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Louisville, Kentucky

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   Louisville, Kentucky
   Skyline of Louisville, Kentucky

   Official flag of Louisville, Kentucky

                                        Official seal of Louisville, Kentucky
   Flag                                 Seal
   Nickname: "Derby City", "River City", "Gateway to the South", "Falls
   City", "Da Ville"
   Location in the Commonwealth of Kentucky
   Location in the Commonwealth of Kentucky
   Coordinates: 38°13′44″N, 85°44′58″W
   Country United States
   State Kentucky
   Counties Jefferson
   Mayor Jerry E. Abramson ( D)
   Area
    - City 399 mi² / 1,032 km²
    - Land 385 mi² / 997 km²
    - Water 13 mi² / 35 km²
   Population
    - City (2005) 699,827
    - Density 1,592.6/km²
    - Metro 1.2 million
   Time zone EST ( UTC-5)
    - Summer ( DST) EDT ( UTC-4)
   Website: http://www.louisvilleky.gov/

   Louisville (usually pronounced ['luːǝvǝl] ; see Pronunciation below) is
   Kentucky's largest city. It is ranked as either the 16th 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 most 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 contiguous 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 sometimes referred to as a
   Louisvillian.

   Influenced by both Midwestern and Southern culture, Louisville is often
   referred to as the northernmost Southern city and southernmost Northern
   city in the United States.

Nomenclature, population and ranking

   As of the 2000 Census, Louisville had a population of 256,231. This was
   just under Lexington's merged consolidated city-county population of
   260,512. However, 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. A large portion of the population also uses Metro
   Louisville (unofficial form).

   The U.S. Census Bureau gives two different population figures for
   Louisville: for the consolidated Louisville-Jefferson County it lists
   the 2005 estimated population as 699,827 (16th largest in the nation
   and equal to that of Jefferson County); for the Louisville-Jefferson
   County balance it lists the population as 556,429 (27th largest). 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).

   Census methodology uses balance values in comparing consolidated cities
   to other cities for ranking purposes, so the lower ranking (27th) is
   official as far as the Census is concerned. Nevertheless, the higher
   ranking (16th) 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.

   The Louisville metropolitan area (not to be confused with Louisville
   Metro), having a population of approximately 1.2 million, ranks 43rd
   nationally. The metro area also includes some Southern Indiana counties
   (see Geography and climate below).

Pronunciation

   The Louisville Convention & Visitors' Bureau displays many of the
   common pronunciations of the city on its logo.
   Enlarge
   The Louisville Convention & Visitors' Bureau displays many of the
   common pronunciations of the city on its logo.

   Most long-time residents pronounce the city's name as ['luːǝvǝl] ( IPA)
   — often this degrades further into ['lǝvǝl] . The name is often
   pronounced far back in the mouth, in the top of the throat. The
   standard English pronunciation, however, is ['luːivɪl] (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 and Louisville, Georgia, which, although spelled the same, are
   pronounced ['luːisvɪl] .)

   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 North and South 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 ['luːǝvǝl] pronunciation is most
   popular among residents and is, with little exception, used by news and
   sports reporters.

History

   The history of Louisville spans hundreds of years, and has been
   influenced by the area's unique geography and location. The first
   settlement was made in the vicinity of modern-day Louisville in 1778 by
   Col. George Rogers Clark. Today, Col. Clark is now recognized as the
   founder of Louisville, and several landmarks are named after him.
   View of Main Street, Louisville, in 1846.
   Enlarge
   View of Main Street, Louisville, in 1846.

   Two years later, in 1780, the Virginia General Assembly and then-
   Governor Thomas Jefferson approved the town charter of Louisville. The
   city was named in honour of King Louis XVI of France, whose soldiers at
   the time were aiding Americans in the Revolutionary War. In 1803,
   explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark organized their expedition
   across America at the Falls of the Ohio in Louisville.

   The city achieved its early growth from the fact that 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.

   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 was a neutral state and crossing the
   Ohio River would 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 centre 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 various battles. The Unionists — most whose
   leaders owned slaves — felt betrayed by the abolitionist position of
   the Republican Party. 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.

   In late January and February of 1937, a month of heavy rain throughout
   the Ohio River Valley prompted what became remembered as the "Great
   Flood of '37". The flood submerged about 70% of the city and forced the
   evacuation of 175,000 residents, and also lead to fundamental changes
   in where residents bought houses. Today, the city is protected by
   numerous flood walls.

   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 area 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.

   From 1974 to 1988, Jefferson County had a net loss of over 50,000
   people. Since 1989 the county has gained population every year, and is
   currently growing annually between 800 to 1700. Louisville has 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!. Louisville's metro area is outgrowing Lexington's by a
   significant margin (about 4,100 a year, or 41,000 per census), and is
   growing nearly as fast as Cincinnati's metro area.

Geography and climate

Geography

   View of Downtown Louisville with Hospital Curve in the foreground
   Enlarge
   View of Downtown Louisville with Hospital Curve in the foreground

   Louisville is located at 38°13′44″N, 85°44′58″W (38.228870,
   -85.749534)^GR1. 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.

   Although officially in the Bluegrass region, most of Louisville is
   better described as being located in the low lying Ohio River flood
   plain. Prior to urbanization much of the area west of I-65 was composed
   of wetlands.

   Areas generally east of I-65 were not in the flood plain and thus are
   mostly gentle rollings hills and were once farmland. Southern Jefferson
   County contains the scenic and largely undeveloped Knobs region, home
   to Jefferson Memorial Forest. The eastern portion of is in the Eden
   Shale Hills section of the Bluegrass region and has also experienced
   less urbanization than the flood plain, although that is starting to
   change.

   The Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
   (MSA), the 43rd largest in the United States, includes the Kentucky
   county of Jefferson (contiguous with Louisville Metro), plus twelve
   outlying counties — eight in Kentucky and four in Southern Indiana.
   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 31st in the USA in population.

Climate

   Louisville is located on the northern limit of the humid subtropical
   climate. Summers are 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. Winter temperatures range from 27
   to 43 °F (−3 to 6 °C) and summer temperatures range from 66 and 86 °F
   (19 and 30 °C). 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. 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. Because of this, the city is
   ranked as one of Environmental Defense's fifty worst cities for air.
   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 cooler.

Cityscape

   Louisville skyline at night
   Enlarge
   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 6.5 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.

   Another major business and industrial district is located in the
   suburban area east of the city on Hurstbourne Parkway. Louisville also
   boasts a large number of parks, with 122 parks covering more than
   14,000  acres (57  km²). Recent initiatives have branded Louisville "A
   City of Parks".

   The city's architecture contains a blend of old and new. The Old
   Louisville neighbourhood 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.

   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. According to the Greater Louisville Association of Realtors,
   the lowest median home values are west of Interstate 65 in the West and
   South Ends, the middle range of home values are between Interstates 64
   and 65 in the South and East Ends, and the highest median home values
   are north of Interstate 64 in the East End. Immigrants from Southeast
   Asia tend to settle in the South End, while immigrants from Eastern
   Europe settle in the East End.

   In a Morgan Quitno survey in 2005, Louisville was rated as the seventh
   safest large city in the United States. The 2006 edition of the survey
   ranked Louisville eighth.

Government and politics

   Louisville City Hall in downtown
   Enlarge
   Louisville City Hall in downtown

   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"

   The Metro Council consists of 26 seats corresponding to 26 districts
   apportioned by population throughout the city. Half (13) of the seats
   come up for reelection every two years. The council is chaired by a
   Council President, 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 contiguous with
   Louisville Metro, which is represented by Rep. Anne Northup ( R),
   though some of the southern areas of the city are in the 2nd
   congressional district, which is represented by Ron Lewis (R). On
   November 7, 2006, John Yarmuth ( D) won the congressional election in
   the 3rd district and will replace Northup in January 2007. Democrats
   are the majority of registered voters in 424 of the 497 voting
   precincts in the 3rd congressional district.

Demographics

   City of Louisville
   Population by year
   (Pre-merger)

   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

   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 census ² 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.

   Many geographers consider Louisville to be Kentucky's primate city,
   since 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. Also, 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. 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.

   A sizable number of Louisvillians belong to a Protestant faith.
   Southeast Christian Church, one of the largest Christian churches in
   the United States, is located in Louisville. The city is home to
   Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist
   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 temple.

   There is also a noticeably large Jewish population of around 10,000 in
   the city. Most Jewish families came from Russia at the turn of the 20th
   century with a sizable number (around 1,000) of Soviet Jews having
   moved to Louisville since 1991. Jewish immigrants founded Jewish
   Hospital, which was once the centre of the city's Jewish district.
   Jewish hospital recently merged with the Catholic healthcare system
   CARITAS.

Economy

   Bourbon bottle, 19th century. One-third of all bourbon whiskey comes
   from Louisville.
   Enlarge
   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. 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.

   Recently, Louisville has emerged as a major centre 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 first artificial heart transplants were conducted in
   Louisville. 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
     * 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

   Hot air balloons launching during the balloon race at the Adam Matthews
   Balloon Festival.
   Enlarge
   Hot air balloons launching during the balloon race at the Adam Matthews
   Balloon Festival.

   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 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, 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 Centre 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.

Museums, galleries and interpretive centers

   A giant baseball bat adorns the outside of Louisville Slugger Museum in
   downtown Louisville.
   Enlarge
   A giant baseball bat adorns the outside of Louisville Slugger Museum in
   downtown Louisville.

   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 theatre.
   Also nearby is the Louisville Science Centre, which is Kentucky's
   largest hands-on science centre and features interactive exhibits, IMAX
   films, educational programs and technology networks.

   The Muhammad Ali Centre 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 1,200 pieces of art in its
   permanent collection. Multiple art galleries are located in the city,
   but they are especially concentrated in the East Market/ Butchertown
   area, next to downtown. This row of galleries, plus others in the West
   Main District, are prominently featured in the monthly "Gallery Hop",
   where gallery visitors board trolley buses for free rides back and
   forth between all the galleries.

   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. Fort
   Knox, spread out amongst 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
   Historic Locust Grove farm, former home of Louisville Founder George
   Rogers Clark, portrays life in the early days of the city. 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.

   Across the river in Indiana, the interpretive centre at the Falls of
   the Ohio State Park (part of the Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife
   Conservation Area) functions as a museum with exhibits that concentrate
   on the natural history related to findings in the nearby exposed
   Devonian fossil bed as well as the human history of the Louisville
   area, covering pre-settlement, early settlement, and Louisville and
   southern Indiana history all the way up through the 20th century. Also
   of interest is the Howard Steamboat Museum and the John Hay Centre.

Parks and outdoor attractions

   The Louisville Waterfront Park exhibits rolling hills, spacious lawns
   and walking paths on Louisville's waterfront in the downtown area
   Enlarge
   The Louisville Waterfront Park exhibits rolling hills, spacious lawns
   and walking paths on Louisville's waterfront in the downtown area

   The Louisville area is home to 122 spacious city parks covering more
   than 14,000 acres (57 km²), located throughout the city. 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 is also one of the larger
   parks in the city, covering 409 acres (1.7 km²), and features many
   bicycle and nature trails, basketball courts, baseball fields and
   picnic pavilions.

   Going a bit further out from the downtown area is the Jefferson
   Memorial Forest which, at 5,500 acres (22 km²), is the largest urban
   forest in the United States. The forest is designated as a National
   Audubon Society wildlife refuge, and offers over 30 miles (50 km) of
   various hiking trails. Camping and fishing are both permitted.

   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 and Arboretum (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.

Performing arts

   The statues "Faribolus and Perceval," by Jean Dubuffet, stand at the
   entrance to the Kentucky Center.
   Enlarge
   The statues "Faribolus and Perceval," by Jean Dubuffet, stand at the
   entrance to the Kentucky Centre.

   The performing arts community in Louisville is currently undergoing a
   bit of a renaissance. The Kentucky Centre, 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 is another performing arts centre that has
   become the cornerstone of the revitalization of Louisville's Main
   Street. As 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

   Louisville Slugger Field, where the Louisville Bats play
   Enlarge
   Louisville Slugger Field, where the Louisville Bats play

   College sports are very popular in greater Louisville, with an enormous
   following for the University of Louisville Cardinals. The U of L
   football and basketball teams are annual contenders among the top 25
   teams in both sports. Rick Pitino coached the Cardinals to the Final
   Four in the NCAA basketball tournament in 2005 and Bobby Petrino guided
   the football team to the Gator Bowl in 2006.

   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
   five occasions, and will host that event again in 2006.

   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 4-A Football Championship between Male
   and Trinity 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

   Club Sport Founded League Venue
   Louisville Bulls Football 1988 Mid Continental Football League Various
   Louisville Kings Australian rules football 1996 USAFL (USFOOTY)
   Hays-Kennedy Park
   Louisville Fire Arena football 2001 af2 Freedom Hall
   Louisville Bats Baseball 2002 International League Louisville Slugger
   Field
   Kentucky Colonels Basketball 2004 American Basketball Association
   Freedom Hall

Infrastructure

Education

   According to the U.S. Census, of Louisville's population over
   twenty-five, 21.3% (vs. a national average of 24%) hold a bachelor's
   degree or higher, and 76.1% (vs. 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 Kindergarten through 12th Grade. The
   system consists of 87 elementary schools, 23 middle schools, 20 high
   schools and 23 other learning centers. Louisville has a large number of
   private schools, particularly unusual for a city of this size. Due to
   its large Catholic population, there are 27 Catholic schools in the
   city, as well as several Protestant schools, including the largest
   Protestant school system in the country in terms of student population.
   The Kentucky School for the Blind for all of Kentucky's blind and
   visually impaired students is located in Louisville as well.

   Louisville is home to the University of Louisville, Bellarmine
   University, Spalding University, Sullivan University and Jefferson
   Community and Technical College (part of the Kentucky Community and
   Technical College System), as well as the Louisville Presbyterian
   Theological Seminary, Simmons College of Kentucky, and the Southern
   Baptist Theological Seminary. Indiana University Southeast is also
   located across the Ohio River in nearby New Albany, Indiana.

Transportation

   The Toonerville II Trolleys provide transportation throughout
   Louisville's downtown and Bardstown Road districts.
   Enlarge
   The Toonerville II Trolleys provide transportation throughout
   Louisville's downtown and Bardstown Road districts.

   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. Well 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 it comes to cargo passage, and it is the 11th busiest when
   it comes to cargo passage in the world.

   The much smaller Bowman Field is used mainly for general aviation. Some
   business aviation, as well as flight instruction and other private
   flying primarily operate out of this field.

   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 includes buses and chartered vans 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. In addition to regular city
   buses, transit throughout the downtown hotel and shopping districts is
   served by a series of motorized trolleys (see right) known as the
   Toonerville II Trolley.

   The city's road system is arranged in a fairly typical system common to
   many cities in the United States. Streets in the downtown business
   district are arranged as a grid, with several alternating one-way
   streets. Many major roads begin at or near the downtown area and travel
   outwards from the city like the spokes of a wheel. There are also
   several roads, such as Bardstown Road and Shelbyville Road, which lead
   outwards from Louisville to the outlying Kentucky towns of Bardstown
   and Shelbyville, respectively. (See External links for links to several
   online maps.)

   Interstates I-64, I-65 and I-71 pass through Louisville. Since all
   three of these highways intersect at virtually the same location in the
   city, this spot has become known as " Spaghetti Junction", as the large
   mass of highways and exits resembles a bowl of spaghetti when viewed
   from the air. I-264 (Henry Watterson Expressway east of US 31W and
   Shawnee Expressway west of US 31W) and I-265 (Gene Snyder Freeway) form
   loops around the city on the Kentucky side. Plans for two more bridges
   to connect Louisville to Indiana are nearing completion. One bridge
   will be located downtown for relief of I-65 traffic. The other will
   connect the Indiana and Kentucky I-265's (via KY-841). Interestingly
   enough, Louisville is the only city in the nation to contain two
   consecutively-numbered, three-digit Interstate highways.

   Louisville has historically been a major centre 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
   third-largest city in the country (behind Phoenix and Columbus) with no
   passenger rail service.

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.

   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).

   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.

   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 lightpost.
   Enlarge
   The distances to each of Louisville's sister cities are represented on
   this downtown lightpost.

   Louisville has seven sister cities:
     * People's Republic of China Jiujiang, China
     * Argentina La Plata, Argentina
     * Germany Mainz, Germany
     * France Montpellier, France
     * Russia Perm, Russia
     * Ecuador Quito, Ecuador
     * Ghana Tamale, Ghana

   In addition, United Kingdom 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.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville%2C_Kentucky"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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