.
are typically hot and humid with mildly warm evenings. The mean annual temperature is 56
) and an average annual rainfall of 44.53 inches (1131 mm). The wettest seasons are the
and summer, although rainfall is fairly constant all year round. During the
. 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). Louisville also often exemplifies the
. Temperatures in commercial areas and in the industrialized areas along interstates are often higher than in the suburbs, particularly the shaded areas, like
, where temperatures are often five degrees Fahrenheit (3 °C) cooler.
. Major roads extend outwards from the downtown area to all directions, like the spokes of a wheel. The
is located approximately 6.75 miles (10 km) south of the downtown area. The
sections of town are located to the south and west of the airport, while most of the
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
.
is located in the suburban area east of the city on Hurstbourne Parkway.
Main article: Government of Louisville, Kentucky Government and politics See also: Louisville Metro Police Department 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.
Crime and public safety 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.
Demographics 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.
Economy Culture See also: List of attractions and events in Louisville, Kentucky 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.
Annual festivals and other events See also: Museums of Louisville, Kentucky and List of attractions and events in Louisville, Kentucky 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.
Museums, galleries and interpretive centers Main article: Media of Louisville, Kentucky Media See also: List of parks in Louisville, Kentucky and List of attractions and events in Louisville, Kentucky 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, 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 1600-acre Floyds Fork flood plain in eastern
Jefferson County into park space, expanding acreage in the Jefferson Memorial Forest, and adding riverfront land and wharfs along the
Riverwalk Trail and
Levee Trail.
Parks and outdoor attractions Main article: Performing arts in Louisville, Kentucky Performing arts Main article: Sports in Louisville, Kentucky Sports See also: Historical professional sports teams in Louisville Current professional teams Infrastructure See also: List of schools in Louisville, Kentucky and Louisville Free Public Library 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. 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.
Louisville is home to the
University of Louisville,
Bellarmine University, and several other post-secondary schools.
Indiana University Southeast is located across the
Ohio River in
New Albany, Indiana.
Education Main article: Transportation in Louisville, Kentucky Transportation 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.
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.
Utilities Louisville has seven
sister cities:
Jiujiang,
China 
La Plata,
Argentina 
Mainz,
Germany 
Montpellier,
France 
Perm,
Russia 
Quito,
Ecuador 
Tamale,
Ghana See also
Nomenclature, population and ranking
Geography
No comments:
Post a Comment