The 17th Ward is one of the seventeen Wards of New Orleans

Wards of New Orleans

The city of New Orleans, 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 city council members were elected by ward. The city has not had officials...

, a section of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

. http://www.mardigrasdigest.com/travel/new_orleans_districts_and_wards.htm New Orleans Districts and Wards. The 17th Ward, along with the 16th, was formed when the City of New Orleans annexed City of Carrollton in 1870.

Boundaries

The Ward stretches from the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 to Lake Pontchartrain

Lake Pontchartrain

Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...

. It is the furthest up river Ward of the city; the upper (western) boundary is Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....

. The lower boundary extends from the riverfront along Carrollton Avenue (across which is the 16th Ward

16th Ward of New Orleans

The 16th Ward or Sixteenth Ward is a division of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans. New Orleans Districts and Wards...

) to the intersection of I-10

Interstate 10 in Louisiana

Interstate 10, a major transcontinental Interstate Highway in the Southern U.S., runs across the southern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It passes through Lake Charles, Lafayette and Baton Rouge before dipping south of Lake Pontchartrain to serve the New Orleans area and then passing through...

. This was formerly the route of the New Basin Canal

New Basin Canal

The New Basin Canal, also known as the New Orleans Canal and the New Canal, was a shipping canal in New Orleans, Louisiana from the 1830s through the 1940s....

, the original ward boundary. Across I-10 here is the 3rd Ward

3rd Ward of New Orleans

The 3rd Ward or Third Ward is one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans, a division of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.-Boundaries:The Ward touches the Mississippi River as its front. The down-river boundary is Canal Street, below which is the city's 4th Ward. The upper boundary is Julia Street,...

. Continuing back along the former Canal route, the boundary north of I-10 becomes Pontchartrain Boulevard, across which is the 4th Ward

4th Ward of New Orleans

The 4th Ward or Fourth Ward is a division of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans.-Boundaries:...

, and north to the lakefront.

History

The area closer to the Riverfront was originally the upper half of the town of Carrollton, Louisiana

Carrollton, Louisiana

Carrollton is a neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, which includes the Carrollton Historic District. It is the part of Uptown New Orleans farthest up river from the French Quarter...

, annexed to New Orleans in the 1870s.

The boundary between the Ward and Jefferson Parish from Metairie Ridge back is the 17th Street Canal

17th Street Canal

The 17th Street Canal is a drainage canal in Greater New Orleans, Louisiana, that flows into Lake Pontchartrain. The canal forms a significant portion of the boundary between the city of New Orleans and Metairie, Louisiana...

. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

 struck the city, and a disastrous break in the canal levee flooded much of the city; see: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans

Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans

The effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans have been long-lasting. As the center of Katrina passed South-east of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, winds downtown were in the Category 3 range with frequent intense gusts and tidal surge. Hurricane force winds were experienced throughout the...

.

Landmarks and neighborhoods

Going roughly from the river to the lake, the 17th Ward includes the Carrollton Riverbend area, Upper or West Carrollton with the noted Oak Street commercial area, the Leonidas neighborhood, Palmer Park at Carrollton and Claiborne, Northwest Carrollton, Hollygrove

Hollygrove, New Orleans

Hollygrove is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, located in the city's 17th Ward. A subdistrict of the Uptown/Carrollton area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Palmetto Street to the north, Cambronne, Edinburgh, Forshey, Fig and Leonidas Streets to...

 and Dixon neighborhoods (known for producing a number of rap music artists, such as Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...

, Mack Maine

Mack Maine

Jermaine Preyan, , known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American rapper and singer. Mack Maine is signed to Young Money Entertainment, an imprint of Birdman's Universal Motown-distributed Cash Money Records, and is currently the president of the label...

) Country Club Gardens

Country Club Gardens

Country Club Gardens is a residential neighborhood in Planning District Five of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States comprising homes along six streets:* Bamboo Road* Bellaire Drive* Fairway Drive* Garden Lane* Maryland Drive* Metairie Road...

 the Longue Vue House and Gardens

Longue Vue House and Gardens

Longue Vue House and Gardens, also known as Longue Vue, is a Classical Revival mansion and garden located at 7 Bamboo Road, New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States. It is open to the public Tuesdays to Sundays; an admission fee is charged....

, Metairie Cemetery

Metairie Cemetery

Metairie Cemetery is a cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume that the cemetery is located in Metairie, Louisiana, but it is located within the New Orleans city limits, on Metairie Road .-History:This site was previously a horse...

, Lakewood neighborhood

Lakewood, New Orleans

Lakewood is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Lakeview District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Veterans Memorial Boulevard to the north, Pontchartrain Boulevard and the Pontchartrain Expressway to the east, Last, Quince, Hamilton,...

, the West End neighborhood, West End Park—long famous for the collection of seafood restaurants—Orleans Marina and the Municipal Yacht Harbor.