Our neighborhood is usually referred to as Tremé (sometimes called Faubourg Tremé or Tremé/Lafitte when including the Lafitte housing projects). Bordering the northwest side of the French Quarter proper, it is one of the oldest neighborhoods in New Orleans and early in the city's history was the main neighborhood of free people of color. It remains an important center of the city's African-American and Créole culture, especially the modern brass band tradition.

The modern Tremé neighborhood began as the Morand Plantation and two forts -- St. Ferdinand and St. John. In the early 1800’s, developers began building subdivisions throughout the area to house a diverse population that included Caucasians, Haitian Creoles, and free persons of color. At the end of the 19th century, the famous Storyville red-light district was carved out of the upper part of Tremé; in the 1940s this was torn down and made into the Iberville housing project.

We choose to live in Tremé for both practical and symbolic reasons. Logistically, it is a neighborhood within easy reach of all the surrounding neighborhoods of the French Quarter area, where housing is cheap and biking is a widely-used method of transportation. The more I read about it and listen to the Lord, however, the more I realize that Tremé is a great location for so many more reasons than that:

1. It understands community. The social hub of Tremé has always been Congo Square, now within Louis Armstrong Park. It was originally known as "Place de Nègres"—where slaves gathered on Sundays to dance. The square was also an important place of business for slaves, enabling some to purchase their freedom from sales of crafts and goods there. For much of the rest of the 19th century, the square was an open-air market, where brass and symphonic bands gave concerts, providing the foundation for what would later be known as modern jazz. This sense of community persists today, and Tremé remains a place where people know their neighbors’ names and understand the value of fellowship.

2. It understands creativity. Tremé has a rich musical legacy, producing musicians such as Alphonse Picou and Kermit Ruffins, as well as jazz musicians of European ancestry such as Henry Ragas and Louis Prima. A neighborhood bar called Joe's Cozy Corner is often considered the birthplace of Rebirth Brass Band, one of the most notable New Orleans jazz bands. Producer David Simon has created a series called Tremé for HBO, based on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the musicians who live in the area. Currently, local artisans and musicians encompass much of the neighborhood. It’s rare to find a block that doesn’t contain art of some form, be it a graffiti mural, a refurbished bicycle, or someone playing guitar.

3. It understands brokenness. Tremé’s history is filled with suffering as well as art and community, from the injustice of slavery to the hurting hearts and ruined lives in the Storyville brothels. Let us not romanticize the place—today’s Tremé is also a place of crime, poverty, drugs, depression, and blighted and abandoned homes. The problems here are numerous and complex, tainted by apathy and bigotry. There are no easy fixes. In short, it is exactly the sort of place I imagine Jesus would be hanging out in.