Jefferson County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 782,969. It is the most populous county in the

commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

(with more than twice the population of second ranked Fayette County). Since a city-county merger in 2003, the county's territory, population and

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

have been coextensive with the city of

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, which also serves as

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. The administrative entity created by this merger is the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government, abbreviated to Louisville Metro. Jefferson County is the anchor of the Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area, locally referred to as Kentuckiana.

History

Jefferson County—originally Jefferson County, Virginia—was established by the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

in June 1780, when it abolished and partitioned Kentucky County into three counties: Fayette, Jefferson and Lincoln. Named for

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, who was governor of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

at the time, it was one of Kentucky's nine original counties on June 1, 1792. In 1778, during 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, George Rogers Clark's militia and 60 civilian settlers established the first American settlement in the county on Corn Island in the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

, at the head of the Falls of the Ohio. They moved to the mainland the following year, establishing Louisville.

Richard Mentor Johnson Richard Mentor Johnson (October 17, 1780 – November 19, 1850) was an American lawyer, military officer and politician who served as the ninth vice president of the United States from 1837 to 1841 under President Martin Van Buren. He is ...

, the 9th

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

, was born in Jefferson County in 1780, while the family was living in a settlement along the Beargrass Creek. The last major American Indian raid in present-day Jefferson County was the Chenoweth Massacre on July 17, 1789.

Government

Whenever possible, the metro government generally avoids any self-reference including the name "Jefferson County" and has even renamed the Jefferson County Courthouse as '' Metro Hall''. Prior to the 2003 merger, the head of local government was the County Judge/Executive, a post that still exists but now has few powers. The office is currently held by Queenie Averette. Local government is effectively now led by the Mayor of Louisville Metro, Craig Greenberg.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.3%) is water. The

forms its northern boundary with the state of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. The highest point is South Park Hill, elevation , located in the southern part of the county. The lowest point is along the Ohio River just north of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

Adjacent counties

* Bullitt County (south) * Shelby County (east) * Oldham County (northeast) * Spencer County (southeast) * Hardin County (southwest) *

Clark County, Indiana Clark County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Indiana, located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 121,093. The county seat is Jeffer ...

(north) *

Harrison County, Indiana Harrison County is located in the far southern part of the U.S. state of Indiana along the Ohio River. The County (United States), county was officially established in 1808. Its population was 39,654 as of the 2020 United States census. Its cou ...

(west) * Floyd County, Indiana (northwest)

Infrastructure

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 77.38%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 18.88%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.22% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.68% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 1.78% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 287,012 households, out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.20% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.20% were non-families. 30.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $54,357 (2018), and the median income for a family was $49,161 (2005). Males had a median income of $36,484 versus $26,255 for females (2005). The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $31,980 (2018). About 14.8% 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 ...

, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over (2018).

Communities

Since the formation of Louisville Metro on January 6, 2003, residents of the cities below also became citizens of the newly expanded Metro, but none of the incorporated places dissolved in the process. The functions formerly served by the county government for the towns were assumed by Louisville Metro. However, the former City of Louisville was effectively absorbed into the new city-county government. Jefferson County KY places

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

* Audubon Park * Bancroft * Barbourmeade * Beechwood Village * Bellemeade * Bellewood * Blue Ridge Manor * Briarwood * Broad Fields * Broeck Pointe * Brownsboro Farm * Brownsboro Village * Buechel † *

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

* Cherrywood Village *

Coldstream Coldstream () is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. A former burgh, Coldstream was where the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army, originated. Description Coldstream li ...

* Creekside * Crossgate * Douglass Hills * Druid Hills * Fairdale † * Fairmeade * Fern Creek † * Fincastle * Fisherville * Forest Hills * Glenview Hills * Glenview Manor * Glenview * Goose Creek * Graymoor-Devondale * Green Spring * Heritage Creek * Hickory Hill * Highview † * Hills and Dales * Hollow Creek * Hollyvilla * Houston Acres * Hurstbourne Acres * Hurstbourne * Indian Hills * Jeffersontown *

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...

* Kingsley * Langdon Place *

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

* Lyndon * Lynnview * Manor Creek * Maryhill Estates * Meadow Vale * Meadowbrook Farm * Meadowview Estates * Middletown * Mockingbird Valley *

Moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

* Murray Hill * Newburg † * Norbourne Estates * Northfield * Norwood * Okolona † * Old Brownsboro Place * Parkway Village * Penile *

Plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

* Pleasure Ridge Park † * Plymouth Village * Poplar Hills * Prospect * Richlawn * Riverwood * Rolling Fields * Rolling Hills * Seneca Gardens * Shively * South Park View * Spring Mill * Spring Valley * Springlee * St. Dennis † * St. Matthews * St. Regis Park * Strathmoor Manor * Strathmoor Village * Sycamore * Ten Broeck * Thornhill * Valley Station † * Watterson Park * Waverly Hills *

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

* West Buechel * Westwood * Whipps Millgate * Wildwood * Windy Hills * Woodland Hills * Woodlawn Park * Worthington Hills :† Formerly a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the county, but, in 2003, these places became, according to local media, neighborhoods within the city limits of ''Louisville Metro''.

Politics

Like most urban counties nationwide, Jefferson County is currently a Democratic stronghold. Jefferson County has voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1992. In the 2019 gubernatorial election, it voted for Democrat

Andy Beshear Andrew Graham Beshear ( ; born November 29, 1977) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 63rd governor of Kentucky since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 50th attorney gen ...

by a higher percentage than any other county in Kentucky, giving him 67% of the vote. The county voted "No" on 2022 Kentucky Amendment 2, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 71% to 29%, outpacing its support of

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

during the 2020 presidential election.

Elected officials

Education

The public school districts for the county are: Jefferson County School District (JCPS) and Anchorage Independent School District. �
Text list

The specific Anchorage school boundary is here: The Anchorage district only covers grades K-8; Anchorage district residents may attend JCPS or Oldham County Schools. Kentucky School for the Blind, a state-operated school, is in Louisville.

References

External links

Jefferson County Clerks Office

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

Louisville/Jefferson County Information Consortium

Louisville Metro
{{Coord, 38.19, -85.66, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-KY_source:UScensus1990 Kentucky counties 1780 establishments in Virginia Kentucky counties on the Ohio River Louisville metropolitan area Populated places established in 1780 Former counties of Virginia