected for solo vacationers?

New Orleans is a good metropolis for solo vacationers. Though there are some security considerations, they’re pretty straightforward to keep away from, and there are many inns in downtown New Orleans which might be centrally positioned.

It isn’t laborious to strike up a dialog with a neighborhood, and our vibrant nightlife scene is unparalleled. Vacationers come from everywhere in the world to get pleasure from a drink on Bourbon Avenue, and you must too!

You may must observe the final security recommendation you’ll in some other main metropolis. Do not inform random strangers that you just’re touring alone, keep away from strolling on darkish streets late at night time, and hold your valuables in a protected place.

Personally, I might benefit from the various excursions out there in New Orleans. Our tour guides are the most effective within the enterprise, and in case you join one among these strolling excursions at first of your vacation, you may have a greater thought of ​​what different sights you’d wish to discover.

Is New Orleans protected for homosexual vacationers?

For a metropolis that embraces those that dare to be totally different, you may discover that New Orleans could be very gay-friendly. There are numerous homosexual bars in New Orleans. Some of the common gay-friendly areas in New Orleans known as the Lavender Line.

It’s positioned on the nook of Bourbon Avenue and Sainte Anne Avenue within the French Quarter. Remember to go to Lafitte’s Café in Exile, it’s the oldest constantly working homosexual bar in america!

Many gay-friendly festivals are held in New Orleans all year long as properly. Southern Decadence over Labor Day weekend attracts greater than 100,000 pussies annually. Throughout Easter, the Homosexual Easter Parade is only one of three queer festivals held within the French Quarter in the course of the spring.

E book lovers will totally benefit from the Saints and Sinners Literary Pageant as LGBT authors, books and characters are celebrated within the three-day competition. So, general, homosexual vacationers ought to discover New Orleans a protected place to go to year-round.

What are essentially the most harmful neighborhoods in New Orleans?

New Orleans consists of 73 neighborhoods, every with a definite character. Similar to some other large metropolis, there are certain to be a couple of neighborhoods that you just would possibly need to keep away from. Most of those residential neighborhoods have only a few vacationer sights.

Essentially the most harmful neighborhoods in New Orleans embody:

• City centre
• St. Roch
• seventh Avenue
• Small wooden

Once more, most of those areas are residential areas. The everyday New Orleans vacationer will not essentially discover themselves in one among these neighborhoods. Central Metropolis is a bit bizarre right here, as a result of there are some actually good eating places in Central Metropolis, however all the primary New Orleans sights are only a few blocks away.

These are additionally not areas you end up in by probability. You may should make plans to get to one among these neighborhoods, both by driving your self, taking a bus, or a rideshare program.

What are the most secure neighborhoods in New Orleans?

However, there are numerous neighborhoods the place you’ll really feel protected as you move via them. Now, I can not assure that you will be New Orleans crime-free in one among these masks, however they’re typically protected.

The most secure neighborhoods in New Orleans embody:

• French Quarter
• Central Enterprise District/Warehouse District
• Backyard space
• Many of the neighborhoods are Uptown New Orleans

Most vacationers will discover a place to remain within the French Quarter or the CBD. The Backyard District has a couple of boutique inns, however most vacationers come to the Backyard District to benefit from the historic houses and gardens and stroll down Journal Avenue.

Technically, the Backyard District is an uptown neighborhood, nevertheless it tends to have its personal distinction. Different uptown neighborhoods embody Irish Canal, Riverside, Black Pearl, and Carrollton.

Right here you can find Audubon Park, probably the most stunning parks in Louisiana. I am biased in fact, however I extremely advocate you go to this stunning park and zoo.

Is it protected to go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans?

Should you come to New Orleans for some other purpose, do it so you possibly can expertise Mardi Gras. The town of New Orleans actually comes alive throughout Carnival season, and it is one thing everybody ought to placed on their bucket checklist.

In fact, if you add hundreds of further individuals to a metropolis, you possibly can count on the crime fee to extend. Nevertheless, you do not have to fret about gang violence or violent crimes.

Mardi Gras means massive crowds, and in the course of the parade, it isn’t unusual to face shoulder to shoulder with strangers for hours at a time. That is the right alternative for petty theft.

Pickpockets are identified to wreak havoc in the course of the Mardi Gras season. It’s extremely straightforward to succeed in for some Mardi Gras beads after which uncover that you just’re lacking your cellular phone, pockets, or different helpful merchandise.

With all the joy of the present (and the truth that you possibly can have a drink exterior in New Orleans), it is simple to let your guard down. Get a dependable crossbody bag which you could put on throughout your chest with simply the necessities and hold every thing else in your lodge room.

What about hurricane season in New Orleans?

Hurricane season extends from June to November. August and September are the busiest months. If you wish to keep away from probably catastrophic hurricanes, keep away from coming to the Crescent Metropolis throughout these months.

Pure disasters like hurricanes do not hit New Orleans fairly often…however once they do, they’re devastating. Essentially the most well-known hurricane to ever hit New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina.

August 29, 2005. A date that almost all Gulf Coast residents know properly. Mockingly, the opposite main hurricane (Hurricane Ida) that struck New Orleans made landfall on the identical day 16 years later, August 29, 2021.

August 29 just isn’t a very good day for hurricanes in New Orleans. Each precipitated billions of {dollars} in injury, many lives have been misplaced, and each of those hurricanes modified New Orleans and the Gulf Coast perpetually.

Any tour you soak up New Orleans will point out these storms in a technique or one other. The excellent news is that tornadoes are tracked a number of days (generally weeks) prematurely, so you may have loads of warning.

In case you are touring to New Orleans throughout hurricane season, I extremely advocate getting journey insurance coverage, simply in case it’s a must to transfer and climate the storm. Keep dry!

How vacationers can go to New Orleans and keep protected

Whereas statistics painting New Orleans as a really harmful metropolis, there are nonetheless loads of alternatives to go to New Orleans and keep protected. The largest stay-safe journey tip I can provide you is to belief your intestine. When you’ve got a nasty feeling about a spot, skip it.

Any massive metropolis can have a excessive crime fee. Whether or not you are strolling down Royal Avenue or having fun with a day in Metropolis Park or Audubon Park, it is at all times a good suggestion to remain alert. Most unhealthy guys are ready so that you can let your guard down.

And let’s be trustworthy: Crime in New Orleans just isn’t going to vanish in a single day. The New Orleans Police Division is attempting to maintain New Orleans protected, nevertheless it’s clear they’re going through some difficulties. I can actually perceive the temptation to decide on some other metropolis for a household trip.

Like marriage, I stand by New Orleans in illness and in well being…and now town is having a tough time controlling crime. Is New Orleans protected? Properly, the numbers paint a transparent image, and it is laborious to dispute them.

All I can say is that in case you follow areas just like the French Quarter (together with Bourbon Avenue), the Warehouse District, and the Central Enterprise District, and belief your instincts, you must have a good time.

One strategy to keep protected is to remain at a New Orleans lodge within the downtown space, reasonably than renting a trip residence in a neighborhood neighborhood. The additional safety and safety you get from staying in a lodge is value far more than the comfort of renting a home in a neighborhood which will or will not be protected.

Verdict: Is New Orleans protected?

Is New Orleans protected? Properly, sure and no. I will be the primary to confess that it is laborious to let you know to return to The Large Straightforward and have the time of your life. It is completely doable which you could go to New Orleans and have a very good time, however that you must be good about the place you go and keep vigilant.

Though New Orleans ranks first in homicides, you might be unlikely to grow to be a sufferer. Most of those crimes happen amongst residents with a earlier historical past. This does not make it higher, nevertheless it signifies that this sort of crime is restricted to a sure space.

Petty theft is a possible downside wherever you go. Be good concerning the pockets you place your baggage in and at all times make sure that your baggage are zippered.

So far as automotive theft, smash and seize, it is actually random. These unhealthy guys are not concentrating on particular makes and fashions both.

For instance, I drive a midsize SUV that’s about 5 years outdated. I’ve by no means had my automotive damaged into earlier than, however I’ve unintentionally left it unlocked in a single day a number of instances through the years and woke as much as discover somebody had pushed via it. I do not hold something of worth in my automotive, so nothing was stolen (or damaged) nevertheless it nonetheless exhibits that the unhealthy guys won’t ever miss a chance.

Do not give them an opportunity.

Regularly requested questions

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