The Blue Plate Mayonnaise Factory, Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, Sealtest Dairy, and Thompson-Hayward Chemical Company were all fundamental manufacturing bases of the working-class neighborhood.

Musicians such as Buddy Bolden, John Robichaux, Merry Clayton, Bunk Johnson and Allen Toussaint all came from the neighborhood and helped shape the musical influence of New Orleans.

After some residential development at the end of the 19th century, the established Uptown streets running perpendicular to the river were extended into Gert Town and Mid-City.

[4] Gert Town did not start to establish independence as a neighborhood until the early 1900s when streetcars began running nearby.

The development of Gert Town was also aided by the creation of Lincoln Park, a popular recreational spot for African Americans during the Jim Crow era.

[3] In the 1930s, the city widened surrounding streets such as Palmetto and North Claiborne, creating even greater access to the area.

Gehrke's General Store, once located at the intersection of Carrollton and Colapissa, was a popular gathering place for locals because it had the area's only telephone.

This plot of land went from housing wet pesticides and herbicides to only dry products to storing chemicals and several cleaning supplies.

As the years progressed, the factory was told to cease production and the release of chemicals to the outside, by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Except for a few sections along major thoroughfares like Carrollton Avenue and Norman C. Francis Parkway, recovery remained slow five years later[update].

[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, Gert Town has a total area of 0.73 square miles (1.9 km2), all land.

[11] According to geographer Richard Campanella, "vertical migration" patterns, based on topographical elevation, appeared to have a specific effect from 1920 to 2000 in New Orleans.

In the mid-20th century, a manufacturing district developed around the then-named Jefferson Davis Boulevard, including the local Coca-Cola bottling plant and the Art Deco landmark Blue Plate Mayonnaise factory.

The Gert Town Pool was demolished by Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration, for Xavier University, to eventually make way for a tennis court.

[14] Blue Plate mayonnaise was originally produced in the city of Gretna, Louisiana, until production was moved to 1315 S Jefferson Davis Parkway in the small Gert Town neighborhood in 1941.

[15] The Waldo Burton Memorial Boys Home is located on 3320 S Carrollton Avenue, very close to the campus of Xavier University of Louisiana.

[17] The building, still standing, is now a retirement home for the elderly, surrounded by trees and much nightlife, despite Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters that hit Gert Town.

Important buildings such as the Norman C. Francis Academic Science Complex and the University Center were partly demolished in order to repair them.

In a 1994 article, Richard Woodbury of Time described Gert Town as being filled with ramshackle cottages and abandoned apartments.

[28] Prior to Hurricane Katrina, only 8.0% of households fit the traditional American stereotype of a married couple with children under the age of 18.

[27] In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the city of New Orleans, and because of Gert Town's low elevation, the neighborhood was greatly affected.

[33] A majority of the employed residents are teens and young adults, working in food services, but before the 2005 hurricane, the Gert Town neighborhood was known for its contribution to the city's industrial sector.

Much of his success came while playing in Lincoln Park, an iconic meeting ground for African Americans during the Jim Crow Era.

Johnson's career temporarily ended in 1932 after being involved in a bar fight that left him jobless because he lost his teeth and destroyed his trumpet.

[41] Bounce DJs, specifically Partners 'N' Crime, had songs such as "New Orleans Block Party" that represented their communities they were from – one of them being Gert Town.

[42] Before moving to 7834 Earhart Boulevard, on the edge of Gert Town, the restaurant, started in 1986, was called Dunbar's Creole Cooking and was on Freret Street.

[42] It didn't take long for Dunbar's Creole Cooking to receive praise and recognition from both native New Orleans residents and supporters worldwide.

He continued rising in rank where he eventually became Big Chief of the tribe in 1979 and renamed it the Golden Star Hunters, who he also referred to as the 17 Hounds.

[3] Bannock received national notoriety in 1980 when he toured the world with one of his hand-sewn suits selected by the Smithsonian Institution to represent the culture of Mardi Gras Indians.

[36] These colorful beaded suits are hand-sewn all year long before they are paraded around the streets of New Orleans and shown off while singing, dancing, and chanting folk songs.