Which was first, Natchitoches or New Orleans? New Orleans may be bigger, but is it older?

Had it been a race, Louis Juchereau de St. Denis would have won the gold.

The people of Natchitoches know him as St. Denis, the founder of their city. A bust of the French commandant can be found on the Cane River side of Natchitoches' bricked Front Street directly across from the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

In 1714, St. Denis set up a trading post, marking the official beginning of the settlement that would become the City of Natchitoches.

Still, the date 1714 piqued Walker Lasiter's question.

"Does Natchitoches predate New Orleans?" the New Orleans resident asked.

Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville didn't set up shop for what would become New Orleans until 1718, four years after the establishment of St. Denis' post. This not only makes Natchitoches the oldest settlement in Louis