Nobody actually lives or works here

Boom times are ending.

The New Orleans metro area lost 3,800 jobs over the 12 months ending July 31, more than any other city in the country, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The numbers were driven in part by the construction industry, which accounted for 2,700 of the total jobs lost between July 2014 and July 2015, said Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America. Only the Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas area lost more construction jobs.

In total, New Orleans lost 9 percent of its construction jobs, among the steepest losses in the country, Simonson said. Most of those losses resulted from work wrapping up on post-Hurricane Katrina projects,including the massive University Medical Center and Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

What are we gonna do now?  It costs an awful lot to live here now.