Being a woman of New England and the northeast, it would seem odd that Keyes would settle down in New Orleans of all places, but it seems to have been love at first sight. As a writer who fed off inspiration and what was around her, Keyes needed to look no further than right out her window to a town and a culture that oozed energy and life. She took that energy and life and created stories that touched her readers from around the country, but more importantly gave that energy and life back into the city. Keyes love New Orleans and New Orleans loved her, which is why she lived out the rest of her life there until passing away in 1970.