Colonial history of the United States Lower Louisiana. This vast tract was first settled at Mobile and Biloxi around 1700, and continued to grow when 7,000 French immigrants founded New Orleans in 1718. Settlement proceeded very slowly; New Orleans became an important port as the gateway to the Mississippi River, but there was little other economic development because the city lacked a prosperous hinterland. In 1763, Louisiana was ceded to Spain around New Orleans and west of the Mississippi River. In the 1780s, the western border of the newly independent United States stretched to the Mississippi River. The United States reached an agreement with Spain for
France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 (including a maximum 12 from Finland), placing France 5th of the 24 entries – the first time France had gained back-to-back top 5 placements since 1990/1991. The 12 points from the French televote were awarded to Spain. France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 France was represented by Sandrine François, with the song '"Il faut du temps", at the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 25 May in Tallinn, Estonia. The song was chosen internally by broadcaster France 3. On the night of the final François performed 17th in the running order, following Belgium and preceding Germany. "Il