America's Mayors Name New Orleans One of U.S.'s Most Livable Cities

New Orleans and the California city of West Sacramento were honored at last week's U.S. Conference of Mayors in Dallas, with NOLA recognized for bringing down its notorious murder rate.

The nation's mayors praised NOLA honcho Mitch Landrieu for his program, NOLA FOR LIFE, which has brought down the city's murder rate year after year. New Orleans now has the lowest number of murders since 1970 and the lowest murder rate since 1975. NOLA FOR LIFE mobilized city government, nonprofits, and the business community to help fund for improvements in policing, including evidence-based practices and data-driven accountability.

“I am proud to accept this year’s City Livability Award on behalf of the citizens of New Orleans who have come together as a community to build safer neighborhoods and connect young men with the resources they need to thrive. NOLA FOR LIFE is our comprehensive murder reduction strategy that gives everyone a stake in creating a safer city," Landrieu said in a statement. “Today; the number of murders in the city is at a 30-year historic low and we are continuing to do what’s hard for the sake of doing what’s right.”

Read more about New Orleans here.

West Sacramento, a formerly neglected industrial town near California's capital, is now resurgent; it was honored specifically for pushing forth education improvements.