WI The Hurricane of 1900 Hits New Orleans

Delta Force

Banned
In 1900 Galveston was an up and coming city while New Orleans was in the midst of a slow decline in importance. Galveston had not yet gone on to build sea walls and other defenses against hurricanes, but New Orleans had not yet started to drain the bayous around the city to expand below sea level, although it was still vulnerable to flooding. How does the history of these two cities differ if it the two cities trade fates in 1900, with Galveston learning the lessons of hurricane protection at the expense of New Orleans and having a better foundation with which to compete against Houston?
 

FDW

Banned
Well, Galveston and Houston then might end being like San Francisco and San Jose, anchoring two ends of a single metro region, and the center of gravity in the region would be closer to the coast than OTL. New Orleans on the other hand already had an over six digit population at the time, so it's not as easy to state the effects of of scenario on the area other than slower growth.
 

Hyperion

Banned
Likely at the time New Orleans could result in many more people being killed than where lost in Galveston, simply by New Orleans already being heavily populated.

OTL from what I recall, the death toll in Galveston was at least 8,000 or so. In New Orleans, you could possibly double if not triple that figure, possibly even a bit higher depending on how bad the flooding is.

Then you have the likelyhood of disease and famine hitting the region afterwards, likely killing several hundred or several thousand more people in the months afterwards.

Overall, you'd probably set New Orleans, and likely that region of Louisiana and the Gulf in general, back by at least a decade or so compared to OTL.

The only downside I could see, assuming weather butterflies don't prevent it, if that storm doesn't hit Galveston, Hurricane Rita in 2005 or so other storm before or after could be far more devastating simply due to to city and region having not experienced an earlier tragedy.
 

BlondieBC

Banned
Houston is centered much more towards Galveston. New Orleans will not drain the bayou and will expand more up river on higher ground. You end up with a longer, thinner city that in may ways will merge into Baton Rogue. Now there is a farming gap between the two cities, in your scenario you will see a think city up to 50 miles long and a mile or two wide.
 
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