Mid-City Neighborhood Organization

The Mid-City Neighborhood Organization is a civic group active in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was formed in April, 1990 by the merger of two civic associations: the Mid-City Improvement Association (founded 1974) and the City Park Mid-City Improvement Association (founded 1971). These associations were formed to respond to threats to Mid-City in the 1970s from the decline of the physical appearance of properties, the exodus of long-term residents and zoning changes that allowed speculators to change residential properties to industrial and commercial use. Their efforts were largely successful and today Mid-City is a lively area of New Orleans, solidly residential but also home to many small businesses that serve the area.

Our area of emphasis is bounded by City Park Avenue, Pontchartrain Expressway, Broad Street, and Orleans Avenue. (See map.)

The organization’s main goal is to improve the quality of life for all residents of the Mid-City neighborhood.

In pursuit of this goal, we have been an active voice in the rebuilding of the Mid-City neighborhood following the levee failures that flooded the area in August 2005. We host monthly neighborhood meetings on topics of interest to residents, publish a quarterly newsletter, Heart of the City, advocate at City Hall on issues of importance to residents, seek funding for projects identified in the Mid-City Plan, and encourage community events like the popular Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Festival.

The organization is governed by a Board elected by the membership. (See bylaws.) Funds for publication of the Heart of the City newsletter and for community projects are raised by our annual “Chocolate Affair” fund raiser.