Google Maps Updates Street View for New Orleans

Google Street View first came to New Orleans in 2008, just three years after Hurricane Katrina. The original images showed areas that were unaffected by the disaster and others that remained completely devastated.

[More from Mashable: Google Street View Takes You Inside Ancient Japanese Caves [VIDEO]]

Fast forward to 2012, and Google has introduced updated images of the iconic city.

With revamped streets and playgrounds, and even a view of an improved Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park?which mayor Mitch Landrieu refers to as the birthplace of jazz?it's clear that conditions continue to improve in the cultural hub that is New Orleans.

[More from Mashable: Google Street View Becomes ?Google Shoot View? in Unsettling Mashup [VIDEO]]

Google Maps allows users explore areas around the globe, but it also helps us remember the past. Google posted before and after photos of 2011's tsunami in Japan, providing the world with a real-life glimpse of the damage that was caused.

As for New Orleans, Landrieu says he is proud of his city, and these images serve as a reminder that, despite past events, the jazz plays on.

Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockPhoto, nickfree

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-maps-updates-street-view-orleans-220929049.html

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