Louisville is the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the biggest city in the state of Kentucky in the US. The city's borders have been coterminous with the borders of the county because of a city-county merger ever since the year 2003. Based on the census of 2010, the population of the city was 863,582. Louisville is well-known for being the site of the Kentucky Derby. This is the 1st among the 3 annual thoroughbred horse races which make up the Triple Crown. In the 19th century, Louisville was a major internal shipping port.
The city of Louisville is situated within the northern section of Kentucky along the Ohio River. Located close to the falls on the Ohio River, the city features a really picturesque location. The Louisville metropolitan area consists of counties within Southern Indiana and hence, the metropolitan area is normally called "Kentuckiana." The border between Indiana and Kentucky is formed by the river. Individuals who live in Louisville are often referred to as a "Louisvillian."
Louisville has influences by both Midwestern and Southern culture, even if it is located within a Southern state. Louisville is commonly referred to as the southernmost Northern city in the nation or the northernmost Southern city.
The elaborate history of Louisville spreads over hundreds of years. The history of the area has been influenced significantly by its geography and its location. For example, the rapids of the Falls of the Ohio River made a barrier for river travel and thus, settlements grew up at this particular stopping point as a result of this natural formation.
Corn Island was the first European settlement within the vicinity of the existing Louisville. It was formed by Col. George Rogers Clark during the year 1778. He is the man who has been credited as being the city's founder and numerous landmarks in the region have been named in his honor.
Cargo and shipping businesses dominated the early economy of Louisville. Due to the city's unique central site, and location near the Ohio Falls, makes it the most ideal place for transferring cargo which is moving onto different cities. Crucial links in water and rail transportation consist of the Nashville and Louisville Railroad and the Louisville and Portland Canal. Even today, Louisville is an important part of the shipping business since the presence of the Worldport global air-freight hub is located at the Louisville International Airport.
For many years, the city of Louisville was also the home to Brown & Williamson, who was the 3rd largest corporation in the tobacco business before merging in 2004 with R.J. Reynolds. This merger formed the Reynolds American Company Brown & Williamson. This particular corporation was among the subjects of the scandals of the tobacco business throughout the 1990s. These scandals became the focus of a movie known as the Insider. The movie was shot in the year 1999 around the Louisville area. There are 2 major Ford plants as well as a major General Electric appliance factory also located nearby.
Almost a third of all bourbon whiskey produced within the United states is produced within Louisville. The Brown-Forman Corporation is among the major bourbon makers which likewise has its corporate headquarters in the city. There are additional major distilleries of bourbon found in the cities nearby within Kentucky State and in Louisville.