Google image and google maps are useful. Do not become super reliant on either on though. Google maps is good for getting a baseline, but New Orleans has had some major changes done to it, so it isn't the same as the modern incarnation. 

If you are a quick enough reader, get some books. If that would bog your process down, stick to documentaries.

For New Orleans, off the top of my head, a good place to start might be the the documentary series [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_(TV_series)]Jazz by Ken Burns[/url]. That particular documentary is legit enough that I once took a class in college that used it as the curriculum. Watch the whole thing. Besides being really good, it's useful to get a large baseline. Even though most of that documentary's first few episodes are pretty much totally in NOLA, knowing the stuff taking place in other parts of the country wouldn't be a bad idea. 

That being said, don't get overwhelmed. Research as you go. If you get things wrong, so what. It's an RP; you're not getting graded it on. The research is for depth/achievement/personal development. 

You'll probably be surprised though, about how different perception is from historical reality. For instance, it is true that racism was a problem at that period of time, but did you know that one of the biggest sources of racial tension in 1920's New Orleans was surrounding Italians in the French Quarter?