Louisville, Kentucky

==Geography==<!-- linked -->

{{Main|Geography of Louisville, Kentucky}}
[[File:SouLouIq2.jpg|thumb|right|Hilly terrain blankets the southwest part of the city.]]

Louisville and Jefferson County have a combined area of {{convert|397.68|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|380.46|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|17.23|sqmi|km2}} (4.33%) is covered by water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2015_Gazetteer/2015_gaz_counties_21.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=August 26, 2016|year=2015|title=U.S. Gazetteer file for Kentucky counties (Jefferson County)|archive-date=February 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208073535/http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2015_Gazetteer/2015_gaz_counties_21.txt|url-status=live}}</ref>

Louisville is southeasterly situated along the border between Kentucky and [[Indiana]], the [[Ohio River]], in north-central Kentucky at the [[Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area|Falls of the Ohio]]. Louisville is an [[Upper South]] city located in a [[Southern United States|Southern state]] that is influenced by both [[Culture of the Southern United States|Southern]] and [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern culture]]. It is sometimes referred to as either one of the northernmost Southern cities or as one of the southernmost Northern cities in the United States.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Meyer |first=David R. |date=December 1989 |title=Midwestern Industrialization and the American Manufacturing Belt in the Nineteenth Century |journal=The Journal of Economic History |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=921–937 |jstor=2122744 |doi=10.1017/S0022050700009505 |s2cid=154436086 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.emporis.com/city/louisville-ky-usa |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120604051110/http://www.emporis.com/city/louisville-ky-usa |url-status = dead |archive-date = June 4, 2012 |title=Emporis:Louisville, KY |access-date=February 6, 2007}}</ref>

Louisville is located in Kentucky's outer [[Bluegrass region]].<ref>{{cite web |title=University of Kentucky Atlas entry |url=http://www.kyatlas.com/phys-bluegrass.html |access-date=August 22, 2009 |archive-date=October 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023002014/http://www.kyatlas.com/phys-bluegrass.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Its development has been influenced by its location on the Ohio River, which spurred Louisville's growth from an isolated camp site into a major shipping port. Much of the city is located on a very wide and flat [[floodplain]] surrounded by hill country on all sides. Much of the area was swampland that had to be drained as the city grew. In the 1840s, most creeks were rerouted or placed in canals to prevent flooding and disease outbreaks.

Areas generally east of [[Interstate 65 in Kentucky|I-65]] are above the flood plain, and are composed of gently rolling hills. The southernmost parts of Jefferson County are in the scenic and largely undeveloped [[Knobs region]], which is home to [[Jefferson Memorial Forest]].

The [[Louisville metropolitan area|Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area]] (MSA), the [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|43rd largest]] in the United States,{{efn|name=MSAnote}}<ref name="PopEstMSA"/> includes the Kentucky county of Jefferson ([[wikt:coterminous|coterminous]] with Louisville Metro), plus twelve outlying counties—seven in Kentucky and five in [[Southern Indiana]]. Louisville's MSA is included in the [[Louisville metropolitan area|Louisville–Elizabethtown–Madison, KY–IN Combined Statistical Area]] (CSA), which also includes the [[Elizabethtown, Kentucky|Elizabethtown, KY]] MSA, as well as the [[Madison, Indiana|Madison, IN]] [[Micropolitan Statistical Area]].

The Louisville area is near several other urban areas, especially [[Frankfort, Kentucky]] (the state's capital); [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] (the two cities' metropolitan statistical areas almost border each other); [[Lexington, Kentucky]]; [[Bowling Green, Kentucky]]; [[Nashville, Tennessee]]; and the [[Indianapolis, Indiana]] area (especially [[Columbus, Indiana]], to the north of Southern Indiana).

===Cityscape===

{{Main|Cityscape of Louisville, Kentucky}}
{{See also|Downtown Louisville|Neighborhoods in Louisville, Kentucky|List of parks in the Louisville metropolitan area|List of tallest buildings in Louisville}}
[[File:Highlands.jpg|thumb|right|[[The Highlands, Louisville|Highlands district]], specifically the [[Bonnycastle, Louisville|Bonnycastle]] neighborhood]]

The [[Downtown Louisville|downtown business district]] of Louisville is located immediately south of the Ohio River and southeast of the Falls of the Ohio. Major roads extend outwards from the downtown area in all directions. The [[Louisville International Airport|airport]] is about {{convert|6.75|mi|km}} south of the downtown area. The industrial sections of town are to the south and west of the airport, while most of the [[residential area]]s of the city are to the southwest, south, and east of downtown. In 2010, the 22,000-seat [[KFC Yum! Center]] was completed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1728957251.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+22%2C+2007&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=Hotel+removed+from+arena+plan |title=Hotel removed from arena plan |author=Green, Marcus |date=May 22, 2007 |newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]] |access-date=July 6, 2017 |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107203113/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1728957251.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+22,+2007&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=Hotel+removed+from+arena+plan |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1730873931.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Apr+24%2C+2007&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=First+look+inside+the+arena | title=First look inside the arena | author=Green, Marcus | date=April 27, 2007 | newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]] | access-date=July 6, 2017 | archive-date=November 7, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107203124/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1730873931.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Apr+24,+2007&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=First+look+inside+the+arena | url-status=dead }}</ref> Twelve of the 15 buildings in Kentucky over {{convert|300|ft|m}} are located in downtown Louisville.

Another primary business and [[industrial district]] is located in the suburban area east of the city on Hurstbourne Parkway.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]] |title=Office space goes begging |date=February 26, 2006 |last=Berzof |first=Ken}}</ref>

Louisville's late 19th- and early 20th-century development was spurred by three large suburban parks built at the edges of the city in 1890.

The city's [[architecture]] contains a blend of old and new. The [[Old Louisville]] neighborhood is the largest [[historic preservation]] district solely featuring [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] homes and buildings in the United States;<ref>{{cite web |title=Louisville Facts & Firsts |publisher=LouisvilleKy.gov |url=http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Visitors/Louisville+Facts+and+Firsts.htm |access-date=December 14, 2009 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006110825/http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Visitors/Louisville%2BFacts%2Band%2BFirsts.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldlouisville.com/old_louisville.htm |access-date=December 14, 2009 |title=What is Old Louisville? |publisher=Old Louisville Guide |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127214207/http://www.oldlouisville.com/old_louisville.htm |archive-date=November 27, 2009 }}</ref> it is also the third-largest district containing such architectural distinctions in the United States. Many modern skyscrapers are located downtown, as well as older preserved structures, such as the [[Old Bank of Louisville|Southern National Bank]] building. The buildings of West Main Street in downtown Louisville have the largest collection of [[cast iron]] facades of anywhere outside of New York's [[SoHo]] neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.louisvilleky.gov/DowntownDevelopment/News/2006/DowntownActivity.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929103233/http://www.louisvilleky.gov/DowntownDevelopment/News/2006/DowntownActivity.htm|archive-date=September 29, 2007 |title=Louisville's Downtown Alive with Development |publisher=LouisvilleKy.gov |date=February 24, 2006 |access-date=July 28, 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Werne's Row 4th and Hill, Old Louisville.jpg|thumb|left|[[Werne's Row]] in [[Old Louisville]]]]
[[File:Broadway3rdLou.jpg|thumb|right|Broadway and 3rd Street [[downtown Louisville|downtown]]]]

Since the mid-20th century, Louisville has in some ways been divided into three sides of town: the West End, the South End, and the East End. In 2003, Bill Dakan, a [[University of Louisville]] geography professor, said that the West End, west of 7th Street and north of Algonquin Parkway, is "a [[euphemism]] for the African American part of town" although he points out that this belief is not entirely true, and most African Americans no longer live in areas where more than 80% of residents are black. Nevertheless, he says the perception is still strong.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]] |title=Will old names work in 'new' city? |last=Pike |first=Bill |page=1N |date=January 23, 2003}}</ref> The South End has long had a reputation as a white, [[working class|working-class]] part of town, while the East End has been seen as middle and [[upper class]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Read all about it: Valley has city united |author=Forde, Pat |date=August 26, 2002 |newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]]}}</ref>

According to the Greater Louisville Association of Realtors, the area with the lowest median home sales price is west of Interstate 65, in the West and South Ends. The middle range of home sales prices are between Interstates 64 and 65 in the South and East Ends, and the highest median home sales price are north of Interstate 64 in the East End.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1727307131.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:FT&type=current&date=Jun+29,+2007&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=A.2&desc=Clarification |title=''The Courier-Journal'' 2006–07 Kentuckiana Guide |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date=June 29, 2007 |access-date=August 15, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629001249/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1727307131.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:FT&type=current&date=Jun+29,+2007&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=A.2&desc=Clarification |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Immigrants]] from [[Southeast Asia]] tend to settle in the South End, while immigrants from [[Eastern Europe]] settle in the East End.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=[[Jefferson Community and Technical College|Jefferson Community College]] |title=Continuity and Change in Louisville's Ethnic Communities |last=Cummins |first=Peggy}}</ref>

{{wide image|Louisville Panorama.jpg|1000px|alt=Louisville panorama from Jeffersonville, Indiana, with Second Street Bridge in foreground|Panorama from [[Jeffersonville, Indiana]], with [[George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge]] in foreground}}

===Climate===

Louisville has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa''), typical of the [[Upper South]], and is located in [[Hardiness zone#United States hardiness zones (USDA scale)|USDA plant hardiness zones]] 6b and 7a.<ref name="hardiness zones">{{cite web |url=http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx |title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Interactive Map |publisher=Planthardiness.ars.usda.gov |access-date=March 31, 2014 |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209122445/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/phzmweb/interactivemap.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> Springlike 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. Louisville averages 4.5 days with low temperatures dipping to {{convert|10|°F|0}};<ref name = "NOAA TXT"/> the first and last freezes of the season on average fall on November{{nbsp}}2 and April{{nbsp}}5, respectively.<ref name = NOAA/> Summer is typically hazy, hot, and humid with long periods of {{convert|90|–|100|°F|°C|0}} temperatures and drought conditions at times. Louisville averages 38 days a year with high temperatures at or above {{convert|90|°F|0}}. The mean annual temperature is {{convert|58.2|°F|1}}, with an average annual snowfall of {{convert|12.7|in|cm|0}} and an average annual rainfall of {{convert|44.9|in|sigfig=3}}.

The wettest seasons are spring and summer, although rainfall is fairly constant year round. During the winter, particularly in January and February, several days of snow can be expected. January is the coldest month, with a mean temperature of {{convert|34.9|°F|1}}. July is the average hottest month with a mean of {{convert|79.3|°F|1}}.<ref>Climate information from [http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00095-PUB-A0001#TABLES NOAA] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904023736/http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00095-PUB-A0001 |date=September 4, 2013 }}</ref> The highest recorded temperature was {{convert|107|°F|0}}, which last occurred on July 14, 1936, and the [[1994 North American cold wave|lowest recorded temperature]] was {{convert|−22|°F|0}} on January 19, 1994.<ref>Maximum and minimum temperatures from [https://web.archive.org/web/20110709042619/http://weather.yahoo.com/climo/USKY1096_c.html Yahoo! Weather]</ref> In 2012, Louisville had the fourth-hottest summer on record, with the temperature rising up to {{convert|106|°F|0}} in July and the June all-time monthly record high temperature being broken on two consecutive days.<ref name = NOAA/> As the city exemplifies the [[urban heat island]] effect, temperatures in commercial areas and in the industrialized areas along interstates are often higher than in the suburbs, often as much as {{convert|5|F-change|1}}.

{{Louisville, Kentucky weatherbox}}