Gentilly: A Place to Grow
Gentilly Today
From historic Arts & Crafts bungalows and traditional New Orleans shotguns, to cozy Swiss Chalet-style cottages and modern brick ranch homes, there is something for everyone in Gentilly.
Live oak, palm, magnolia, and crepe myrtle trees canopy its wide streets and boulevards. One can’t walk far in Gentilly without seeing wild parrots or squirrels.
A Brief History
Two centuries ago, indians and French settlers populated what is now the Gentilly community and an Indian trail followed the path of US Highway 90, or Chef Menteur Highway.
In 1830 the Pontchatrain Railroad was built. The Smokey Mary train chugged back and forth along Elysian Fields, bringing New Orelans residents to Milneburg, a recreational village on Lake Pontchatrain.
Alexander Milne
Alexander Milne, a Scottish footman and philanthropist who made his fortune from a hardware business and brick making operation, astutely predicted that New Orleans would expand northward. It did. He bought large tracts of land in this area and by 1834 he owned most of the lakeshore. The Milne Lighthouse still stands at the foot of Elysian Fields, and is perhaps the most historic structure still standing in present-day Gentilly. Milne’s name was also bestowed upon a majestic cluster of elegant white buildings that became a home for wayward boys.
Gentilly Terrace Land Company
The first major developers in Gentilly were Messrs. Lafaye, DeMontluzin, and Baccich. Other owners of the area included Lake Shore Land Company, Gus Seeger, Seabrook Realty Company, Bienville Realty and the New Orleans Industrial Canal Land and Harbor Development Company.The 1914 construction of Gentilly Terrace School, in the center of Lafaye, DeMontluzun and Baccich’s development, signaled that Gentilly Terrace, the area's first neighborhood, now listed on the National Historic Register, was a place where families put down their roots.
Why Gentilly?
- Families fall in love with Gentilly, and they stay in Gentilly.
- Gentilly’s myriad of neighborhoods provide a style of living for everyone.
- Gentilly is home to four Universities (UNO, SUNO, Dillard, and the Baptist Theological Seminary), as well as numerous elementary and high schools.
- Our community relishes diversity.
- We know our neighbors, and have active neighborhood associations.
- Elysian Fields links Gentilly to Lake Pontchatrain, the French Quarter, and the CBD.
- Your family can spend a day at Lake Pontchatrain, or even City Park.