Canal Street forms the
upriver boundary of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Canal Street
received its name from the planned canal that was supposed to
connect Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River. Canal Street,
at 170 feet wide, is the widest main street in the United States
and one of the liveliest, especially during Mardi Gras
parades.
The foot of Canal Street which
starts at the Mississippi River is home to the Canal Street Ferry
which connects old urban suburb of Algiers, Louisiana
across the river. The other end is
in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans.
Canal Street has three lanes of
traffic on each side with a trolley track and bus lanes in the
center. It is also the main hub of New Orleans mass transit system.
In the early 1800's after the Louisiana Purchase,
the French Creoles residing in the
French Quarter were segregated from the Americans who settled
upriver from Canal Street. The communities had separate governments
and police systems. The center area that runs down the middle of
Canal Street was the neutral area between the two communities. It
is still referred to today as "neutral ground."
Many of the grandiose buildings that
lined the street still exist and house many of the areas shops,
hotels and restaurants.
Photo courtesy of
Wikipedia
