St. Charles Avenue is a thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. and the route of the St. Charles Streetcar Line. It is also famous for the dozens of mansions that adorn the tree-lined boulevard for much of the uptown section of the boulevard. It is named for St. Charles Borromeo, patron saint of Charles III of Spain, the monarch when France transferred the then-vast territory of Louisiana to Spain at the conclusion of the Seven Years' War in 1763.
19th century street-name tiles in sidewalk
New Orleans streetcar on St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District with Mardi Gras beads on a tree in the foreground.
A view of St. Charles in the downtown New Orleans Central Business District
St. Charles Streetcar Line
The St. Charles Streetcar Line is a historic streetcar line in New Orleans, Louisiana. Running since 1835, it is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world. It is operated by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Officially the St. Charles Streetcar line is designated as Route 12, and it runs along its namesake, St. Charles Avenue. It is the busiest route in the RTA system as it is heavily used by local commuters and tourists. On most RTA maps and publications, it is denoted in green, which is also the color of the streetcars on this line.
St. Charles Streetcar passing through the New Orleans Central Business District
A 400 Series streetcar operating on the St. Charles Avenue line, 1910s.
900 Series streetcar running on the St. Charles line.
Typical car stop signage along the line.
