re: Had the South won would New Orleans be the largest/most populated city in the US?

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Houston

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New Orleans was the natural center for the oil industry, and oil people from that era would have told you so.

It had the river, a state full of oil, with easy offshore access, and a government that let anything go environmentally.

But, New Orleans got greedy, tried to bilk the companies for all they were worth to line pockets, and oil companies found a much better situation in Texas in the long run.

Houston's rise coincided with the demise of New Orleans for a reason.