The New Student's Reference Work/Louisville

Lou′isville, the largest city of Kentucky and capital of Jefferson County, is on the Ohio, 150 miles below Cincinnati. It was founded in 1778, and named after Louis XVI of France. The falls of the Ohio furnish an important developed water-power, and render necessary a canal for the passage of boats a part of the year. The city has increased greatly in prosperity and commercial importance in recent years, and has taken a foremost rank among the manufacturing cities of the west, having over 4,000 factories. It leads in the manufacture of cement, jeans and sole-leather, is the largest leaf-tobacco market in the world, and has extensive pork-packing establishments and whiskey distilleries. Iron-working, agricultural tool-making, cigar-making and the sugar-curing of hams are additional industries. Louisville covers about 30 square miles, is handsomely built with wide, well-paved streets, and has a good water-supply and sewerage system. Parks comprising 1,500 acres, with handsome boulevards, add to its attractions and make it a delightful city of residence. It has a Roman Catholic cathedral and 150 other churches, a law-school, four medical colleges and a fine system of public schools. The value of its school-property exceeds $1,300,000; the amount it annually expends on elementary education is $700,000. There are some 40 public and private charitable institutions, including the state institute for the blind. The city is connected with Jeffersonville by an iron bridge about one mile long and with New Albany, by a handsome cantilever bridge. The chief railroads are the Southern; Chesapeake, Louisville and Nashville; Ohio and Southwestern; and Ohio River railroads. Population 223,928.