There are hundreds of shotgun houses in New Orleans, built narrow and long to fit on narrow lots.
The term shotgun came about when it was said "if you shoot a shotgun in the front door, it will go straight out the back door".
Most of these houses are built of cypress and many have elaborate cornices and trim. Many elderly people hope to live out their lives in their shotgun houses with their neighbors. Since returning after being away for several years after Katrina, many of them are simply struggling to survive but would rather struggle here where they were born and raised than in some town in the midwest to where they were evacuated.