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Louisville, Kentucky

"Derby City"
Home of the Kentucky Derby, Muhammad Ali, and Louisville Slugger baseball bats — Louisville straddles the Ohio River with a unique blend of Southern charm, bourbon culture, and a fierce independent streak.
Founded 1778 | Population 633,045 | Peak 633,045 (2020) | County Jefferson County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Louisville, Kentucky

1
1875First Kentucky Derby: The first Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs on May 17, with 10,000 spectators watching Aristides win. The race became the longest continuously held sporting event in America.
2
2020Breonna Taylor Shooting: Louisville police shot and killed 26-year-old Breonna Taylor in her apartment during a botched no-knock raid on March 13. Her death became a central rallying point for the national racial justice movement.
3
1942Muhammad Ali Born: Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born in Louisville. He became Muhammad Ali — Olympic gold medalist, three-time heavyweight champion, conscientious objector, and the most famous athlete in the world.
4
1937Great Ohio River Flood: The Ohio River reached a record 57 feet, flooding 70% of Louisville and displacing 230,000 people. The disaster led to the construction of a massive floodwall that still protects the city.
5
1883Louisville Slugger Created: Bud Hillerich hand-turned a baseball bat for Louisville Eclipse player Pete Browning, creating the Louisville Slugger. The Hillerich & Bradsby Company grew into the dominant bat manufacturer in baseball.
6
1778George Rogers Clark Founds Louisville: George Rogers Clark established a settlement on the Falls of the Ohio River during the Revolutionary War. The town was named after King Louis XVI of France, America's Revolutionary War ally.
7
1855Bloody Monday: Anti-immigrant mobs attacked German and Irish neighborhoods on election day, killing at least 22 people. The Know-Nothing Party violence was one of the worst episodes of nativism in American history.
8
1870Bourbon Capital: Louisville's position on the Ohio River and proximity to Kentucky's limestone-filtered water made it the center of America's bourbon whiskey industry.
9
2003Louisville-Jefferson County Merger: Louisville merged with Jefferson County, more than doubling the city's population overnight and making it one of the largest cities in the South.
10
1914Louisville Flood of 1884 Legacy: Louisville built its bourbon, tobacco, and manufacturing economy along the falls of the Ohio, making it a critical transportation hub between the North and South.
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Population Over Time

0 158,261 316,523 474,784 633,045 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Latest News in Louisville

News articles will appear here as they're published.

Complete Historical Timeline

1778 Government
George Rogers Clark founds Louisville
1828 Transport
Louisville and Portland Canal opens
1855 Civil Rights
Bloody Monday anti-immigrant violence
1870 Industry
Bourbon industry centered in Louisville
1875 Sports
First Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs
1883 Business
Louisville Slugger bat created
1937 Disaster
Great Flood submerges 70% of city
1942 Culture
Muhammad Ali born in Louisville
1975 Civil Rights
Louisville desegregation busing
2003 Government
Louisville-Jefferson County government merger
2016 Culture
Muhammad Ali dies; global mourning
2020 Civil Rights
Breonna Taylor killed; protests erupt

Did You Know?

1
The Louisville Slugger Museum has a 120-foot-tall steel baseball bat leaning against the building — the world's largest bat — and over 80% of Major League players have used a Louisville Slugger.
2
Muhammad Ali's childhood home in Louisville is now a museum, and the Louisville International Airport was renamed Muhammad Ali International Airport in 2019.
3
Louisville is the only city in the world that pronounces its name three different ways — locals say 'LOO-uh-vul,' 'LOO-ee-vil,' or 'LUH-vul' depending on the neighborhood.
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