In New Orleans, the neutral ground is the median, the strip of grass or concrete down the middle of a divided street. The name comes from Canal Street, whose wide median separated the Creole and American sections of the city after New Orleans was split into separate municipalities in 1836.
Say "median" here and people will understand you. They'll also know you're not from here. This is one of the first words newcomers pick up, and one of the last ones ex-pats let go of after they move away.
What Is the Neutral Ground?
It's any median. The grassy strip on St. Charles Avenue where the streetcar runs is the neutral ground. So is the strip on Napoleon where families set up for parades, and the one on Canal where it all started. Locals park on it when the streets flood, which the city would prefer you didn't do, and stake out spots on it during Carnival.
It's also where a lot of the city's public life happens. Kids play football on it. People walk dogs on it. On parade days, it fills with ladders and coolers, and it becomes the most valuable real estate in town for a few hours.
Where "Neutral Ground" Comes From
The best explanation comes from Tulane geographer Richard Campanella, who wrote about it for 64 Parishes. His version goes back further than most people realize.
First, a border dispute. In 1806, Spanish and American officials agreed to treat a contested strip of land on the western edge of Louisiana as a "neutral ground" that neither side would occupy. It stayed that way until Spain gave up its claim in 1819, which helped set today's Texas-Louisiana line. The phrase was already in the air.
Then, a divided city. In 1836, New Orleans was split into three semi-autonomous municipalities. The Creole population was concentrated in the First Municipality, centered on the old city we now call the French Quarter. The Anglo-American population was concentrated in the Second Municipality, upriver in what's now the Central Business District and beyond. Canal Street, 171 feet wide, ran right between them.
Campanella cites The Picayune in March 1837 as the first clear published use of "neutral ground" for Canal Street's median, in a piece joking about renaming the street "Frog Town." The term stuck to that median, the space that belonged to neither side.
Then everywhere. The city reunited in 1852, but the name never went back. Over time, "neutral ground" spread to every median in New Orleans, and New Orleanians still use it daily.
Creole and American: The Two Sides of Canal
The split was more than administrative. On one side lived the French-speaking Creole families who had been here since the colonial era. On the other were the Americans who'd poured in after the Louisiana Purchase, speaking English and building their own commercial district. They did business and governed themselves differently. Canal Street was the line.
You can still feel it if you pay attention. The street names change when you cross Canal. Royal becomes St. Charles, and Chartres becomes Camp, a leftover from the years when two cities shared one riverbank.
Directions Here Don't Work Like Directions Elsewhere
The neutral ground is part of a larger habit of talking about the city in our own terms. Nobody here says north or south, because the river bends so hard that north is close to meaningless. You go toward the river or toward the lake, uptown or downtown. Ask for directions and you'll hear something like "it's on the lake side of the neutral ground."
Our River. Lake. Uptown. Downtown. shirt is built on exactly this. The design came about because Patrick pushed for it, and it has stayed one of our most popular ever since. There's also a River. Lake. Keychain for people who need the reminder every time they start the car.
Neutral Ground on Parade Day
If you're here for Carnival, you'll spend a lot of time on the neutral ground. It's where families set up early along the big Uptown routes, and it comes with rules. The city's NOLA Ready parade guidelines cover things like ladder placement and how early you can stake out space.
The unwritten rules matter too. Don't touch anyone's ladder, and pick up your trash. Our guide to what to do during Mardi Gras covers the rest, and our post on what not to do in New Orleans covers what happens if you skip it.
Neutral ground is one entry in a much longer local vocabulary. Our hub post, The New Orleans Alphabet, runs through the rest.
Neutral Ground New Orleans: FAQ
What is a neutral ground in New Orleans?
It's the New Orleans word for a street median. It applies to every median in the city, from St. Charles Avenue to Canal Street.
Why is it called the neutral ground?
After New Orleans was divided into separate municipalities in 1836, Canal Street's median separated the Creole and American sections and became known as the neutral ground. Historians also trace the phrase to an 1806 border agreement that created a "neutral ground" in western Louisiana.
Do other cities use the term neutral ground?
The term is strongly associated with New Orleans and the surrounding area. Most of the country says median.
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