Final answer:
New Orleans is a port city at the mouth of the Mississippi River, which enhanced its role as a primary hub for the cotton trade after the Louisiana Purchase.
Step-by-step explanation:
New Orleans is a seaport city located at the mouth of the Mississippi River. This strategic location has played a significant role in the city's history, especially during the nineteenth century when New Orleans was a primary hub for the cotton trade. The city's rise in prominence was facilitated by the cotton boom, steam-powered river traffic, and the ownership of the port following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Steamboats transported cotton from plantations throughout the South to New Orleans, where it would then be shipped to international markets, such as Liverpool in England.