Didn't grow up in the city, but relatives came from there, I still have an "ear to the ground" so to speak, am Saints fan and visit occasionally.

Pros: - Great food

- History (relative to the US at least)

- Laid back culture

- Decent public transit. Not as good as NYC or SF, but in the city and even outlying areas like Metarie the streetcar gets you alot of places

- Interesting architechture in places like the Garden District and French Quarter

- All-in-all, one of the most unique places in the US

Cons:

- Weather is shyte, although winters tend to be mild (ironically it can get cold at times, even worse than say the SF Bay)

- K-12 education outside of private and parochial Catholic is mostly, not good

- The politics. Depending your perspective, you get the worst of both worlds (batshit insane conservatives running the state vs. corrupt liberals running the city)

- Every other commercial you see will be for personal injury lawyers. The tort decisions there are out of control and insurance rates are high.

All this is probably OK for childless young adults. I'd think twice before settling down there though