“N’awlins” is a way of saying “New Orleans.” It’s frequently said that this quickly identifies a tourist.
 
“N’Awlins is plenty good enough for me” was printed in the January 1899 The Ladies’ Home Journal (Philadelphia, PA), “‘Lagnappe’ in New Orleans” by Julia Truitt Bishop.
   
Other New Orleans nicknames include “America’s Most Interesting City,” “Baghdad-on-the-Bayou,” “Big Crescent,” “Big Easy,” “Big Greasy,” “Big Sleazy,” “Birthplace of Jazz,” “Chocolate City,” “Chopper City,” “City of a Million Dreams,” “City of Yes,” “City That Care Forgot,” “City That Forgot to Care,” “Convention City,” “Crawfish Town,” “Creole City,” “Crescent City,” “Erb City,” “Gateway of the Mississippi Valley,” “Gumbo City,” “Hollywood South,” “Jump City,” “Mardi Gras City,” “Metropolis of the South,” “Necropolis of the South,” “Nerlins,” “No Orleans” (after Hurricane Katrina), “NOLA,” “Northernmost Banana Republic,” “Northernmost Caribbean City,” “Old Swampy,” “Paris of America,” “Queen City,” “Saint City,” “Silicon Bayou,” “Silicon Swamp” and “Sweet Lady Gumbo.”
 
 
Wikipedia: New Orleans
New Orleans (/nuː ˈɔːrlᵻnz, -ˈɔːrli.ənz, -ɔːrˈliːnz/, or /ˈnɔːrlᵻnz/; French: La Nouvelle-Orléans [la nuvɛlɔʁleɑ̃] ( listen)) is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The population of the city was 343,829 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. The New Orleans metropolitan area (New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area) had a population of 1,167,764 in 2010 and was the 46th largest in the United States. The New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa Combined Statistical Area, a larger trading area, had a 2010 population of 1,452,502.
(...)
Nickname(s): The Crescent City; The Big Easy; The City That Care Forgot; Nawlins; NOLA
     
Google Books
January 1899, The Ladies’ Home Journal (Philadelphia, PA), “‘Lagnappe’ in New Orleans” by Julia Truitt Bishop, pg. 12, col. 2:
“Here in N’Awlins you can get what you want wid a nickel, and den get pretty nigh a nickel more for lagnappe. N’Awlins is plenty good enough for me.”
 
29 March 1916, New Orleans (LA) Item, pg. 12, col. 2:
Hi, Chimmie, Here Comes de Pee-rade
D’ja Know The Circus Is in N’Awlins
 
Google Books
May 1917, The International Bookbinder (Indianapolis, IN), pg. 205, col. 2:
H. Dirblun, N’awlins on the Mighty River (I suppose he means New Orleans), certainly has some fine points in his sick and disability benefit, and I hope all locals will endorse or amend it, as we need something on this order.
   
27 October 1919, Binghamton (NY) Press, “Hoyt Awarded to Boston for $2,500,” pg. 17, col. 3:
On the other side Harry Frazee is congratulating himself on his narrow escape from playing Santa Claus to Jules of N’ Awlins.
     
24 March 1925, Chicago (IL) Daily Tribune, “A Line o’ Type or Two,” pg. 8, col. 5:
It is N’Awlins up-river, but down here it is the land of Antoine, Sazerac, and La Louisiane, it is Noo Oilyuns.
 
OCLC WorldCat record
N’awlins is calling!
Author: Joseph D Maggio
Edition/Format: Article Article : English
Publication: Journal of Endodontics, v14 n12 (198812): 625
Database: CrossRef
 
Urban Dictionary
nawlins
Supposly New Orleans to the idiotic people who try to imatate the southern New Orleans accent
Im goin to Nawlins’ for Mardi Gras. Ya know Bourbon Street in Nawlins’.
by the_fag_hag September 12, 2003
 
Urban Dictionary
N’awlins
The first sign that you are a tourist is if you pronounce New Orleans as N’awlins. Locals actually pronounce the city name as New Awlins. People from other cities hear N’awlins because of the way locals drag out and connect their words. Most locals actually hate hearing people say N’awlins or New Or-Leans.
Im going to N’awlins for Mardi Gras!
#new orleans#mardi gras#louisiana#the big easy#hurricane katrina
by New Orleans NATIVE…PROUD TO SWIM HOME!!! October 26, 2006
 
Dialect Blog
“N’Awlins” And Other Abbreviations
Posted on October 22, 2012 by Ben
In an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s “Kitchen Nightmares,” a ridiculous (and non-local) restauranteur tries to convince Ramsay that New Orleans‘ pronunciation is “N’Awlins” (nɔ:lɪnz). As any New Orleanian will tell you, “N’Awlins” is largely a tourist affectation. You might as well insist that “New Jersey” is pronounced “New Joysey.”
 
Although my impression is that locals rarely say “N’Awlinz,” it probably has some basis in reality. Far from being the preferred native pronunciation, however, it’s likely the most extreme abbreviation in a series of progressively shorter variants: “New Orlee-uns” (nu: ˈɔ:lɪənz) –> “New Orlinz” (nu: ˈɔ:lɪnz) –> (“N’w Orlinz” (nwɔ:lɪnz) –> “N’Orlinz” (nɔ:lɪnz).
     
NOLA.com 
Frank Davis, New Orleans TV personality and writer, dies at 71
By Doug MacCash, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on December 10, 2013 at 4:43 PM, updated December 13, 2013 at 3:43 PM
Frank Davis, a New Orleans television personality known for his outdoors acumen, culinary skills, love of Carnival, characteristic Crescent City accent and affable demeanor, died Monday night at age 71 from a rare autoimmune disease known as CIDP, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy.
 
Mr. Davis was a WWL radio and TV star for almost four decades; from 1974, when he began hosting an outdoors-oriented radio talk show, until his health-related retirement in 2011. He probably will be best remembered for his jovial tag line “Naturally N’ Awlins” that concluded his interviews.
 
Tiger Droppings (LSU)
Why do out-of-towners say “N’awlins”?
PelicanPoop
Posted on 2/5/14 at 1:28 pm
It grates my nerves. Local pronunciation of New Orleans is nothing remotely close than “N’awlins”. Then while they are saying it they bob their head. Wtf is this about? Other than the late Frank Davis’ “Naturally N’awlins” thing on local tv, nobody fricking says it.
 
YouTube
N’awlins meaning and pronunciation
The WTF Channel
Published on Nov 28, 2014
The first sign that you are a tourist is if you pronounce New Orleans as N’awlins. Locals actually pronounce the city name as New Awlins. People from other cities hear N’awlins because of the way locals drag out and connect their words. Most locals actually hate hearing people say N’awlins or New Or-Leans.
 
N’awlins definition by Urban Dictionary
   
(Trademark)
Word Mark OLDE N’AWLINS COOKERY
Goods and Services (CANCELLED) IC 042. US 100. G & S: RESTAURANT SERVICES FEATURING CAJUN AND CREOLE STYLE COOKING FOR CONSUMPTION ON AND OFF THE PREMISES. FIRST USE: 19830711. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19830711
Mark Drawing Code (5) WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS IN STYLIZED FORM
Serial Number 73607194
Filing Date June 30, 1986
Current Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Published for Opposition August 4, 1987
Registration Number 1463124
Registration Date October 27, 1987
Owner (REGISTRANT) OLDE N’AWLINS COOKERY, INC. CORPORATION LOUISIANA 729 CONTI STREET NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA 70130
Attorney of Record JAMES R. BEZNIK
Disclaimer NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE “COOKERY” APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL-2(F)
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Cancellation Date May 2, 1994
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark NATURALLY N’AWLINS
Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 030. US 046. G & S: spices, pepper, vinegar and sauces
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 74172521
Filing Date June 3, 1991
Current Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Published for Opposition May 26, 1992
Owner (APPLICANT) RAMPART OPERATING PARTNERSHIP composed of 61 Corporation and S.M.G. Corporation, both Louisiana corporations, and Rampart Broadcasting Company, a Delaware limited partnership PARTNERSHIP LOUISIANA 1024 N. Rampart St. New Orleans LOUISIANA 70116
Attorney of Record Gregory P. Eveline
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Abandonment Date August 19, 1993