A report by online lending company LendingTree, indicates that once people buy a home in New Orleans, they tend to stick around.
According to the report, New Orleans ranks fifth on a list of 50 major cities where residents stay the longest.
Not a surprise, says Michael Hecht, President and CEO of GNO, Inc. "I think that what you have there is a confirmation of what all of us know who live here...that, pound-for-pound the quality of life in New Orleans exceeds almost anywhere in North America."
Hecht acknowledges that people born here tend to want to stay here, but so do people who aren't from here.
"Our biggest challenge is not getting people to stay here," says Hecht. "It's actually convincing people to come here for the first time to understand that the music and the food and the festivals are all part of our brand and they're all real...but that actually living here day-to-day exceeds even the festivals."
He says it's even great after that day-to-day living.
"There's probably nowhere better in North America to spend, not just your life, but your afterlife, because we celebrate that just as much in New Orleans."
Of the top five places where people stay put the longest, New Orleans is the only city that's not in the northeast. The top four cities are Pittsburgh, New York City, Buffalo, New York, and Philadelphia.
Hecht has an explanation for that.
"Well, clearly, the only reason that people would stay longer in a city in the north is that they're snowed in and they can't get out."
