Uptown: The Long Green Stretch of New Orleans Living
Uptown is less a single neighborhood than a state of mind — a broad, oak-canopied swath of the city running upriver from the Garden District all the way to Carrollton, stitched together by St. Charles Avenue and the streetcar line that has been rolling down its neutral ground since 1835. For renters and people new to New Orleans, Uptown is often the first place that feels like home — and for many, it stays that way.
The Feel of the Place
Uptown rewards the kind of living that happens on foot and on a bicycle. The streets shift character block by block — quieter and more residential deeper in, livelier along the commercial corridors — and the sheer variety of what the area offers keeps it from ever feeling monotonous. Maple Street in the Riverbend area has a genuine neighborhood shopping strip feel, with independent bookstores, casual restaurants, and coffee shops that have been around long enough to feel like institutions. Magazine Street runs the length of the area and handles just about everything else — brunch, groceries, a haircut, a night out — without requiring anyone to leave the neighborhood.
What to Expect in a Rental
Uptown has one of the deepest and most varied rental markets in the city. Doubles, converted cottages, garage apartments, and the occasional grand house carved into units give renters a wide range of options across a wide range of budgets. The presence of Tulane and Loyola Universities on the Uptown/Audubon border means the rental market here is well-established and consistently active — landlords are experienced, inventory turns over regularly, and there’s always something available if you’re willing to look. Graduate students, medical residents, young professionals, and families on temporary assignments all find what they need here without much trouble.
Getting Around
The St. Charles streetcar is the backbone of Uptown life for anyone without a car or trying to use one less. It connects the neighborhood to the CBD, Warehouse District, and French Quarter reliably and cheaply, and riding it is one of those New Orleans experiences that never quite gets old regardless of how long you’ve been here. Audubon Park sits in the heart of the area and offers miles of walking and biking paths, and the Mississippi River levee is accessible from several points along the neighborhood’s lower edge for anyone who wants a sunset without going far.
Explore your New Orleans Neighborhood: Audubon | Bayou St. John | Bywater | Carrollton | Central City | Faubourg Marigny | French Quarter | Garden District | Gentilly | Irish Channel | Mid City | Treme | Uptown | Warehouse District |