Welcome to New Orleans! In the spirit of Mardi Gras, we bring you ten fun facts about America's favorite city.

10. Louisiana is the only state that does not have counties. Instead, Louisiana is broken into political subdivisions called parishes. This is why fictional police officer Jason Stackhouse works for Renard Parish, rather than Renard county.

9. New Orleans was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville in 1718. Believing that the area was safe from hurricanes, the city originally was developed in a rectangle block now known as the French Quarter. Along with being the father of New Orleans, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville has also given you a reason to never complain about your name ever again.



8. New Orleans is not the home of the first Mardi Gras celebration in the United States. That honor belongs to Mobile, Alabama.



7. The New Orleans Saints won their only Super Bowl appearance in 2010. For those keeping score: the Saints have five less wins than the Pittsburgh Steelers. But no Saints fans should be that upset because New Orleans is an infinitely more fun city.



6. The Superdome is the largest enclosed arena in the world.  



5. Alcohol is available in New Orleans at any moment of the day. Bars can stay open all night and liquor is sold not only in liquor stores but grocery stores as well. Drinking on the street is allowed in plastic cups so bars frequently provide patrons with plastic to-go cups. You will never leave a wounded soldier behind in NOLA.



4. Lee Harvey Oswald, John F. Kennedy's assassin, was born in New Orleans in 1939; however, Iâm certain the city collectively would rather forget this fact.



3. Next time you hit the casino, pay homage to New Orleans. The city holds the honor of inventing both craps and poker.

2. New Orleans is where the first opera was performed in the U.S., back in 1796.



1. New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz. And that is pretty cool.