Louisville: Recreation

Sightseeing

Louisville offers a variety of recreational activities, from a leisurely steamboat excursion on the Ohio River to a fun-filled day at a theme park. The city's most famous attraction is Churchill Downs, the site of the Kentucky Derby, held annually on the first Saturday in May. With a grandstand featuring trademark twin Edwardian spires, the track was established in 1874, and the first Derby was run the following year. Another of the area's most popular attractions is Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, a family adventure theme park featuring Chang, the tallest, longest, fastest stand-up roller coaster in the world.

The city retains a flavor of the past with its historic Main Street, a restored district that features the second-largest collection of cast-iron buildings in the United States (only New York City has more). Many homes have also been restored; regular tours are offered to visitors who wish to experience a taste of life as it was in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Among the most popular residences are Locust Grove, the last home of Louisville founder George Rogers Clark; FarnsleyMoreman Landing, a nineteenth-century Kentucky "I" house with a two-story Greek Revival portico; the Farmington Historic Site, which features octagonal rooms; the Brennan House, the last remaining private home in downtown Louisville; the Culbertson mansion, an example of Second Empire architecture; and the Whitehall House and Gardens, a classic Revival antebellum mansion on ten acres. The Thomas Edison Butchertown House/Museum, a shotgun cottage, contains a collection of Edison inventions. Tours are available at the 1871 Spalding University Mansion and at Conrad-Caldwell House, a completely renovated 1895 home in "Old Louisville," a neighborhood of elegant nineteenth-century mansions. The Filson Historic Society is headquartered in a 1900s home and features artifacts, manuscripts, portraiture, special collections, and a library for historical and genealogical research. The Kentucky Center for African-American Heritage tells the story of African-Americans in Kentucky. The Zachary Taylor National Cemetery and Monument honors the dead of many wars, and the Cave Hill Cemetery and Arboretum is a historic 297-acre cemetery and botanical garden.

Nature lovers can visit the Louisville Zoo, which displays more than 1,300 animals in a 73-acre park-like setting. Twelve western lowland gorillas are on display at the zoo's popular Gorilla Forest habitat. The Louisville Nature Center is an urban oasis where visitors can enjoy more than 150 species of birds, wild animals and flower-decked trails. Buffalo Crossing is a working buffalo ranch in Shelbyville, complete with pony rides, a petting zoo, playground and restaurant.

Several local industries provide tours of their facilities. Among them are Jim Beam American Outpost, located about 25 miles south of the city; Hillerich & Bradsby, makers of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat; Philip Morris, one of the largest cigarette companies under one roof; and Louisville Stoneware Company, where visitors can paint their own pottery. American Printing House for the Blind and Callahan Museum, which creates products and services for the blind and visually impaired, offers plant and museum tours. Gray Line specializes in bus tours of the city. Horse-drawn carriages ride past historical sites, and public excursions on the Ohio River aboard the Belle of Louisville, Spirit of Jefferson, and Star of Louisville can also be arranged.

Caesar's Glory of Rome riverboat casino in Elizabeth, Indiana, provides gambling entertainment just across the Ohio River from Louisville. The complex includes a 503-room hotel, a 200,000-square-foot pavilion with a sports and entertainment coliseum seating 1,500 people, three restaurants, a retail shopping area, and an 18-hole golf course called Chariot Run designed by architect Arthur Hills.

Arts and Culture

The performing and visual arts flourish in Louisville, the first city to create a community fund for the arts. The Kentucky Center has four theaters that stage a variety of performances ranging from symphony, opera, and ballet to children's theater, a Broadway series, and country music.

Louisville's historic Water Tower is the home of Louisville Visual Art Association, a nonprofit, artist-oriented organization dedicated to the creation and appreciation of visual art in all media. The center offers free art classes for talented elementary and high school students; it also hosts year-round exhibitions and special events such as jazz concerts and the Boat Race Party during Derby Week. The new Glassworks galleries feature artists from around the world, as well as glass blowing workshops and classes.

Louisville is also home to theater groups, a symphony orchestra, an opera and a ballet company. Housed in a historic landmark built in 1837, the Tony-Award-winning Actor's Theatre of Louisville is internationally known for the annual Humana Festival of New American Plays, one of the world's most important showcases for aspiring playwrights; other theater groups include Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Bunbury Theatre, Music Theatre Louisville which performs at Iroquois Amphitheater, the Kentucky Contemporary Theatre at Spalding University, and the Derby Dinner Playhouse in Clarksville, Indiana. Stage One: The Louisville Children's Theatre offers professional productions throughout the year at The Kentucky Center. The Louisville Orchestra offers five concert series. The Louisville Ballet offers a full subscription season of classical and contemporary dance, including performances of The Nutcracker. The Kentucky Opera has produced operas in Louisville since 1952.

The museums and galleries of Louisville highlight much that is unique to the city and the region. For example, the Kentucky Derby Museum is the world's largest equine museum, offering hands-on computerized simulated racing, a 360-degree audio-visual presentation about the Kentucky Derby, and a live thoroughbred exhibit. The Howard Steamboat Museum—the only museum of its kind in the United States—displays models of famous steamboats, tools, pilot wheels, and pictures. Located on the University of Louisville campus, J. B. Speed Art Museum is Kentucky's oldest; it houses collections of traditional and contemporary art and sculpture. The Louisville Slugger Museum showcases the famous bat and the history of the family that created it. Other local museums include the Eisenburg Museum; the Filson Club, which houses one of the nation's finest historical libraries; The Frazier Historical Arms Museum; and the Col. Harland Sanders Museum located at the KFC headquarters.

Among the museums dedicated to science and technology are Louisville Science Center, formerly the Museum of History and Science, which features hands-on exhibits and an aerospace collection as well as an IMAX theater. The Portland Museum features a light and sound show that carries viewers back to nineteenth-century Louisville. Located on the University's Belknap campus, Gheens Science Hall and the Rauch Memorial Planetarium offer multimedia astronomy presentations.

Festivals and Holidays

Louisville's major annual events calendar is full, beginning in February with the National Farm Machinery Show and Tractor Pull Championships, the nation's most popular and best-attended function of its kind. In April and May the city hosts the Kentucky Derby Festival offering 70 events. Held in conjunction with the running of the Kentucky Derby, it is one of the country's largest civic celebrations. The Great Steamboat Race and the Great Balloon Race are two of the more popular Derby events. The Cherokee Art Fair also occurs in April. May is the month for the Kentucky Reggae Festival.

The Greek Festival, Waterside Festival and Street Ball Showdown kick off the summer festivals and events in June. Taking place during the summer months is one of the oldest Shakespeare festivals in the nation, Shakespeare in Central Park. July brings the Operation/Coca-Cola Volleyball Classic, the Kentucky Music Weekend and the Waterfront Independence Festival celebration of the Fourth of July. The National Street Rod Association attracts more than 11,000 cars to the world's largest automotive participation event. The Kentucky State Fair runs for 10 days beginning in mid-August. The Strassenfest celebrating Louisville's German heritage and the World Championship Horse Show round out the summer activities.

September opens with the Bluegrass Festival of the United States, the country's largest free bluegrass music event featuring top-name bands. In mid-September is the Corn Island Storytelling Festival, the largest event of its kind in the United States. The Rock the Water Tower, Irish Family Festival and the Captain's Quarters Regatta are also held this month. October is the month for the St. James Court Art Show, the Bluegrass Fan Festival and the Lewis and Clark Ohio River Festival. The year ends with Christmas in the City, a Victorian Christmas celebration involving street vendors, carolers, and house tours. The Mayor's Midnight Special on New Year's eve is an outdoor family party.

Sports for the Spectator

Louisville's best-known sporting event is the Kentucky Derby. For racing fans, Louisville offers two horse-racing tracks, Churchill Downs (for thoroughbred racing) and Louisville Downs (for harness racing). Churchill Downs' spring racing dates are April through June; fall racing takes place in October and November. Louisville Downs features nighttime races in early spring, summer, and fall. Auto races are held at the Louisville Motor Speedway.

Louisville's $26 million, 13,000-seat Louisville Slugger Field is home to the RiverBats (formerly the Redbirds), a Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Slugger Field was named the 2004 Professional Baseball Field of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association for the second time in three years. The Louisville Fire is the city's Arena Football League team. The University of Louisville fields highly regarded football and basketball teams; the Cardinals play football at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

Sports for the Participant

The Louisville park system maintains 11 urban parks, including four designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. These public parks contain more than 200 tennis courts, four 18-hole golf courses, five nine-hole golf courses, and 15 swimming pools. Twenty lakes in nine parks in the metropolitan area are stocked for fishing. Five parks located along the Ohio River provide access to river fishing. Water sports are also a favorite pastime on the river during the summer. The new Louisville Extreme Park offers skateboarding, in-line skating and biking on 40,000 square feet of concrete surface. Bicycling is a popular sport in Kentucky, and each fall the Louisville Wheelmen sponsor My Old Kentucky Home Bicycle Tour, a two-day event that draws more than 400 cyclists. Ice skating is another favorite sport; enthusiasts skate at the Alpine Ice Arena and the outdoor rink on the Belvedere downtown.

Shopping and Dining

Louisville offers a wide variety of retail establishments in more than 100 shopping centers, including enclosed malls and several neighborhood shopping areas. Starks Court atrium includes more than 30 distinctive retail shops and restaurants in the heart of downtown. The Forum Center is home to some of Louisville's most exclusive shops and Oxmoor Center features 110 specialty stores and three department stores. Jefferson Mall is a regional shopping center located near the airport. The Summit on the East End is one of Louisville's newest open air shopping centers. For outlet shoppers, Factory Stores of America is located in nearby Georgetown. In addition to the malls, many neighborhoods and individual streets have become meccas for shoppers. Main and Market Streets between 5th and 9th is the primary downtown shopping area. Antique shops, galleries and unique boutiques are plentiful in the Bardstown Road, Frankfort Avenue areas, and Chenoweth Lane in St. Matthews.

Dining in one of the city's restaurants can range from a casual meal at a fast-food establishment or a family treat at an ethnic cafe to an elegant event at a gourmet restaurant. Foods that have made Louisville famous are burgoo, originally a game stew made with squirrel, venison, or opossum—but now more likely to contain a blend of pork, beef, mutton, and chicken—in a spicy tomato sauce with a mixture of vegetables that might include cabbage, peppers, and potatoes; the Hot Brown, a layered sandwich of country ham, turkey, bacon, tomatoes, and cheese served bubbling hot; and the Benedictine, a delicate sandwich incorporating cream cheese and chopped cucumber.

Visitor Information: Greater Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, 401 W. Main St., Suite 2300, Louisville, KY 40202; telephone (502)584-2121, (800)626-5646

Louisville: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

The public elementary and secondary schools in Louisville are part of a county-wide district operated by the Jefferson County Board of Education. The school system offers students a variety of optional programs including advanced programs for gifted students; career/technological programs for middle school students; magnet programs; strict, traditional school curriculums; trade schools; Learning Choice schools offering specialized instructional areas; and special programs for handicapped students. The Jefferson County Public School System has been recognized for its outstanding availability of technology for students. The county is home to the Gheens Professional Development Academy, a national model for teacher training. The SAT scores of county students are consistently higher than the national average. Eighty-one percent of county teachers have attained at least a master's degree. Student attendance rate was 93.8 in the 2003-2004 school year.

The following is a summary of data regarding Jefferson County's public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.

Total enrollment: 97,000

Number of facilities

elementary schools: 87

junior high/middle schools: 23

senior high schools: 20

other: 23 learning centers

Student/teacher ratio: 17:1

Teacher salaries

average: $41,000

Funding per pupil: $5,463

Also operating in the area are Catholic and Christian schools, Academy for Individual Excellence, Louisville Collegiate School, Kentucky Country Day School, Summit Academy of Greater Louisville, The DePaul School, Walden School, and Waldorf School of Louisville.

Public Schools Information: Jefferson County Public Schools Administrative Offices, VanHoose Education Center, 3332 Newburg Rd., PO Box 34020, Louisville, KY 40232; telephone (502)485-3357

Colleges and Universities

Louisville has three major institutions of higher learning: the University of Louisville, Bellarmine College, and Spalding University. The University of Louisville offers Ph.D.'s in 23 areas, including engineering (its Speed School of Engineering is nationally known), medicine, dentistry, law, and education. Bellarmine College offers master of arts degrees in social and business administration, education, and nursing, in addition to 44 undergraduate degrees. Spalding University offers extensive programs for the part-time student. In the Greater Louisville region are located 20 institutions of higher learning.

Libraries and Research Centers

The main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library is located downtown, with 16 other branches and two bookmobiles throughout the metropolitan area. The library, which was founded in 1816, houses periodicals, films, records, art reproductions, government documents, and a Kentucky History and Kentucky Author Collection. It is a Federal Depository library for government documents. An even larger number of volumes is stored at the University of Louisville Libraries, home to more than 1.9 million books and special collections on Astronomy, Mathematics, and Irish Literature.

More than 30 research centers are located in Louisville; some are affiliated with local colleges and hospitals, and others concentrate on such fields as genealogy, health, engineering, law, crime prevention, and alcoholic beverage production. The Donald E. Baxter, M.D. Biomedical Research Building is part of the University of Louisville School of Medicine and one of the cornerstones for attracting new research scientists to its Health Sciences Center. Construction of a companion to the Baxter Research Building is now underway. The University's transplantation research program received international acclaim when it performed the second successful hand transplant in the world.

Public Library Information: Louisville Free Public Library, 301 York St., Louisville, KY 40203-2257; telephone (502)574-1611

Louisville: Convention Facilities

Louisville's largest meeting facility is the Kentucky International Convention Center, expanded and renovated at a cost of $72 million. The expansion part of the project increased the facility's exhibit space to 200,000 square feet and added a 360-seat theater and a 30,000-square-foot ballroom. The center is located in the heart of downtown and connected by skywalks to the Hyatt Regency Hotel and two parking garages. This exposition center hosts conventions, trade, civic, and entertainment events. Another downtown facility is the all-purpose Louisville Gardens, located in the shopping district. The Gardens can accommodate groups ranging from 100 to 7,000 people.

The Convention Center's sister facility, the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, is located just two minutes from Louisville International Airport. It is one of the world's largest multipurpose buildings on one floor. Offering 30 acres and 1 million square feet of space, together with paved parking for 1,200 cars, it is within easy driving distance of hotels and motels. Its indoor arena, Freedom Hall, seats 19,000 people. The six-building complex hosts more than 500 events and four million people each year. Its multipur-pose building, Broadbent Arena, is the site of tractor pulls, basketball tournaments, and graduation ceremonies. The Hilton Garden hotel recently opened there.

Unique meeting space is available on the recently renovated Belle of Louisville, a 1914 paddlewheel steamboat; the Belle hosts receptions for up to 800 people or seated dinners for up to 308 people from April through October. Spirit of Jefferson, a sternwheeler excursion boat, also hosts chartered cruises and features two indoor climate-controlled decks. The Speed Art Museum accommodates groups of up to 1,000 people for receptions and 300 people for banquets after six p.m. except Mondays and Thursdays.

Hotel space in Louisville is plentiful—approximately 17,000 rooms are available in the metropolitan area. More than 3,000 hotel rooms are located downtown, with most within walking distance of the Kentucky International Convention Center. The Marriott Louisville Downtown, which opened in March 2005 adjacent to the Convention Center, boasts 616 rooms and 50,000 square feet of meeting space. It is connected to the Convention Center via an enclosed pedestrian walkway. Other downtown properties include the 1,300-room Galt House Hotel, the 388-room Hyatt Regency Louisville, the 321-room Seelbach Hilton, the 298-room Camberley Brown Hotel, the 287-room Holiday Inn Louisville Downtown, the 182-room Doubletree Club Louisville-Downtown, and the 160-room Courtyard by Marriott Louisville Downtown. The dual appeal of a vital urban climate steeped in history makes Louisville an ideal place for large and small meetings.

Convention Information: Greater Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, 401 W. Main St., Suite 2300, Louisville, KY 40202; telephone (502)584-2121, (800)626-5646

Louisville: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents

1980: 954,000

1990: 949,012

2000: 1,025,598

Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.1%

U.S. rank in 1980: 38th

U.S. rank in 1990: 43rd U.S. rank in 2000: 49th

City Residents

1980: 298,694

1990: 269,555

2000: 256,231

2003 estimate: 248,762

Percent change, 1990–2000: −5.0%

U.S. rank in 1980: 49th

U.S. rank in 1990: 58th

U.S. rank in 2000: 69th (State rank: 1st)

Density: 4,124.9 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 161,261

Black or African American: 84,586

American Indian and Alaska Native: 578

Asian: 3,705

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 111

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 4,755

Other: 1,709

Percent of residents born in state: 75.6% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 16,926

Population 5 to 9 years old: 17,359

Population 10 to 14 years old: 16,627

Population 15 to 19 years old: 17,362

Population 20 to 24 years old: 18,923

Population 25 to 34 years old: 37,541

Population 35 to 44 years old: 40,354

Population 45 to 54 years old: 33,755

Population 55 to 59 years old: 10,716

Population 60 to 64 years old: 9,211

Population 65 to 74 years old: 18,577

Population 85 years and older: 5,075

Median age: 35.8 years

Births (Jefferson County, 2000)

Total number: 9,565

Deaths (Jefferson County, 2000)

Total number: 7,158 (of which, 113 were infants under the age of 1 year)

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $18,193

Median household income: $28,843

Total households: 111,414

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 19,542

$10,000 to $14,999: 10,471

$15,000 to $24,999: 18,883

$25,000 to $34,999: 16,258

$35,000 to $49,999: 17,695

$50,000 to $74,999: 15,227

$75,000 to $99,999: 6,654

$100,000 to $149,999: 3,990

$150,000 to $199,999: 1,193

$200,000 or more: 1,471

Percent of families below poverty level: 21.6% (61.7% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 15,439

Louisville: Health Care

Greater Louisville offers world-class medical facilities; the health care industry employs more than 45,000 people, many of whom work in downtown Louisville's medical center, hospitals, and related facilities close to the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Health care costs remain below the national average, and the city was one of the first in the nation to guarantee health care for the indigent. Major area medical facilities are Baptist Hospital East, affiliated with Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center; Caritas Medical Center, offering advanced treatment in cancer, pain management diabetes, and cardiopulmonary services; Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services in New Albany, Indiana, which has the area's only full-service urologic center; Jewish Hospital, internationally known as a high-technology specialty center; Norton Health Care, with five locations in Louisville offering a Women's Pavilion and centers for spine, neuroscience, and cancer treatment and advanced orthopedics as well as Kosair Children's Hospital; Tri-County Baptist Hospital; University of Louisville Hospital, featuring the area's only Level I trauma center and bone-marrow transplant unit; Vencor Hospital, which treats medically complex, chronically ill patients; and Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Health Care Information: Jefferson County Medical Society, 101 South Chestnut St., Louisville, Ky 40202; telephone and fax (502)589-2001.

Louisville: Transportation

Approaching the City

Louisville International Airport is located fifteen minutes from downtown and enjoys easy access to interstate highways. It is served by 10 passenger airlines and a commuter line and offers nearly 100 flights daily. The airport terminal recently underwent a $41 million upgrade to its facility, including new restroom facilities, security enhancements, smoking lounge, and business center, plus additional gates and improved signage. A new Wyndham Airport hotel connected to the terminal is slated for completion in 2006. A second, smaller airport at Bowman Field provides a variety of local and state aviation services.

Louisville is at the center of three major interstates: Interstate 65 from the north or south, Interstate 64 from the east or west and Interstate 71 from the northeast. U.S. Highway 60 (Broadway) intersects the city east and west.

Traveling in the City

Louisville is laid out on a grid pattern slightly tilted on the east-west axis. Broadway (U.S. 60) divides the city north from south, and Second Street divides east from west.

The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) provides the city's bus-based mass transit system. The service area covers the Louisville metropolitan area as well as Jefferson, Oldham and Bullitt Counties; it also includes Floyd and Clark Counties in Southern Indiana, with the state of Indiana contributing to TARC's funding.

Louisville: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

Louisville's major daily newspaper is the Courier-Journal (morning). The Voice Tribune is a weekly business newspaper. Louisville Business First and a number of special-interest magazines are also based in Louisville, including the weekly Leo,The Louisville Defender,Snitch, the annual Kentucky Travel Guide, and the monthly lifestyle publication Louisville Magazine. Other publications serve readers involved in the building trades, agriculture, computers, and religion.

Television and Radio

Louisville is served by eight television stations. Fourteen radio stations (eight AM and six FM) broadcast a variety of musical formats plus news and talk.

Media Information: Louisville Courier-Journal, telephone (502)582-4011

Louisville Online

City of Louisville Home Page. Available www.louky.org/main.htm

Greater Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Available www.louisville-visitors.com

Greater Louisville Inc. Available www.greaterlouisville.com

Jefferson County Public Schools. Available www.jefferson.k12.ky.us

Louisville Free Public Library. Available www.lfpl.org

Metro Chamber of Commerce. Available www.greaterlouisville.com

Selected Bibliography

Bolus, Jim, Derby Dreams (Gretna, La.: Pelican Pub Co., 1996)

Wright, George C., Life Behind a Veil: Blacks in Louisville, Kentucky 1865–1930 (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1985)

Louisville

The City in Brief

Founded: 1778 (incorporated 1828)

Head Official: Mayor Jerry E. Abramson (since 2003)

City Population

1980: 298,694

1990: 269,555

2000: 256,231

2003 estimate: 248,762

Percent change, 1990–2000: −5.0%

U.S. rank in 1980: 49th

U.S. rank in 1990: 58th

U.S. rank in 2000: 69th (State rank: 1st)

Metropolitan Area Population

1980: 954,000

1990: 949,012

2000: 1,025,598

Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.1%

U.S. rank in 1980: 38th

U.S. rank in 1990: 43rd

U.S. rank in 2000: 49th

Area: 66.65 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 488 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 56.1° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 44.4 inches

Major Economic Sectors: services, wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing

Unemployment rate: 4.2% (December 2004)

Per Capita Income: $18,193 (1999)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 15,439

Major Colleges and Universities: University of Louisville, Bellarmine College, Spalding University

Daily Newspaper: Courier-Journal

Louisville: Introduction

Noted for the Kentucky Derby, mint juleps, and southern charm, Louisville preserves the best of the past while looking forward to the future. The city's economy is in transition, combining a reliance on traditional industries with redevelopment to attract new business enterprises. The face of the city has been changed by a downtown renaissance fueled by $2 billion in public and private investment. The metropolitan area spans seven counties in Kentucky and Indiana and boasts the advantages of both urban and rural living. Today, the city boasts a thriving art community, an affordable cost of living, eclectic neighborhoods, safe streets and a diverse population. The 2000 edition of Places Rated Almanac ranked Louisville the 14th-best place to live in North America. The city where for more than one hundred years the best thoroughbreds in the world have run for the roses has moved full-stride into the twenty-first century.

Louisville: Geography and Climate

Louisville is located on the south bank of the Ohio River, about 377 miles above its confluence with the Mississippi River. Beargrass Creek and its south fork divide the city into two sectors with different types of topography. Louisville's eastern portion, with an elevation of 565 feet, is hilly, while the western part, lying in the flood plain of the Ohio River, is flat, with an average elevation of 465 feet. The climate is variable because of the city's position in mid-altitudes and in the interior of the continent; in both winter and summer there are hot and cold spells of brief duration. On the average, winters are moderately cold and summers are very warm.

Area: 66.65 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 488 feet above sea level

Average Temperatures: January, 31.7° F; August, 75.8° F; annual average, 56.1° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 44.4 inches

Louisville: Municipal Government

In January 2003, Louisville became the first major metropolitan city in three decades to merge its city and county governments. The Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government, dubbed "Louisville Metro," is led by Mayor Jerry E. Abramson and a 26-member Metro Council. Abramson is the former mayor of Louisville, in office from 1985 to 1998. Louisville Metro serves a community of approximately 700,000 people. The new government is focused on working on economic development, transportation, increasing research efforts to bring high-tech jobs to the area, land-use and workforce training.

Head Official: Mayor Jerry E. Abramson (since 2003, current term expires 2007)

Total Number of City Employees: 6,243 (2005)

City Information: Louisville Metro Hall, 527 W. Jefferson, Louisville, KY 40202-2814; telephone (502)574-2003; email mayor@louky.org

Louisville City in nw Kentucky, USA, a port on the Ohio River; largest city in Kentucky. Established as a military base in 1778 by George Rogers Clark, it was named after Louis XVI of France. Host to the famous Kentucky Derby, the city has many stud stables. Industries: bourbon whiskey, tobacco, domestic appliances, synthetic rubber. Pop. (2000) 256,231.

Louisville, Kentucky/USA Settled in 1778 and, when incorporated in 1780, named ‘Town of Louis’ after Louis XVI (1754–93), King of France (1774–92), in gratitude for French help during the American War of Independence (1775–83).

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