'Louisville' (usually pronounced ; see ''
Pronunciation'' below) is
Kentucky's largest
city. It is ranked as either the 17th or 27th largest city in the
United States depending on how the population is calculated (see
''Nomenclature, population and ranking'' below). The
settlement that became the City of Louisville was founded in 1778 by
George Rogers Clark and is named after
King Louis XVI of
France. Louisville is famous as the home of "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports": the
Kentucky Derby, the widely watched first
race of the
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.
Louisville is situated in north-central Kentucky on the Kentucky-
Indiana border at the only natural obstacle in the
Ohio River, the
Falls of the Ohio. Louisville is the
county seat of
Jefferson County, and since 2003, the city's borders are with those of the county due to
merger. Because it includes counties in
Southern Indiana, the ''
Louisville metropolitan area'' is regularly referred to as ''Kentuckiana''. A resident of Louisville is referred to as a 'Louisvillian'. Although situated in a
Southern state, Louisville is influenced by both
Midwestern and
Southern culture, and is commonly referred to as either the northernmost Southern city or the southernmost Northern city in the United States.
[3][4]
Louisville has been the site of many important innovations through history. Notable residents have included inventor
Thomas Edison, the first
Jewish Supreme Court Justice
Louis Brandeis, and
boxing legend
Muhammad Ali. Notable events occurring in the city include the
first public viewing place of Edison's
lightbulb, the first library in the U.S. open to
African Americans,
[5][6] and medical advances including the first human
hand transplant,
[7] the first self-contained
artificial heart transplant,
[8] and the development site of the first
cervical cancer vaccine.
[9]
Nomenclature, population and ranking
City of Louisville
Population by year
(Pre-merger)[10][11] |
|---|
2000 - 256,231
1990 - 269,063
1980 - 298,451
1970 - 361,472
1960 - 390,639
1950 - 369,129
1940 - 319,077
1930 - 307,745
1920 - 234,891
1910 - 223,928
1900 - 204,731
1890 - 161,129
1880 - 123,758
1870 - 100,753
1860 - 68,033
1850 - 43,194
1840 - 21,210
1830 - 10,341
1820 - 4,012
1810 - 1,357
1800 - 359
1790 - 200
|
As of the
2000 Census, Louisville had a population of 256,231. Thus, Louisville's population was for the first time since 1820 less than
Lexington's merged
consolidated city-county population of 260,512. On
November 7,
2000, Louisville and
Jefferson County approved a
ballot measure to merge into a consolidated city-county government named 'Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government' (official long form) and 'Louisville Metro' (official short form), which took effect
January 1,
2003. This merger made Louisville Kentucky's largest city again.
The U.S. Census Bureau gives two different population figures for Louisville: for the consolidated Louisville-Jefferson County it lists the 2006 estimated population as 701,500 (17th largest in the nation and equal to that of Jefferson County);
[12][13] for the
Louisville-Jefferson County balance it lists the population as 554,496 (27th largest).
[14] The "balance" is a designation created by the Census Bureau to describe the portion of Louisville-Jefferson County that does not include any of the semi-independent separately incorporated places located within Louisville Metro (such as
Anchorage,
Middletown or
Jeffersontown).
[15]
Census methodology uses balance values in comparing consolidated cities to other cities for ranking purposes, so the lower ranking is the figure officially reported by the Census Bureau. Nevertheless, the higher ranking continues to be claimed by Louisville Metro government and business leaders, widely reported in the local media, and has even been posted on
road signs at the
city limits.
[16]
The ''
Louisville metropolitan area'' (not to be confused with ''Louisville Metro''), having a population of 1,222,216,
ranks 42nd nationally. The metro area also includes four
Southern Indiana counties (see
''Geography'' below). The
Louisville Combined Statistical Area has a total population of 1,356,798, which ranks
39th in the U.S.
Pronunciation
The Louisville Convention & Visitors' Bureau displays many of the common pronunciations of the city's name on its logo.
Most native residents pronounce the city's name as (
IPA) — often this degrades further into . The name is often pronounced far back in the mouth, in the top of the throat. The standard
English pronunciation, however, is (referring to King Louis XVI), which is often utilized by political leaders and the media. No matter how ''Louisville'' is pronounced, the 's' is always silent. (This contrasts with the name of the cities
Louisville, Colorado,
Louisville, Georgia,
Louisville, Mississippi and
Louisville, Tennessee, which, although spelled the same, are pronounced .)
The variability of the local pronunciation of the city's name can perhaps be laid at the feet of the city's location on the border between the Northern and Southern
regions of the United States. Louisville's diverse population has traditionally represented elements of both Northern and Southern culture.
Regional
migration patterns and the homogenization of
dialect due to
electronic media also may be responsible for the incidence of native-born Louisvillians adopting or affecting the standard
English pronunciation. Nevertheless, the pronunciation is most popular among residents and is, with few exceptions, used by news and sports reporters.
History
Main articles: History of Louisville, Kentucky
The first European settlement made in the vicinity of modern-day Louisville was on
Corn Island in 1778 by Col.
George Rogers Clark. Today, Clark is recognized as the founder of Louisville, and several landmarks are named after him.
[17]
Two years later, in 1780, the
Virginia General Assembly approved the town charter of Louisville. The city was named in honor of King
Louis XVI of
France, whose soldiers at the time were aiding Americans in the
Revolutionary War. Early residents lived in forts due to Indian raids, but were moving out by the late 1780s.
[18] In 1803, explorers
Meriwether Lewis and
William Clark organized their
expedition across America at the
Falls of the Ohio in Louisville.
View of Main Street, Louisville, in 1846.
The city attributes its early growth to the fact that river boats had to be unloaded and moved downriver before reaching the falls. By 1828, the population had swelled to 7,000 and Louisville became an incorporated city. The city grew rapidly in its formative years.
[19]
Louisville had one of the largest
slave trades in the United States before the
Civil War and much of the city's initial growth is attributed to that trade. Louisville was the turning point for many enslaved
blacks since Kentucky, although it was to be a
border state in the Civil War, was nevertheless a
slave state and crossing the
Ohio River could lead to freedom in the North.
During the Civil War Louisville was a major stronghold of
Union forces, which kept Kentucky firmly in the Union. It was the center of planning, supplies, recruiting and transportation for numerous campaigns. By the end of the war, Louisville itself had not been attacked even once, even though surrounded by skirmishes and battles. After 1865 returning
Confederate veterans largely took control of the city, leading to the jibe that it joined the
Confederacy after the war was over.
The first
Kentucky Derby was held on
May 17,
1875, at the Louisville Jockey Club track (later renamed to
Churchill Downs). The Derby was originally shepherded by
Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., the grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 10,000 spectators were present at the first Derby to watch
Aristides win the race.
On
March 27,
1890 the city was devastated and downtown nearly destroyed when an
F4 tornado tore through the city at 8:30pm as part of the
Mid-Mississippi Valley Tornado Outbreak of March 1890. An estimated 74 to 120 people were killed. The city quickly recovered and signs of the tornado were nearly totally absent within a year.
In late January and February of 1937, a month of heavy rain in which 19" fell prompted what became remembered as the
"Great Flood of '37". The
flood submerged about 70% of the city, power was lost, and it forced the evacuation of 175,000 residents, and also led to fundamental changes in where residents bought houses. Today, the city is protected by numerous
flood walls. After the flood, the areas of high elevation in the eastern part of the city saw decades of growth.
Similar to many other older American cities, Louisville began to decline as an important city in the 1960s and 1970s. Highways that had been built in the 1950s facilitated a flight to the
suburbs, and the downtown and west end areas in particular began to decline economically. In 1974 a major (
F4) tornado hit Louisville as part of the
Super Outbreak of tornadoes that struck 13 states. It covered 21 miles (34
km) and destroyed several hundred homes in the Louisville area but was only responsible for two deaths.
[20]
From 1974 to 1987, Jefferson County lost population, but is now averaging around a 1,500 net gain in population per year. The population within the old city limits dropped by almost 100,000 from its peak in 1970, falling from 33rd nationally to 58th, although its population has now stabilized.
[11]
Since the 1970s Louisville has gained, through
gentrification, three areas of
bohemian culture that are popular with young professionals and have very high percentages of college graduates. The largest is centered along a three mile stretch of Baxter Avenue and Bardstown Road, collectively known as
The Highlands. It contains a wide variety of eclectic shops and
nightclubs. The second largest area is
Old Louisville, which has the highest percent of young professionals and youngest median age in the city. Lining Frankfort Avenue, the
Clifton and
Crescent Hill areas also has a large number of upscale restaurants and antique stores.
In addition, the city also made efforts to revitalize its downtown and the city in general, including significant downtown infrastructure improvements such as the conversion of the waterfront into
Waterfront Park and the development of luxury condominiums and entertainment areas like
Fourth Street Live!.
Geography
Louisville is located at (38.228870, -85.749534). According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, Louisville Metro (in 2000 measurements for
Jefferson County) has a total area of 1,032 km² (399 mi²). 997 km² (385 mi²) of it is land and 35 km² (13 mi²) of it (3.38%) is water.
Louisville is located in the
Bluegrass region, but the city has a greater affinity for its location on the
Ohio River, which spurred Louisville's growth from an isolated camp site into a major shipping port. Much of the city is located on a very wide and flat
flood plain surrounded by hill country on all sides. Much of the area was swampland and had to be drained as the city grew. In the 1840s most creeks were rerouted or placed in canals to prevent flooding and subsequent disease outbreaks.
New condominium construction along East Main Street
Areas generally east of I-65 is above the flood plain, and is composed of gently rolling hills. The Southernmost parts of Jefferson County are in the scenic and largely undeveloped
Knobs region home to
Jefferson Memorial Forest.
The
Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the
42nd largest in the United States, includes the Kentucky county of Jefferson ( with Louisville Metro), plus twelve outlying
counties — eight in Kentucky and four in
Southern Indiana. Between the
1990 Census and 2000 Census, the Louisville MSA's population outgrew
Lexington's by 149,415, and
Cincinnati's by 23,278. This MSA is included in the
Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which also includes the
Elizabethtown, KY MSA as well as the
Scottsburg, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Louisville CSA ranks
39th in the U.S. in population.
[22]
Climate
Graph constructed from data located on the NOAA Website.
[23]
Louisville is located on the northern limit of the
humid subtropical climate. Summers are typically hot and humid with mildly warm evenings. The mean annual temperature is 56
°F (13
°C), with an average annual snowfall of 16.4
inches (41
cm) and an average annual rainfall of 44.53 inches (1131 mm). The wettest seasons are the spring and summer, although rainfall is fairly constant all year round. During the winter, particularly in January and February, several days of
snow can be expected, allowing for
winter sports. January is the coldest month with average highs of 41 °F and average lows of 25 °F (5 to −4 °C) and July the hottest month with average high and low temperatures from 87 to 69.8 °F (31 and 21 °C).
[23] The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F (41 °C) on
July 14,
1954, and the lowest recorded temperature was −22 °F (−30 °C) on
January 19,
1994.
[25] However, in any season, temperatures can vary widely day by day, because of Louisville's location where many fronts often converge.
Severe weather is not uncommon; the area is prone to almost all types of non-tropical weather extremes, including
tornadoes,
severe thunderstorms,
ice storms and extreme heat and cold.
Much like the
San Fernando Valley in
Los Angeles, Louisville's
Ohio River Valley location traps
air pollution. The city is ranked by
Environmental Defense as America's 38th worst city for air quality.
[26] Louisville also often exemplifies the
heat island effect. Temperatures in commercial areas and in the industrialized areas along interstates are often higher than in the suburbs, particularly the shaded areas, like
Anchorage, where temperatures are often five degrees Fahrenheit (3 °C) cooler.
Cityscape
Main articles: Cityscape of Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville skyline at night.
The
downtown business district of Louisville is located immediately
south of the
Ohio River, and
southeast of the
Falls of the Ohio. Major roads extend outwards from the downtown area to all directions, like the spokes of a wheel. The
airport is located approximately 6.75 miles (10 km) south of the downtown area. The
industrial sections of town are located to the south and west of the airport, while most of the
residential areas of the city are located to the southwest, south and east of downtown. The Louisville skyline is slated to be changed with the proposed 62-story
Museum Plaza as well as a 22,000-seat
waterfront arena.
Another primary business and
industrial district is located in the suburban area east of the city on Hurstbourne Parkway.
[27] Louisville's late 19th and early 20th century development was spurred by three large suburban parks built at the edges of the city in 1890.
The city's
architecture contains a blend of old and new. The
Old Louisville neighborhood is the largest
historic preservation district solely featuring
Victorian homes and buildings in the
United States, it is also the fourth largest such district overall. There are many modern skyscrapers downtown, as well as older preserved structures. The buildings of West Main Street in downtown Louisville boast the largest collection of
cast iron facades of anywhere outside of
New York's
SoHo district.
[28]
Since the mid-20th century, Louisville has in some ways been divided up into three sides of town: the West End, the South End, and the East End. In 2003, Bill Dakan, a University of Louisville geography professor, said that the West End, west of 7th Street and north of Algonquin Parkway, is "a
euphemism for the African-American part of town" although he points out that this belief is not entirely true, and most Africans Americans no longer live in areas where more than 80% of residents are black.
Nevertheless, he says the perception is still strong.
[29] The South End has long had a reputation as a white,
working-class part of town, while the East End has been seen as middle and
upper class.
[30]
According to the Greater Louisville Association of Realtors, the area with the lowest median home sales price is west of Interstate 65, in the West and South Ends, the middle range of home sales prices are between Interstates 64 and 65 in the South and East Ends, and the highest median home sales price are north of Interstate 64 in the East End.
[31] Immigrants from
Southeast Asia tend to settle in the South End, while immigrants from
Eastern Europe settle in the East End.
[32]
Government and politics
Main articles: Government of Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville Metro is governed by an executive dubbed the
Metro Mayor as well as a
city legislature dubbed the
Metro Council. The first and current Metro Mayor is
Jerry E. Abramson (
D), who was also the longest serving
Mayor of the former City of Louisville's history, serving from 1985 to 1998. This has earned him the nickname "Mayor for Life"
[33]
The Metro Council consists of 26 seats corresponding to 26 districts apportioned by population throughout the city and county. The residents of the semi-independent municipalities within Louisville Metro are apportioned to districts along with all other county residents. Half (13) of the seats come up for reelection every two years. The council is chaired by a
Council President, currently Rick Blackwell (D), who is elected by the council members annually.
The Official Seal of the City of Louisville, no longer used following the formation of a
consolidated city-county government in 2003, reflected its history and heritage in the
fleur-de-lis representing
French aid given during the
Revolutionary War, and the thirteen stars signify the original colonies. The new seal of the consolidated government retains the fleur-de-lis, but has only two stars, one representing the city and the other the county.
Kentucky's 3rd congressional district is roughly with Louisville Metro, which is represented by
Rep. John Yarmuth (D), though some of the southern areas of the city are in the
2nd congressional district, which is represented by
Ron Lewis (
R).
[34]
Crime and public safety
Louisville is consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the country and has been ranked in the Top 10 safest large cities by
Morgan Quitno in the past 4 years. In the 2005 Morgan Quitno survey, Louisville was rated as the seventh safest large city in the
United States.
[35] The 2006 edition of the survey ranked Louisville eighth.
[36]
In 2006, Louisville-Jefferson County recorded only 55 murders, compared to well over 100 murders annually in the similarly sized and surrounding cities of
Cincinnati-Hamilton,
Indianapolis-Marion and
Nashville-Davidson. Louisville's total
crime rate was less than half of most surrounding cities.
[37]
The Louisville Metro Area's overall
violent crime rate was 412.6 per 100,000 residents in 2005, which was less than half the rate of Nashville's and significantly lower than Indianapolis and
St Louis.
[38] In addition, the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metro Area, which is part of Louisville's Combined Statistical Area, was ranked as the 17th safest Metro in the U.S.
[39] Kentucky as a state has the 5th lowest violent crime rate out of the 50 States.
[40]
Demographics
:''Note:'' All demographics are the same as that of
Jefferson County, Kentucky, which merged with the former City of Louisville on
January 6,
2003.
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the city/county. The
population density was 695/km² (1,801/mi²). There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of 307/km² (794/mi²). The racial makeup of the city/county is 77.38%
White, 18.88%
Black or
African American, 0.22%
Native American, 1.39%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 0.68% from
other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 1.78% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 287,012 households out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.20% were
married couples living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.20% were non-families. 30.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97.
The age distribution is 24.30% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males.
The
median income for a household is $39,457, and the median income for a family was $49,161. Males had a median income of $36,484 versus $26,255 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $22,352. About 9.50% of families and 12.40% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 18.10% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
17% of the state's population lives in Jefferson County and 25% live in counties in the Louisville CSA, and also Jefferson County has 2.5 times more people than Kentucky's second most populous county, Fayette County. 12 of the 15 buildings in Kentucky over 300 feet are located in
downtown Louisville. Over one-third of the population growth in Kentucky is in Louisville's CSA counties.
Religion
Religion is very prominent in Louisville which hosts several religious institutions of various faiths. There are 135,421 Catholic Louisvillians who attend 163
Catholic churches in the city.
[41] The
Cathedral of the Assumption located in downtown Louisville is the seat of the
Archdiocese of Louisville.
Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey, the monastic home of Catholic writer
Thomas Merton, is in nearby
Bardstown, Kentucky and also located in the archdiocese. Louisville is also the home of
Our Lady's Rosary Makers, the largest
Catholic Rosary making group in the United States with 17,000 active members worldwide.
A sizable number of Louisvillians belong to a
Protestant faith. One in three Louisvillians is Southern Baptist belonging to one of 147 local Southern Baptist Congregations.
[42] Southeast Christian Church, a
megachurch and one of the largest
Christian churches in the United States, is located in Louisville. The city is home to
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the headquarters of the
Presbyterian Church (USA). Additionally, Louisville is home to the oldest African American Seventh-day Adventist congregation, Magazine Street
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
There is a
Jewish population of around 8,500 in the city and five synagogues. Most Jewish families originally came from
Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century, and around 800
Soviet Jews have moved to Louisville since 1991.
[43] Jewish immigrants founded
Jewish Hospital, which was once the center of the city's Jewish district. Jewish hospital recently merged with the Catholic
healthcare system CARITAS.
Kentucky's only
Hindu temple opened in suburban Louisville in 1999, and had about 125 members and two full-time priests in 2000.
[44] In 2001, there were an estimated four to ten thousand practicing Muslims in Louisville attending six local mosques.
[45]
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Louisville, Kentucky
Bourbon bottle, 19th century. One-third of all
bourbon whiskey comes from Louisville.
Louisville's early economy first developed through the shipping and cargo industries. Its strategic location at the
Falls of the Ohio, as well as its unique position in the central
United States (within one day's road travel to 60% of the cities in the continental U.S.) make it an ideal location for the transfer of cargo along its route to other destinations.
[46] The
Louisville and Portland Canal and the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad were important links in water and rail transportation. Louisville's importance to the
shipping industry continues today with the presence of the
Worldport air hub for
UPS. Louisville's location at the crossroads of three major
Interstate highways (
I-64,
I-65 and
I-71) also contributes to its modern-day strategic importance to the shipping and cargo industry. As of 2003, Louisville ranks as the 7th largest
inland port in the United States.
[47]
Recently, Louisville has emerged as a major center for the
health care and
medical sciences industries. Louisville has been central to advancements in
heart and
hand surgery as well as
cancer treatment. Some of the earliest
artificial heart transplants were conducted in Louisville. Louisville's thriving downtown medical research campus includes a new $88 million
rehabilitation center, and a
health sciences research and commercialization park that, in partnership with the University of Louisville, has lured nearly 70 top scientists and researchers. Louisville is also home to
Humana, one of the nation's largest
health insurance companies.
Louisville is home to several major
corporations and organizations:
★
Brown-Forman Corporation (
Fortune 1000)
★
Hillerich & Bradsby (known for ''Louisville Slugger''
baseball bats)
★
Hilliard Lyons (investment firm)
★
Humana (
Fortune 500)
★
Kindred Healthcare Incorporated (
Fortune 500)
★
Norton Healthcare
★
Papa John's Pizza
★
PharMerica (
Fortune 1000)
★
Presbyterian Church (USA)
★
Yum! Brands, Inc. (owners of
KFC,
Pizza Hut, and
Taco Bell which were formerly ''Tricon Global Restaurants'' (a spin-off of
PepsiCo) as well as
Long John Silver's and
A & W Restaurants which were formerly ''Yorkshire Global Restaurants'') (
Fortune 500)
Louisville for a long time was also home to
Brown & Williamson, the third largest company in the
tobacco industry before merging with
R. J. Reynolds in 2004 to form the
Reynolds American Company. Brown & Williamson, one of the subjects of the tobacco industry
scandals of the 1990s, was the focus of
''The Insider'', a
1999 film shot around the Louisville area. Also located in Louisville are two major
Ford plants, and a major
General Electric appliance factory.
Additionally, one third of all of the
bourbon whiskey comes from Louisville. The
Brown-Forman Corporation is one of the major makers of bourbon, which is headquartered in Louisville. Other major distilleries of bourbon can be found both in the city of Louisville, or in neighboring cities in
Kentucky.
Louisville also prides itself in its large assortment of small, independent businesses and restaurants, some of which have become known for their ingenuity and creativity. In 1926 the
Brown Hotel became the home of the
Hot Brown "sandwich". A few blocks away, the
Seelbach Hotel, which
F. Scott Fitzgerald references in ''
The Great Gatsby'', is also famous for a secret back room where
Al Capone would regularly meet with associates during the
Prohibition era.
Several major motion pictures have also been filmed in or near Louisville, including ''
Goldfinger'', ''
Stripes'', ''The Insider'', ''
Lawn Dogs'', ''Nice Guys Sleep Alone'', ''Keep Your Distance'' and ''
Elizabethtown''.
Culture
Annual festivals and other events
Louisville is home to a number of annual cultural events. Perhaps most well-known is the
Kentucky Derby, held annually during the first Saturday of May. The Derby is preceded by a two-week long
Kentucky Derby Festival, which starts with the annual
Thunder Over Louisville, the largest annual
fireworks display in the nation. The Kentucky Derby Festival also features notable events such as the Pegasus Parade, The Great Steamboat Race, Great
Balloon Race, a
marathon, and about seventy events in total.
Usually beginning in late February or early March is the
Humana Festival of New American Plays at
Actors Theatre of Louisville, an internationally acclaimed new-play festival that lasts approximately six weeks.
The summer season in Louisville also features a series of cultural events such as the
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival (commonly called
Shakespeare in the Park), held in July of every year and features free
Shakespeare plays in
Central Park in
Old Louisville. The
Kentucky State Fair is held every August at the
Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville as well, featuring an array of culture from all areas of
Kentucky.
In September is the
Adam Matthews Balloon Festival, the fifth largest
hot air balloon festival in the nation. The festival features early morning balloon races, as well as balloon glows in the evening. Also in September, in nearby
Bardstown, is the annual Kentucky
Bourbon Festival, which features some of the finest bourbon in the world. The suburb of
Jeffersontown is also the home of the annual Gaslight Festival, a series of events spread over a week. Attendance is approximately 200,000 for the week.
The month of October features the
St. James Court Art Show in Old Louisville. Thousands of artists gather on the streets and in the courtyard to exhibit and sell their wares, and the event is attended by many art collectors and enthusiasts. The show is the second most attended event next to the Derby. Another art-related event that occurs every month is the
Gallery Hop. A
TARC trolley takes art lovers to many downtown area art galleries on the first Friday of every month.
Museums, galleries and interpretive centers
The
West Main District in
downtown Louisville features what is locally known as "Museum Row". In this area, the
Frazier International History Museum, which opened in 2004, features a collection of arms, armor and related historical artifacts spanning 1,000 years, concentrating on
U.S. and
UK arms. The building features three stories of exhibits, two reenactment arenas, a 120-seat auditorium, and a 48-seat
movie theater. Also nearby is the
Louisville Science Center, which is
Kentucky's largest hands-on science center and features interactive exhibits,
IMAX films, educational programs and technology networks. The
Muhammad Ali Center opened November 2005 in "Museum Row" and features
Muhammad Ali's
boxing memorabilia, as well as information on the core themes that he has taken to heart: peace,
social responsibility, respect and
personal growth.
The
Speed Art Museum opened in 1927 and is the oldest and largest
art museum in the state of
Kentucky. Located adjacent to the
University of Louisville, the museum features over 12,000 pieces of art in its permanent collection and hosts regular temporary exhibitions. Multiple art galleries are located in the city, but they are especially concentrated in the East Market Street area of downtown. This row of galleries, plus others in the West Main District, are prominently featured in the monthly Gallery Hop.
Several
local history museums can be found in the Louisville area. The most prominent among them is
The Filson Historical Society, founded in 1884, which has holdings exceeding 1.5 million manuscript items and over 50,000 volumes in the library. The Filson's extensive collections focus on
Kentucky, the
Upper South, and the
Ohio River Valley, and contain a large collection of portraiture and over ten thousand museum artifacts. Other local history museums include the
Portland Museum,
Historic Locust Grove visitors' center, the
Falls of the Ohio State Park interpretive center (
Clarksville, Indiana),
Howard Steamboat Museum (
Jeffersonville, Indiana) and the
Carnegie Center for Art and History (
New Albany, Indiana). The Falls interpretive center, part of the
Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area, also functions as a
natural history museum, covering findings in the nearby exposed
Devonian fossil bed.
There are also several historical properties and items of interest in the area, including the
Belle of Louisville, the oldest
Mississippi-style
steamboat in operation in the
United States. The
United States Marine Hospital of Louisville is considered the best remaining
antebellum hospital in the United States. It was designed by
Robert Mills, who is best known as the designer of the
Washington Monument.
Fort Knox, spread out among
Bullitt,
Hardin and
Meade Counties (two of which are in the
Louisville metropolitan area), is home to the
U.S. Bullion Depository and the
Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor. The previously mentioned Locust Grove, former home of Louisville Founder
George Rogers Clark, portrays life in the early days of the city. Other notable properties include the
Farmington Historic Home (home of the famous Speed family),
Riverside, The Farnsley-Moremen Landing, and the restored
Union Station, which was opened in
September 7,
1891. The Louisville area is also home to the
Waverly Hills Sanatorium, a
turn-of-the-century (20th)
hospital that was originally built to accommodate
tuberculosis patients, and is now listed as one of the nation's most
haunted houses.
Media
Main articles: Media of Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville's
newspaper of record is ''
The Courier-Journal'', and the alternative paper is the progressive
alt-weekly Louisville Eccentric Observer (commonly called 'LEO'), which was founded by
3rd district U.S. Representative John Yarmuth (
D). Perhaps the most prominent of the
television stations is
WAVE 3, an (
NBC) affiliate, which was Kentucky's first TV station. Another prominent TV station is
WHAS 11, formerly owned by the famous
Bingham family (who also owned ''The Courier-Journal''), which hosts the regionally notable annual fundraiser, the
WHAS Crusade for Children.
WDRB-FOX41/
WMYO is the only independently owned station in the city. The most popular
radio station is
84 WHAS, designated by the FCC as a
clear channel. This station was also formerly owned by the Binghams (now
Clear Channel Communications), and is a
talk radio station which also broadcasts regional sports.
Parks and outdoor attractions
Louisville Metro has 122 city
parks covering more than 14,000 acres (57 km²). Several of these parks were designed by
Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed
New York City's
Central Park as well as parks, parkways, college campuses and public facilities in many U.S. locations. The
Louisville Waterfront Park is prominently located on the banks of the
Ohio River near downtown, and features large open areas, which often feature free
concerts and other
festivals.
Cherokee Park, one of the most visited parks in the nation,
[48] features a mixed-use loop and many well-known landscaping features. Other notable parks in the system include
Iroquois Park,
Shawnee Park and
Central Park.
Going a bit further out from the downtown area is the
Jefferson Memorial Forest which, at 6,057 acres (24.52 km²), is the largest municipal
urban forest in the
United States.
[49] The forest is designated as a
National Audubon Society wildlife refuge, and offers over 30 miles (50 km) of various hiking trails.
Otter Creek Park is another large park nearby. While actually in
Brandenburg, Kentucky, Otter Creek Park is owned and operated by Louisville Metro government. The park's namesake, Otter Creek, winds along the eastern side of the park. A scenic bend in the
Ohio River, which divides
Kentucky from
Indiana, can be seen from northern overlooks within the park. The park is a popular
mountain biking destination, with trails maintained by a local
mountain bike organization.
Other outdoor points of interest in the Louisville area include
Cave Hill Cemetery (the burial location of
Col. Harland Sanders),
Zachary Taylor National Cemetery (the burial location of
President Zachary Taylor), the
Louisville Zoo,
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and the
Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area.
In development is the
City of Parks, a project to create a continuous paved pedestrian and biking trail around Louisville Metro while also adding a large amount of park land. Current plans call for making basically the entire Floyds Fork flood plain in eastern
Jefferson County into park space, expanding area in the Jefferson Memorial Forest, and adding riverfront land and wharfs along the
Riverwalk Trail and
Levee Trail.
Performing arts
Main articles: Performing arts in Louisville, Kentucky
The
Kentucky Center, dedicated in 1983, located in the downtown hotel and entertainment district, features a variety of plays and concerts. This is also the home of the
Louisville Ballet,
Louisville Orchestra, and the
Kentucky Opera, which is the twelfth oldest
opera in the
United States.
Actors Theatre of Louisville, the centerpiece of the city's urban cultural district, Actors Theatre has significant economic impact on a vital downtown life. Highly acclaimed for its artistic programming and business acumen, Actors Theatre hosts the
Humana Festival of New American Plays each Spring. It also presents approximately six hundred performances of about thirty productions during its year-round season, composed of a diverse array of contemporary and classical fare.
The Louisville Palace, the official venue for the Louisville Orchestra, is an elegant, ornate theatre in
downtown Louisville's so-called theatre district. In addition to orchestra performances, the theatre also features an array of popular
movies, old and new, as well as concerts by popular artists.
Iroquois Park is the home of the renovated
Iroquois Amphitheater which hosts the productions of
Music Theatre Louisville as well as a variety of musical concerts in a partially covered outdoor setting.
Sports
Main articles: Sports in Louisville, Kentucky
College sports are very popular in greater Louisville. The
University of Louisville men's basketball team, which won two national titles under coach
Denny Crum, is the most profitable
college basketball program in the country.
[50] In 2001, Crum was replaced by
Rick Pitino, former coach of the
Boston Celtics and the
Kentucky Wildcats. Pitino's hiring became a key event in the
Kentucky-Louisville rivalry, which was renewed in 1983 and is considered one of the fiercest non-conference rivalries in college basketball.
[51]
The
Louisville Cardinals football team, which had produced talent like
Johnny Unitas and
Ray Buchanan, achieved national respect in the 1990s under coach
Howard Schnellenberger when the team overwhelmingly beat Alabama in the
Fiesta Bowl. The program's stock continued to rise as it joined the
Big East conference and won the
FedEx Orange Bowl in 2007 under
Bobby Petrino. The University of Louisville baseball team advanced to the
College World Series in Omaha in 2007, as one of the final eight teams to compete for the national championship.
Horse racing is also a major attraction.
Churchill Downs is home to the
Kentucky Derby, the largest
sporting event in the state, as well as the
Kentucky Oaks which together cap the two-week-long
Kentucky Derby Festival. Churchill Downs has also hosted the renowned
Breeders' Cup on six occasions, most recently in 2006.
Besides racing there is the World's Championship
Horse Show. This show is mostly for
Saddlebred horses and is held in conjunction with the
Kentucky State Fair. This is the premier event of the year for
Saddle Seat Pleasure and Equitation.
Louisville is also the home of
Valhalla Golf Club which hosted the 1996 and 2000
PGA Championships and the 2004
Senior PGA Championship, and will host the 2008
Ryder Cup. It is also home to one of the top
skateparks in the U.S.,
Louisville Extreme Park.
Louisville has four professional and
semi-professional sports teams. The
Louisville Bats are a
baseball team playing in the
International League as the Class AAA affiliate of the nearby
Cincinnati Reds. The team plays at
Louisville Slugger Field at the edge of the city's downtown. The
Louisville Fire play in
af2, the
minor league of the
Arena Football League.
The city of Louisville has made several unsuccessful bids in recent years to draw
major league sports teams to the city, most notably when the
Vancouver Grizzlies franchise was considering a move several years ago, as well as the
Charlotte Hornets franchise, which ultimately ended up in
New Orleans.
High school sports are also very popular in the city. Louisville area high schools have been dominant in
football for decades. Schools such as
Butler,
St. Xavier,
Trinity and
Male have won every state 4A football title except one since 1992 and have been 13 of the 15 finalists since 1997. Some fierce rivalries have developed over the years. The annual game between St. Xavier and Trinity draws over 35,000 fans and is the second largest attended high school sporting event in the country. The 2002 KY State 4A Football Championship between Male and Trinity, a showdown between future UofL teammates
Brian Brohm (Trinity) and
Michael Bush (Male) that ended with a 59-56 Trinity win, is listed as one of the top 50 sporting events of all time by many critics. The "Old Rivalry" between
Male and
Manual high schools is one of the nation's oldest, dating back to 1893, and was played on
Thanksgiving Day through 1980, with Manual winning the final T-Day game by a score of 6-0 in overtime.
Current professional teams
:''See also:
Historical professional sports teams in Louisville''
Infrastructure
Education
Louisville is home to several institutions of higher learning, including the
University of Louisville,
Bellarmine University,
Spalding University, and several other
post-secondary schools.
Indiana University Southeast is located across the
Ohio River in
New Albany, Indiana.
According to the
U.S. Census, of Louisville's population over twenty-five, 21.3% (the national average is 24%) hold a
bachelor's degree or higher, and 76.1% (80% nationally) have a
high school diploma or equivalent.
The public school system,
Jefferson County Public Schools, consists of more than 98,000 students in 89
elementary schools, 24
middle schools, 22
high schools and 22 other learning centers.
[52] Due to Louisville's large
Catholic population, there are 27
Catholic schools in the city. The
Kentucky School for the Blind for all of Kentucky's blind and
visually impaired students is located in Louisville.
Transportation
The Toonerville II Trolleys provide transportation throughout
downtown Louisville as well as the Bardstown Road corridor.
Louisville's main airport is the centrally located
Louisville International Airport, whose
IATA Airport Code (SDF) reflects its former name of Standiford Field. The airport is also home to the
UPS Worldport global air hub. UPS operates its largest package-handling hub at Louisville International Airport and bases its UPS Airlines division there. Over 3.5 million passengers and over 3 billion pounds (1,400,000 t) of cargo pass through the airport each year.
Louisville International Airport is also the 4th busiest airport in the United States when in cargo passage, and it is the 11th busiest in cargo passage in the world. The historic but smaller
Bowman Field is used mainly for
general aviation.
The
McAlpine Locks and Dam is located on the
Kentucky side of the Ohio River, near the downtown area. The locks were constructed to allow shipping past the
Falls of the Ohio. In 2001 over 55 million tons of commodities passed through the locks. A new lock is currently being constructed to replace two of the auxiliary locks, with a projected completion date of 2008.
Public transportation consists mainly of buses run by the
Transit Authority of River City (TARC). The city buses serve all parts of downtown Louisville and
Jefferson County, as well as Kentucky suburbs in
Oldham County,
Bullitt County, and the
Indiana suburbs of
Jeffersonville,
Clarksville and
New Albany. A
light rail system has been studied and proposed for the city, but no plan was in development
as of 2007.
[53]
Louisville has inner and outer interstate beltways,
I-264 and
I-265 respectively.
Interstates
I-64,
I-65 pass through Louisville, and
I-71 has its western terminus in Louisville. Since all three of these highways intersect at virtually the same location on the east side of downtown, this spot has become known as "
Spaghetti Junction". Two bridges carry I-64 and I-65 over the Ohio River, and a
third automobile bridge carries non-interstate traffic.
Plans for two more bridges to connect Louisville to Indiana, along with a reconfiguration of Spaghetti Junction, have been under consideration for years and some exploratory construction began in 2007. One bridge would be located downtown for relief of I-65 traffic. The other would connect the Indiana and Kentucky I-265's (via KY-841).
[54] As with any major project, there are detractors and possible alternatives; one grassroots organization,
8664.org, has proposed options for downtown revitalization improvements, and a simpler and less expensive roadway design.
Louisville has historically been a major center for
railway traffic. The
Louisville and Nashville Railroad was once headquartered here, before it was purchased by
CSX Transportation. Today the city is served by two major freight railroads,
CSX (with a major
classification yard in the southern part of the metro area) and
Norfolk Southern. Five major main lines connect Louisville to the rest of the region. Two regional railroads, the
Paducah and Louisville Railway and the
Louisville and Indiana Railroad, also serve the city. With the discontinuance of the short-lived ''Kentucky Cardinal'' in 2003,
Amtrak passenger trains no longer serve Louisville; it is thus the fifth-largest city in the country with no passenger rail service.
[55]
Utilities
Electricity is provided to the Louisville Metro area by LG&E, a subsidiary of
E.ON U.S. and traces its roots back to 1838 as Louisville Gas. Louisville Gas and Electric was formed in 1913 by the merger of Louisville Gas, Louisville Lighting (founded in 1903) and Kentucky Heating. In 1998, LG&E merged with Kentucky Utilities (KU) to form LG&E Energy. In 2000, LG&E Energy was bought by British
utility company Powergen. In 2002,
Powergen was bought by the German company E.ON. Finally, on
December 1,
2005, LG&E Energy changed its name to E.ON U.S. Today, ''LG&E'' serves over 350,000 electric and over 300,000 natural gas customers, covers an area of 700 square miles (1800 km²), and has a total regulated electric generation capacity of 3,514
megawatts.
[56]
The current electric generating stations serving the city include three
coal-fired plants (Trimble County, Mill Creek and Cane Run Stations), one
natural gas/
fuel oil combustion turbine, one
hydroelectric plant (
Ohio Falls Station), and two
natural gas facilities (Muldraugh and Magnolia Compressor Stations).
[57]
Water is provided by the
Louisville Water Company, which provides water to the more than 800,000 people in Greater Louisville as well as parts of
Oldham and
Bullitt counties. Additionally, they provide wholesale water to the outlying counties of
Shelby,
Spencer and
Nelson.
[58]
The
Ohio River provides for most of the city's source of
drinking water. Water is drawn from the river at two points: the
raw water pump station at Zorn and River Road, and the B.E. Payne Pump Station northeast of Harrods Creek. Water is also obtained from a riverbank infiltration well at the Payne Plant. There are also two
water treatment plants serving the Louisville Metro area: The Crescent Hill Treatment Plant and the B.E. Payne Treatment Plant.
Sister cities
The distances to each of Louisville's sister cities are represented on this
downtown light post.
Louisville has seven
sister cities:
[59]
★
Jiujiang,
China
★
La Plata,
Argentina
★
Mainz,
Germany
★
Montpellier,
France
★
Perm,
Russia
★
Quito,
Ecuador
★
Tamale,
Ghana
In addition,
Leeds,
United Kingdom is considered a "
Friendship City." The two cities have engaged in many cultural exchange programs, particularly in the fields of
nursing and
law, and cooperated in several private business developments, including the
Frazier International History Museum.
[60]
See also
★
List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
★
List of Louisvillians
References
1. The term "The 'Ville" has been used in print in The Courier-Journal 60+ times since 1999 and appears to have been popularized by a 2003 billboard campaign promoting Louisville as "The best college sports town in America." See UofL's bogus billboards don't impress experts Pat Forde
2. See Nomenclature, population and ranking for explanation of consolidated vs. balance figures
3. Midwestern Industrialization and the American Manufacturing Belt in the Nineteenth Century, , David R., Meyer, The Journal of Economic History, 1989
4. Emporis:Louisville, KY
5. African Americans in Library Professions: The Kentucky Connection
6. Louisville Free Public Library - African-American Archives
7. Doctors in Louisville Perform Nation's First Hand Transplant Lawrence K. Altman
8. Patient gets first totally implanted artificial heart Rhonda Rowland
9. Brown Cancer Center News - Inventors Praise FDA Approval of Cervical Cancer Vaccine
10. Gibson, Campbell. "Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990." ''United States Census Bureau.'' June, 1998. Retrieved on July 10, 2006.
11.
12. Census Population Estimates for 2006 (line 25213)
13. Phoenix 5th largest city as Philly falls; Louisville is 17th if all are counted
14. Census Population Estimates for 2006 - Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000 (line 31)
15. For what geographic areas does the Census Bureau produce estimates?
16. Argh! City still No. 26; Census Bureau again clips Louisville's claim to No. 16 Marcus Green
17. George Rogers Clark: Kentucky Frontiersman, Hero, and Founder of Louisville
18. Two Hundred Years at the Fall of the Ohio: A History of Louisville and Jefferson County, , George H., Yater, Filson Club, Incorporated, 1987, ISBN 0-9601072-3-1
19. Yater, pp. 46–48
20. Tornado: A Look Back at Louisville's Dark Day, April 3, 1974, , , , Butler Books, 2004,
21.
22. Population in Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs) in Alphabetical Order and Numerical and Percent Change for the United States and Puerto Rico: 1990 and 2000
23. Climate information from NOAA
24. Climate information from NOAA
25. Maximum and minimum temperatures from Yahoo! Weather
26. Clean Air in your city
27. Office space goes begging Ken Berzof
28. Louisville's Downtown Alive with Development
29. Will old names work in 'new' city? Bill Pike
30. Read all about it: Valley has city united
31. ''The Courier-Journal'' 2006–07 Kentuckiana Guide
32. Continuity and Change in Louisville's Ethnic Communities Peggy Cummins
33. Abramson files to seek re-election Joseph Gerth
34. Kentucky Congressional District Data and Maps
35. "America's Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities." ''Morgan Quitno Press.'' November 21, 2005. Retrieved on July 8, 2006.
36. Louisville among nation's safest cities
37. The Urban Louisvillian - FBI Crime Statistics from 2006 Released
38. Morgan Quitno - Violent Crime Rate in 2005 (ordered by metro area)
39. Morgan Quitno - Safest 25 Metropolitan Areas
40. Infoplease - Crime Rate by State, 2004 (rate per 100,000 inhabitants)
41. Data on Catholic residents from the Catholic Encyclopedia
42. Data on Baptist Population from LRA websiteLong Run Baptist Association
43. Some synagogues eye broader styles of worship
44. Hindu temple greets visitors
45. ISLAM IN AMERICA; Muslims a diverse presence in Kentucky
46. Louisville Survey: Central Report, , Carl, Kramer, , 1978,
47.
48. America's Most Visited City Parks
49.
50. NCAA's bottom line winners
51. Best teams make today's best rivalries
52. JCPS at a Glance
53. Mass transit plan still possible; Officials will look for financing options Marcus Green
54. Bridge project tunnels' cost rises; Exploratory shaft will plot path for two others
55. Metropolitan Areas Served by Amtrak
56. Data from E.ON U.S. (formerly LG&E Energy)
57. LG&E Power Plant Information
58. Data from Louisville Water
59. Sister cities designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI). Retrieved June 1, 2006.
60. "Friendship City Status." ''Sister Cities of Louisville.'' 2006. Retrieved on June 1, 2006.
Further reading
★
The Louisville Guide, , Dennis, Domer, , 2004, ISBN 1-56898-451-0
★
The Encyclopedia of Louisville, , John E., et al. (editor), Kleber, University Press of Kentucky, 2000, ISBN 1-56898-451-0
★
Louisville Old and New: Either Way, It's a Knockout Gary Lee
★
Insiders' Guide to Louisville, Kentucky & Southern Indiana, , Chip, Nold, Globe Pequot, 1997, ISBN 1-57380-043-0
★
Fact Sheet: Ohio River Floods, , David, Sanders, Kentucky Climate Center, 2000,
★
Two Hundred Years at the Fall of the Ohio: A History of Louisville and Jefferson County, , George H., Yater, Filson Club, Incorporated, 1987, ISBN 0-9601072-3-1
External links
★
Official Website of Louisville, Kentucky
★
Louisville/Jefferson County Information Consortium
★
★
LOJIC interactive maps
★
Louisville Kentucky - Visitors Bureau
★
Interactive Maps for the Louisville Metro Area
★
City Mayors feature: "Louisville Metro has shown other regions how mergers can change balance of power"
★
★
Louisville Life —
Kentucky Educational Television
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
