Jeffersontown is a
home rule-class city in
Jefferson County,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, United States. The population was 26,595 at the
2010 U.S. census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...
.
It is a major suburb of
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
. When the Louisville Metro government was established in 2003, Jeffersontown chose to retain its status as an independent city. It is the metro area's largest municipality outside Louisville. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name J-town.
History
Before European exploration, this was occupied by succeeding cultures of Native Americans. They hunted the area for its rich game, including bison herds. The bison created paths through the forests and meadows for their seasonal migrations that were later used by Native Americans and, in turn, by Europeans and Americans alike.
Located in southeastern Jefferson County, along the north central border of Kentucky, Jeffersontown was initially developed in the late 1700s as a stopover and trading station for early European-American pioneers on their way to the
Falls of the Ohio
The Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area is a national, bi-state area on the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky in the United States, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Federal status was awarded in 1981. The fa ...
at Louisville. Farmers began to cultivate the rich land, which was surveyed by Thomas Bullitt in 1773 and John Floyd the next year. The Hites, Tylers, and Oldhams all settled the area under land grants given to veterans for military service following the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, as the new government was cash poor.
[''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'']
pp. 468
"Jeffersontown". University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1992. Accessed 1 August 2013.
In 1794, Abraham Bruner purchased of land. In May 1797,
[Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office. "Jeffersontown, Kentucky". Accessed 1 August 2013.] he successfully petitioned the
Jefferson County Fiscal Court to incorporate a section of his land as the city of Jefferson named either after the county or after
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
, then the
vice president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
of the United States. The city was long known as Bruner's Town or Brunerstown by its inhabitants, but the usage Jefferson Town eventually became adopted as its present name.
[Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names'']
p. 152
University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 1 August 2013.
A large, 600-acre area from the pioneer days has been preserved since the late 20th century and recognized as the Tyler Settlement Rural Historic District. It is used largely for agricultural purposes. This district is east of Jeffersontown; it contains several of the Tylers' original log cabins and barns. A large portion of the Tyler settlement is known as the Blackacre Nature Preserve. This 170-acre tract is used by Jefferson County public schools as part of their environmental education.
Geography
Jeffersontown is located at (38.206102, -85.573619). According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.10% is water.
Demographics
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 26,595 people, 10,653 households, and 7,275 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 11,220 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 82.2% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 11.1% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.2% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 2.1% from other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 5.04% of the population.
There were 10,653 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,999, and the median income for a family was $60,951. Males had a median income of $41,345 versus $29,537 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $23,977. About 3.7% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The Bluegrass Commerce Park (formerly known as The Bluegrass Research & Industrial Park) opened in 1966 and encompasses . It was the first such development in the United States. Today, Bluegrass Commerce Park has expanded to more than and is home to approximately 850 businesses. The park is the largest in the state of Kentucky. The 38,000 employees who work there make the park and Jeffersontown the third-largest city of employment in the state.
The park's seven units include:
*Bluegrass Commerce Park
*Commonwealth Park
*Watterson Trail Industrial Park
*Plainview Office Park
*Jeffersontown Industrial Park
*Holloway Industrial Park
*Blankenbaker Crossings
Papa John's Pizza
Papa John's International, Inc., d/b/a Papa Johns, is an American pizza restaurant chain. It is the fourth largest pizza delivery restaurant chain in the United States, with headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky and Atlanta, Georgia metropolit ...
has its headquarters in Jeffersontown.
In November 2020, the company announced its new global headquarters would be moved to the Three Ballpark Center at The Battery Atlanta
The Battery Atlanta is a mixed-use development located in the Atlanta metropolitan area, approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Atlanta in the unincorporated community of Cumberland, in Cobb County, Georgia. It is adjacent ...
.
Government
The city of Jeffersontown is governed by a mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
and eight city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
members. The mayor serves a four-year term of office
A term of office, electoral term, or parliamentary term is the length of time a person serves in a particular elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a defined limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subject ...
while the council members serve two-year terms. The city council members are elected at-large, made up of the top eight candidates receiving the most votes in the general election.
Education
Jeffersontown has a lending library
A lending library is a library from which books and other media are lent out. The major classifications are endowed libraries, institutional libraries (the most diverse), public libraries, and subscription libraries. It may also refer to a library ...
, a branch of the Louisville Free Public Library
The Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) is the public library system in Louisville, Kentucky, and the largest public library system in the U.S. state of Kentucky.
History Formation
The Louisville Free Public Library was created in 1902 by an ...
.
Notable people
* Jon Ackerson, politician who served in both houses of the Kentucky State Legislature; former Jeffersontown city council member
See also
* 2018 Jeffersontown shooting
On October 24, 2018, a man and woman were shot and killed by a gunman at a Kroger grocery store in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville.
The suspect was Gregory A. Bush, age 51 who also exchanged gunfire with a bystander outside the ...
References
External links
City website
– Article by M. David Goodwin of ''The Courier-Journal
''The Courier-Journal'',
also known as the
''Louisville Courier Journal''
(and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''),
is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Net ...
''
{{authority control
Populated places established in 1797
Cities in Jefferson County, Kentucky
Cities in Kentucky
Louisville metropolitan area
1797 establishments in Kentucky