About Louisville, KY

Louisville has grown substantially in recent years due to a combination of low cost of living, sunny and generally pleasant weather, numerous places of interest, and a strong housing market. With a population of over 600,000, Louisville has grown over 130% over the last 15 years.

If you're looking to see some special attractions, Louisville offers quite a few interesting places to see. There's the Muhammad Ali Center, the Louisville Mega Cavern, the famous Kentucky Derby Museum, and the Churchill Downs Horse Race track. These sites, among others, help establish the city as an eclectic place to partake in many exciting activities. Horse racing, in particular, has a long and rich history in the city.

The Mega Cavern, a massive limestone mine, is the largest man-made structure in both Louisville and the state of Kentucky. It's no longer an active mine, but instead home to an amusement park. Support structures run along 17 miles of the underground mine, offering zip line opportunities, a mountain bike park, and more. Where else in the world can you find 17 miles of underground biking and zip lining?

Above ground, the lovely Cherokee Park and the other parks scattered about town also offer great opportunities for hiking, running, jogging, biking, tree climbing, and lake standing. Go ahead and bring your kids or pets to enjoy a day outdoors. Every April you can enjoy America's largest firework display, "Thunder Over Louisville", which takes place over the Ohio River during the Kentucky Derby Festival.

Home to several universities and a range of vocational schools, Louisville offers a number of educational choices. There are culinary schools, hair design schools, and numerous seminaries. This is one of the reasons why Louisville residents are highly education. Over 20% of Louisville's residents have a bachelor degree or higher.

Louisville does fall a touch below national income per capita average. Median household incomes are 17.8% less than the national average and poverty rates are 75% greater than the national average. However, Louisville is also substantially cheaper than many other cities. Median costs for homes in the city are 45% lower than the national average. This means it's quite affordable for families looking to enjoy the amenities. People who love Victorian homes will find the city especially attractive as Louisville has one of the largest collections of such homes in the United States. Louisville also has the largest collection of buildings with cast-iron facades outside of New York City.

Unfortunately, Louisville has suffered from some bad tornadoes. In 1890, a category 4 twister tore through the city's downtown. Over a hundred people lost their lives. It was so bad, the Courier-Journal ran a headline stating that the city had been visited by a "Storm Demon." Nearly a century later, in 1974, another category 4 twister beset the city, destroying several hundred homes, and taking two lives.

Louisville also used to suffer from devastating floods. In 1937, the worst flood in Louisville history submerged 60 percent of the city, forcing roughly 23,000 people to evacuate. Just eight years later another massive flood struck, causing 50,000 people to abandon their homes. Since then, Louisville has erected a nearly 30 mile long floodwall system which has helped to contain damage during more recent flooding events.

These days flooding from the Ohio River isn't much of a threat. In fact, the Ohio River offers some amazing views and photo opportunities, and is one of the defining features of Louisville. Several picturesque bridges span the river, with some of them open to pedestrians. Numerous parks and memorials are set out along the river as well, offering visitors and residents alike a chance to enjoy some waterside fun.