The city of Louisville is the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the biggest city within Kentucky State in the US. The borders of the city have been coterminous with those of the county due to a city-county merger since the year 2003. According to the census of 2010, the population of Louisville was 863,582. The city is famous for being the location of the Kentucky Derby. This is the 1st of 3 annual thoroughbred horse races that make up the Triple Crown. During the 19th century, Louisville was an important internal shipping port.
Louisville is located in the north-central region of Kentucky, on the Ohio River. It is situated at the Falls of the Ohio River and is a very picturesque location. The Louisville metropolitan area comprises counties in Southern Indiana and therefore, the metropolitan area is often called "Kentuckiana." The border between Kentucky and Indiana is formed by the river. People who live in Louisville are usually called a "Louisvillian."
The city of Louisville has influences by both Midwestern and Southern culture, even if it is situated within a Southern state. Louisville is commonly referred to as the country's southernmost Northern city 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. Like for example, the rapids of the Falls of the Ohio River made a barrier for river travel and hence, settlements grew up at this stopping point as a result of this natural formation.
The very first European settlement near the current day city of Louisville was Corn Island. Col. George Rogers Clark established the settlement in 1778. He is the man who has been recognized as being the founder of Louisville and numerous landmarks within the region have been named in his honor.
Cargo and shipping businesses dominated the early economy of Louisville. Due to Louisville's unique central site, and location near the Ohio Falls, makes it the best place for transferring cargo which is moving onto various cities. Crucial links in water and rail transportation include the Portland and Louisville canal and the Louisville and Nashville railroad. Even today, Louisville is an important part of the shipping industry since the presence of the Worldport global air-freight hub is situated at the Louisville International Airport.
For a lot of years, the city of Louisville was likewise the home to Brown & Williamson, who was the 3rd largest corporation in the tobacco industry before merging in the year 2004 with R.J. Reynolds. This merger formed the Reynolds American Company Brown & Williamson. This corporation was one of the subjects of the scandals of the tobacco industry during the 1990s. These scandals became the focus of a movie called the Insider. It was shot during the year 1999 around the Louisville area. There are a couple of major Ford plants as well as a major General Electric appliance factory likewise located within the vicinity.
Almost a third of all bourbon whiskey produced in the nation is produced within Louisville. The Brown-Forman Corporation is among the major bourbon producers which also has its company headquarters within the city. There are other key distilleries of bourbon situated in the neighboring cities within Kentucky State and in Louisville.