Louisville, Kentucky

• Founded in 1780• Mayor Greg Fisher• Area 1,032 km2• Population 746,906 • Louisville is a major city and the largest

city in the U.S. state of Kentucky and the county seat of Jefferson County.

• An important internal shipping port in the 19th century, Louisville today is best known as the location of the Kentucky Derby, the first of three annual thoroughbred horse races making up the Triple Crown.

Location and ranking

• For example, in 1790 population was only 200 people.

• The variability in local pronunciation of the city's name can perhaps be laid at the feet of the city's location on the border between the Northern and Southern regions of the United States. Louisville's diverse population has traditionally represented elements of both Northern and Southern culture.

• 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, making Louisville one of the oldest cities west of the Appalachian Mountains.

The History• The first European settlement in the vicinity of

modern-day Louisville was on Corn Island in 1778 by Col. George Rogers Clark, credited as the founder of Louisville. Several landmarks in the community are named after him

• The city was named in honor of King Louis XVI of France, whose soldiers were then aiding Americans in the Revolutionary War. Early residents lived in forts to protect themselves from Indian raids, but moved out by the late 1780s

• By 1828, the population had swelled to 7,000 and Louisville became an incorporated city. The city grew rapidly in its formative years

• The first Kentucky Derby was held on May 17, 1875, at the Louisville Jockey Club track (later renamed Churchill Downs).

• On March 27, 1890 the city was damaged and its downtown nearly destroyed when an tornado tore through as part of the March 1890 Mid-Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak. An estimated 74 to 120 people were killed.

• In late January and February 1937, 19 inches (48 cm) of rain fell during a month of heavy rain. It caused the "Great Flood of '37". The flood submerged about 70% of the city, caused the loss of power, and forced the evacuation of 175,000 residents. It led to dramatic changes in where residents lived. Today, the city is protected by numerous flood walls

• Louisville was a center for factory war production during World War II. In May 1942, the U.S. government assigned the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Company, a war plant located at Louisville's air field, for wartime aircraft production. The factory produced one cargo plane, among other aircraft. In 1946 the factory was sold to International Corporation, which began large-scale production of tractors and agricultural equipment.

• In 1950, the Census Bureau reported Louisville's population as 84.3% white and 15.6% black.

• In 1974, a major 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. Fortunately only two people died

• Downtown has had significant residential and retail growth, including the conversion of waterfront industrial sites into Waterfront Park, and the refurbishing of the former Galleria into the bustling entertainment complex Fourth Street Live!.

• Louisville is located in the Bluegrass region. Its development has been influenced by its location on the Ohio River, which urged Louisville's growth from an isolated camp site into a major shipping port.

• The most of surrounding area of the city was in the swampland so this bog was drained finally and then the most of creeks were rerouted to prevent the flood and disease outbreaks.

• Spring-like conditions typically begin in mid-to-late March, summer from mid-to-late-May to late September, with fall in the October–November period. Seasonal extremes in both temperature and precipitation are not uncommon during early spring and late fall; severe weather is not uncommon, with occasional tornado outbreaks in the region. Winter typically brings a mix of rain, sleet, and snow, with occasional heavy snowfall and icing

• Summer in the Louisville is tipically hazy(misty)

• Air pollution is trapped in Louisville's Ohio River Valley location. The city is ranked by Environmental Defense as America's 38th worst city for air quality.

• Louisville hosts religious institutions of various diverse faiths; including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

• There are 135,421 Roman Catholic Louisvillians who are part of the Archdiocese of Louisville, covering 24 counties in central Kentucky. The Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown Louisville is the seat of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

• This Cathedral of the Assumption was built in 1852

• In May 2005, the first phase of renovations began on the Cathedral School building, which now houses the Cathedral Parish office. Phase one renovations will provide more space for the parish offices while phase two will provide renovated, state-of-the-art practice space for the Cathedrals renowned choirs.

• Like European cathedrals, the Cathedral of the Assumption has tried to respond to the needs of the community, serving as a hospice, an orphanage, and a shelter for the poor

• The city is home to several megachurches. Southeast Christian Church is the 5th largest of the Christian churches in the United States and St. Stephen Baptist Church has the largest African-American congregation and is home to contemporary gospel recording artists Joe Leavell & the St. Stephen Temple Choir.

• Another point is there are 5 synagogues and 6 mosques

• In 2003 Louisville was the 7th seaport in America.

• In the city the huge companies such as General Electric and Ford Motor Company

are housed

• A plenty of films were starred there for example:

“Elizabethtown”

“The dogs on the lawn” etc.

• In addition a lot of tobacco and alcohol fabrics are there and nearby the city

Culture

In the first Saturday in May Kentucky Derby are settled there. Before this many various preparatory enterprises are thrown such as The Largest Firework in America and different queer shows and games for example

The fastest steamship

• Humana Festival of New American Plays,

which throws annually in the end of February or in the very beginning of March

• Frazier International History Museum

which was opened in 2003 It’s rather large museum with luxury income and rich collections

• Muhammad Ali Center

• This magnificent museum was opened in the 2005 and it contains things by the famous boxer and another ones which were significant for him such as sport, world, family, health etc.

• Speed Art Museum

• This museum was opened in 1927 and it is the oldest museum in state Kentucky

dedicated the art.

The Filson Historical Society

The oldest historical museum in the city. It was opened in 1884.

Some interesting buildings in the city or another creations

• Belle of Louisville

• It is the oldest steamship which has been saving since the first races on Missisipy river .

• Marine Hospital of Louisville which is the last hospital since the end of Civil War

• The Courier-Journal is the local newspaper in the city

• Louisville Metro has 122 city parks covering more than 13,000 acres. 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

• Further from the downtown area is the Jefferson Memorial Forest, which at 6,218 acres (25.16 km2) is the largest municipal urban forest in the United States. The forest is designated as a National Audubon Society wildlife refuge, and offers over 30 miles (48 km) of various hiking trails

• The Kentucky Center, dedicated in 1983, located in the downtown hotel and entertainment district, features a variety of plays and concerts. This is also the home of the Louisville Ballet, Louisville Orchestra, Bourbon Baroque, Music Theatre Louisville, Stage One, and the Kentucky Opera, which is the twelfth oldest opera in the United States.

Sport

• College sports are very popular in the Louisville area, especially college basketball. The Louisville Cardinals rank first nationally in percent to capacity attendance annually, with Freedom Hall averaging better than 100% for 10 straight years

• The University of Louisville baseball team advanced to the College World Series in Omaha in 2007, as one of the final eight teams to compete for the national championship

Education

• Louisville is home to several institutions of higher learning. There are five four-year universities, the University of Louisville, Bellarmine University, Spalding University, Sullivan University, and Simmons College of Kentucky; Louisville Bible College; a two-year community college, Jefferson Community and Technical College; and several other business or technical schools such as Spencerian College, ITT Technical Institute, Strayer University and Louisville Technical Institute. Indiana University Southeast is located across the Ohio River in New Albany, Indiana

• This is the oldest Water tower in America which was built in 1860