Named for Louis XVI, the king of France, Louisville, correctly pronounced Lew-ee-ville, may be thought of as a Southern town with a party attitude. Sitting on the state's border with Indiana, Kentucky's largest city centers a metropolitan area that is known as Kentuckiana. With a rich and intriguing history, a business-fostering government, and a Bluegrass tradition and sensibility, Louisville is a unique American city.


French influence is evident throughout Kentucky, with names such as Versailles and Paris gracing towns and roads. Louisville was founded in 1778 by George Rogers Clark (1752-1818), whose brother, William, was the Clark of the Louis and Clark expedition. George Rogers Clark fought to limit the British-Native American alliance in this region during the American Revolution, and was granted 8,000 acres in southern Indiana, including the town of Clarksville, IN, just north of Louisville across the Ohio River. Statues of this Clark are found in a number of places around the country, including one in Louisville at Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere.


Following the founding of Louisville, its county, named for Thomas Jefferson, was formed in 1780. The linkage to Virginia derives from the fact that the Clarks were born in Albemarle County, making them neighbors of the third president. And Kentucky was formed out of western Virginia. City-county government merged in 2003 to form Louisville-Jefferson Metro Government, locally known as Louisville Metro. Numerous area towns have become part of Louisville Metro since its creation.


That merger made Louisville Metro the 16th largest city in the U.S., with an estimated 2005 population of about 700,000. Including the population of that portion of southern Indiana that, along with Louisville Metro, makes up Kentuckiana, the population figures reach 1, 025, 598. Business publications have lauded the city's ability to foster enterprise, its position as a headquarters city, and its role as a great place to raise a family. Three Fortune 500 companies--Humana, Yum (which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken), and Kindred Healthcare--have located in Louisville, also headquarters for the UPS international air operations. Business-friendly Louisville has seen its economy grow at an annual rate of more than 3.5% in recent years.


Transportation is one of the keys to that growth. Even from its earliest days as the go-to place where one got around the Falls of the Ohio, Louisville has been a transportation hub. Today, thanks to a series of locks on the river, barges still ply its waters, transporting goods from one part of the country to another.


In addition, Louisville is intersected by two interstates, I-65 running north-south, and I-64, running east-west, connecting Louisville to Frankfort, the state's capital just 54 miles east, and Lexington, just 80 miles east, home of the University of Kentucky. From there, I-64 cruises on to West Virginia, while. I-71 connects Louisville to I-75, only a few miles south of Cincinnati, OH, just 100 miles northeast. And for a real big city getaway, Chicago is about a six-hour drive north on I-65 to I-90 into the Windy City. From an economic perspective, Louisville's location places it within a day's drive of many major markets. .


Living in Louisville today means having at your fingertips a rich panorama of cultural resources, including museums, shopping, festivals, restaurants and great events. Top of the list in the latter category is the Kentucky Derby, one of the most watched sports events in the country. Mint juleps are the required celebration sip for the Derby, held each May, even for those who watch it from the comfort of their living rooms.


Louisville celebrates its heritage and its present. Among its famous native sons is the great boxer and Olympic champion Muhammad Ali, and today a center bearing his name, which opened in November 2005, gathers exhibitions and offers programs designed to foster the ideals he represents as well as to honor his legendary sports prowess.


From its position on the great Ohio River, Louisville, the center of a two-state metropolitan area, showcases from its dynamic downtown to its family-centered suburban communities an urban environment defined by unique features and special qualities. The city's lifestyle, business, the arts and letters assemble a rich tapestry of values for its diverse citizenry to enjoy.