re: New Orleans 2004 vs. New Orleans 2014

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As far as the young professionals go, no, they're not flocking to NOLA. Sure, hipsters are gentrifying bayou St. John and the Bywater, but there is still much work to be done from an aesthetic standpoint, as well as economically.

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There are several groups of young professionals who are flocking to the city.

1) Entreprenuers

2) Teach For America types

3) People who want to work with nonprofits / community service types

4) Anyone who can be considered an "artist" in any stretch, such as music, painting, literature, craft, etc

5) Just within the last 12-24 months, Info Tech

What there is a significant absence of, is young professionals in traditional professional fields - finance, accounting, engineering, architecture, etc.

This is because, by and large, these fields have most of their entry level jobs inside large firms or large corporations, neither of which we have many of in this city.

When you think of a traditional young professional, NOLA is still a very difficult city in which to get your first professional job. I've seen that upclose with a family member, who is a recent graduate in the same field that I work in. She has struggled to even get interviews... of the four she has gone on, three of them were with people I know through professional relationships.