Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is a city that offers a great deal to its residents and visitors. Home to the famous Kentucky Derby, this is a city that can offer you festivals and events all through the year. The week that celebrates the Derby also hosts a total of 70 events and more during this time. The Kentucky Shakespeare festival, the Bluegrass Balloon festival and the Kentucky State Fair are a few you can experience.

The arts and culture scene of the city is also booming. Bardstown Road is known for the cultural diversity and trade that takes place there. It is also considered to be a thriving location for Indie music, a popular and growing genre of music.

The museum row in the west main district of Louisville is a delight to watch. The Frazier International History Museum, the Louisville Science Center, the Mohammad Ali Center and the Speed Art Museum can be seen among others. Performing arts also thrives in the city at the Kentucky Center, Louisville Balle, Bourbon Baroque, Music Theatre Louisville and more.

For those interested in the outdoor, the city has numerous parks to offer. By the time you have checked out the 122 parks you shall be ready to go back to the first one.

Louisville is a community with a mix of major city amenities like world-class performing arts, great sports and incredible dining as well as warm hospitality and smaller-city advantages like shorter commutes and a lower cost of living. Having been named America's "Most Livable" large city by the U.S. Conference of Mayorsm, the city has a ton to offer. Welcome to Louisville!

Louisville History

The Ohio River had a significant contribution in the history of Louisville. Since the Falls of the Ohio abated travel beyond a certain point, all the settlements that formed in this location historically were towards this stopping point indicated by the rapids. In the initial years, the city was therefore a major shipping port with a large number of slaves working in various industries. It was also a significant location for the slaves to flee to the northern state of Indiana that was a free state.

One of the first settlements in the area is known to be the Corn Island settlement in 1778 that was led by Colonel George Rogers Clark who is now known as the founder of the city. A couple of years later the charter of Louisville was approved by the Virginia General Assembly.

The city is known to have been named after King Louis XVI of France. This is because his soldiers were helping the Americans in the Revolutionary War. The city's growth was fueled by the requirement of the boats to be unloaded and moved down river for further movement. In less than 30 years of the first settlement, the city had a population of about 70,000.

Louisville was a strategic stronghold for the Union Forces and a lot of planning, recruiting and storage of supplies were done in the city. Kentucky therefore always remained as part of the Union. While there were some battles and skirmishes like the battles of Perryville and Corydon the place was not attacked till the end of the war.

No talk of the history of Kentucky is complete without mentioning the Kentucky Derby. The first Derby was held in 1875 at what was then known as the Jockey Club Track (this same place is now called the Churchill Downs). It was initially managed and tended by Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was not surprising that this became a center of this famous derby since the Inner Bluegrass was known to be a great location for breeding high quality steed.

Notable events of the city have been the F4 tornado in 1890 and the Great Flood of '37 that submerged almost 70 percent of the city.

The city was a factory center for goods for war production during the World War II. The Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Company produced C-46 Commando cargo plane among other aircrafts. This company was later converted to a large scale production center for tractors and agricultural equipment.

Today the city of Louisville is an urban town with a lot happening in the city. Bardstown Road is one of the major areas that teenagers and young people haunt. Frankfort Avenue and Old Louisville neighborhoods are also among the favorites.

About Louisville, Kentucky

As the largest city in the state of Kentucky, Louisville is the county seat of Jefferson County. The city has a population of about 741,096 based on the 2010 US census. It is estimated to have about 75 percent whites and 23 percent African American residents. Of the estimated 287,000 households almost 30 percent had children under the age of 18 years, 45 percent were married couples and 36 percent were non families living together. 

Situated on the Ohio River at the Falls of Ohio, the city is best known for the Kentucky Derby. The Louisville Metropolitan area is also called Kentuckiana since it includes counties in Southern Indiana. There are also various religions that are practiced in the city. While Christianity is the main religion there are also a large number of followers of Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Wicca and others. 

The economy of the city developed as a shipping hub. The location of the city on Ohio River and the proximity that it has to a large number of continental cities has helped this industry grow. The important links that connected the city initially were the Louisville and Portland Canal and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Over time the economy of the city has changed to include the health care sector extremely prominently. One can see a large number of medical science companies in the city too. Specifically the city has been a significant part of the advancements in heart surgeries and hand surgeries and cancer treatment as well. It is said that some of the earliest heart surgeries were performed in this city. The city is also home to the University of Louisville, an institution that has attracted various scientists and scholars. Humana, one of the leading health insurance companies in the country is also based here.

The climate of Louisville can be classified as humid subtropical. It therefore experience all 4 seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Spring lasts from late March to mid May, which is when summer begins. The city experiences fall in the months of October and November and winter sets in early December.

The city is run by the executive that is called the Metro Mayor. The legislation of the city is called Metro Council. The culture of the place is extremely vibrant. Most known for the Kentucky Derby, the city is known for more than just this. The two week long Kentucky Derby festival starts with the Thunder Over Louisville. This day is said to see some of the best and largest fireworks in the United States. This festival also includes the Pegasus Parade, Great Balloon Race, the Great Steamboat Race and a marathon. The largest Beatles festival in the world is celebrated on Memorial Day. There is also the Shakespeare festival, the Kentucky State Fair and the Bluegrass Balloon festival that bring joy and excitement to the residents of the city.

About Jefferson County, Kentucky

Located in the state of Kentucky, the Jefferson County is considered to be the most populous county in the state. It is twice as populous as Fayette, the second most populated county in Kentucky. When the Jefferson County was created it was still a part of the state of Virginia. The place was named after Thomas Jefferson, the governor of Virginia at the time and is located in the Outer Bluegrass region (an area that is located near the center of the state and bordered by the Ohio River).

The Bluegrass region that this county is located in has been known for the Kentucky bluegrass plant (Poa pratensis), a plant that is used extensively for pasture. The origins of the plant and whether it is native or imported are not clear. It is however, assumed that it came from somewhere in Eurasia. This was the first region in the state to be populated and remains to date one of the most populous areas in the state. Some of the largest cities in the county include Louisville, the county seat, Lexington and the urban area s of North Kentucky.

Some of the adjacent counties include Bullitt County, Shelby County, Oldham County, Spencer County, Jefferson County, Floyd County and Harrison County in Indiana and Hardin County. The elevation of the county ranges between 383 feet and 902 feet above means ea level. With Louisville as the county seat, the county has a lot to offer in terms of medical tourism.

All but one of the public schools in the County are operated by the Jefferson County Public Schools. The board consists of an elected 7 member team that also hires a superintendent who works as a Chief Executive. This institution operates more than 150 schools in the county and therefore it is the 28th largest school district in the country.