The effects of the mosquito and associated diseases on the economic vitality of the City of New Orleans were investigated since the establishment of the Crescent City in 1718. Numerous yellow fever epidemics and occasional outbreaks of malaria claimed the lives of over 100,000 people and caused economic hardship to the city. With the establishment of an organized mosquito control agency in 1964, the city has regained a share of its economic vigor in the quest for regional survival.