WBRZ - Baton Rouge

NEW ORLEANS - A colorful and musical New Orleans neighborhood is marking the 200th anniversary of its origins as an early melting pot for the city and the nation.

Treme is considered one of America's most unusual neighborhoods and holds significant place in the history of jazz. It is also getting some new energy thanks in part to the spotlight provided by the HBO series "Treme."

It was born from immigration that followed the Haitian revolution of the early 1800s and named for French milliner and property owner Claude Treme. The neighborhood grew as an entertainment center where white and black Creoles gathered.

The area's bicentennial celebration begins Tuesday and will include performances by jazz trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, clarinetist Doreen Ketchens and the Treme Brass Band.