Since its founding in 1718 by the LeMoyne brothers, New Orleans has cemented its status as one of the busiest ports on the continent. Producing many unique and fascinating individuals, Colonial New Orleans was a true gumbo of personalities. The city lays claim to many nationalities, including Spaniards Baron Carondelet, Don Andres Almonester, and French sailors and privateers Jean Lafitte and Dominique Youx. Businessmen like Daniel Henry Holmes and Isidore Newman contributed to local flavor, as did musicians Buddy Bolden, Joe "King" Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Louis Prima. War heroes include P.G.T. Beauregard and Andrew Jackson Higgins. Avery Alexander, A.P. Tureaud, and Ernest Morial paved the way for African Americans to lead the city. Kate Chopin, Lafcadio Hearn, Ellen DeGeneres, Mel Ott, Archie Manning, and Drew Brees have kept the world entertained, while chefs and restaurateurs like Leah Chase and the Brennans sharpened the city's culinary chops. Legendary Locals of New Orleans pays homage to the notables that put spice in that gumbo.

Part of the Niagara Frontier and located in the western area of New York State, Orleans County covers a total area of 817 square miles, of which 426 square miles are water. The high proportion of water is due to the extension of Orleans County north into Lake Ontario to the Canadian border (a line of latitude running through the middle of the lake). For this reason, the legend of the Milan, the sunken schooner, is included in these pages, along with Orleans County's notable citizens. George Pullman of railroad car fame, Santa Claus School founder Charlie Howard, and Disney artist Hank Porter are gone now, but this region continues to produce local legends.

Metairie is often considered the dull stepchild of New Orleans--a concrete "Anywhere, USA" lined with shopping malls frequented by fast-food eating, drive-up-daiquiri-drinking, cultureless suburbanites. Despite stereotypical misconceptions, sons and daughters of New Orleans who call Metairie home are every bit as colorful, talented, devious, and gracious as their relatives in the city. Johnny Wiggs kept New Orleans jazz alive. Verne Tripp invented "perma-press" and pioneered use of the electron microscope. On Atherton Drive, David Ferrie plotted a Cuban coup. Peter Gennaro left his father's bar to become a Broadway star. Shirley Ann Grau raised her children here while writing novels. Al Scramuzza built a crawfish empire and coached Metairie children. Ellen Degeneres found national fame, while Becky Allen won our hearts at home. Those who may not be widely known but have impacted lives in the community and afar are also included in this book, which is a tribute to the people of Metairie.

Located at the center of the 12 rural parishes that comprise northeastern Louisiana, Monroe has long been a tiny metropolis offering its citizens a taste of the colorful politics and rich cultural history for which the Bayou State is known. Featuring the tales of the areas most prominent politicians, innovators, entrepreneurs, broadcasters, musicians, reality stars, athletes, educators, movers, shakers, and rabble-rousers, Legendary Locals of Monroe takes a look at the characters whose fascinating stories paint the vibrant history of this southern river city. Presented in a clear, concise format, this volume features biographical accounts that range from inspiring and captivating to shocking and tragic. Profiles include such notable locals as indie-film queen Parker Posey, Coca-Cola innovator Joseph Biedenharn, pizza restaurant dynamo Johnny Huntsman, Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton, baseball great Chuck Finley, country music superstar Andy Griggs, internationally renowned composer Frank Ticheli, flamboyant politician Shady Wall, and many more.

Princeton grew along a Leni Lenape Indian trail that was widened in the 1700s and eventually became part of the King's Highway through New Jersey. Right from its beginning, Princeton's history has been truly American. So have its inhabitants, both great and humble. George Washington won a crucial victory here and returned when Princeton was briefly de facto capital of the fledgling United States. George Gallup pioneered modern opinion polling here. Albert Einstein and other European refugees transformed the region scientifically and intellectually. Internationally famous actors and musicians, including Paul Robeson, Bebe Neuwirth, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Ethan Hawke, have called Princeton home. Resident writers have ranged from Sinclair Lewis to Peter Benchley. Locally beloved were small business persons such as country store owner Mary Watts and public servants like mayor and unabashed cancer battler Barbara Boggs Sigmund. And among the good and great have been a few real rogues. They are all part of Princeton's colorful saga.

The roots of Oxnard history begin on the fertile plain of western Ventura County. A century after the Native Chumash were interrupted by the Spanish Mission system, the rancho period that followed was slow to develop on the Oxnard Plain. By the late 19th century, groups of newcomers from Europe, Latin America, and the post-Civil War states began settling on the agricultural terrain. After experimenting with various dry crops, the introduction of the cash crop of sugar beets brought about the next wave of emigration from Asia, as well as a steady flow of emigrants from the Latin countries. As Oxnard has grown, so has its diverse population and the contributions from the many residents who have made this area their home for generations. Legendary Locals of Oxnard offers a glimpse of some of these individuals.

Aurora, just 20 miles south of Cincinnati, is located at a north-south bend in the Ohio River in Dearborn County. The first settlers, Revolutionary War veterans Isaac Morrison, Adam Flake, and George Cheek, arrived in the 1790s looking for a new start for their families. The history of the city was shaped by the Ohio River, as well as industrial leaders like Thomas Gaff, Peter Williams, and O.P. Cobb and city leaders such as "Watchdog of the Treasury" representative William S. Holman, his partner Judge John D. Haynes, and Dr. John Sutton and his tireless work to cure cholera. Today, Aurora is known for its picturesque historic downtown and churches. Volunteers like the Turner family, the Charlotte (Peters) Hastings family, and the Aurora Lions Club work to keep the town beautiful.

Long before C.C. Duson--realtor, sheriff, and state senator--established his town on the Louisiana prairie, Cajuns, Europeans, and Native Americans had forged homes on the isolated site. Then in 1894, Duson's city auction enabled numerous ethnic groups to buy lots in the new town. Railroad construction brought Anglo, African-American, and Irish laborers, while Lebanese and Jewish merchants saw retail opportunities in Eunice. Fearful of war rumors in Europe prior to 1914, German families immigrated to prairie farms. In 1929, Italians arrived as the Mississippi River's flooding disrupted their lives. By the 1930s, the Tepetate oil field was discovered south of Eunice, creating fortunes for Anglo workers. Men from nearby World War II military bases often settled in Eunice after marrying local girls. Eunice saw new arrivals as petrochemical plants and pipelines began construction in the 1950s. The diverse traditions of newcomers blended with the dominant Cajun culture, resulting in the rich gumbo of citizens' lives. Legendary Locals of Eunice celebrates some individuals who have contributed to the vibrant and diverse culture of Eunice through the years.

In 1831, Richard McLemore received a federal land grant of 2,000 acres located in the future Lauderdale County, Mississippi. He gave free land to those he considered good neighbors and built his home within the one square mile that would be incorporated as Meridian on February 10, 1860. On Valentine's Day 1864, Gen. W.T. Sherman's troops marched into the small railroad town. After burning the town, Sherman wrote in his journal, "Meridian . . . no longer exists." Meridian did survive and became Mississippi's largest city due to its railroad and timber industries and progressive settlers like the Weidmanns, Marks-Rothenbergs, Threefoots, Rushes, Rosenbaums, Rileys, Andersons, and others. Within these pages, meet the people who proved Sherman wrong and continue to influence the area today.

McLean, Virginia, a whistle stop along the Great Falls & Old Dominion Railroad, came about in 1910. It was named after John R. McLean, publisher of the Washington Post newspaper and an owner of the railroad. This was a farming community that never incorporated. A few of the families instrumental in the formation of the village that followed were Mackall, Laughlin, Storm, Carper, and Smoot. Because of its proximity to the nation's capital, McLean attracted people from all walks of life. But it was the arrival of the Kennedy families in the late 1950s that put McLean on the map. The thread that holds the community together is spirited volunteerism. This volume contains images of a few of the personalities who give McLean a sense of place. The majority of the photographs have been donated by individuals to ensure that history does not lose these significant personalities, past or present, who left an imprint on their community.