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Ludlow is a home rule-class city in
Kenton County, Kentucky Kenton County is a county located in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,064, making it the third most populous county in Kentucky (behind Jefferson County and Fayette County). ...
, United States, along 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 ...
. The population was 4,385 at the 2020 census. It is a
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
of the
Cincinnati metropolitan area The Cincinnati metropolitan area (also known as the Cincinnati Tri-State area or Greater Cincinnati) is a metropolitan area with its Urban area, core in Ohio and Kentucky. Its largest city is Cincinnati and includes surrounding counties in the U. ...
. It received its greatest period of early growth as a rail station.


History


Early history

In 1790, the land that is now Ludlow was given to Gen. Thomas Sandford as a grant in recognition of his service during the Revolutionary War. Sandford traded the land to Thomas D. Carneal for land in what is now Ft. Mitchell. Carneal had Elmwood Hall built on the riverfront in 1818. It still stands (as of 2011) at 244 Forest Avenue and is a private residence. Carneal later sold the land to William Bullock, a British showman, entrepreneur, and traveller, who directed
John Papworth John Papworth (12 December 1921 – 4 July 2020) was an English clergyman, writer and Activism, activist. Throughout his life, he campaigned for the causes of antimilitarism, Localism (politics), localism and ecologism. He founded Resurgence & ...
to design a
utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', which describes a fictional island soci ...
community for the site named '' Hygeia'' (
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
for "health"). Never realizing this plan, Bullock sold the land to Israel L. Ludlow in 1830. Ludlow was
plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
ted as a town in 1846. The city of Ludlow, named for the landowner, was incorporated in 1864. As the Cincinnati Southern Railroad ( Queen and Crescent Route) arrived in the 1870s, many people were enticed by Ludlow. Because of the adequate amount of railroad jobs, many people - mostly German and Irish - began moving to Ludlow. In the 1890s, a streetcar service, provided by The Green Line, also sparked popularity.


The Ludlow Lagoon


Construction and early success

Around the
Bromley, Kentucky Bromley is a home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 724 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. History The settlement of Bromley can be traced to ...
border, which is on the western edge of Ludlow, construction of a lake was started in 1894 by The Green Line streetcar company. The Green Line wanted an amusement park at the end of the Ludlow streetcar line. The lake, which was 85-acres and featured five islands, opened in 1895. It was originally used for fishing and boating. Additional attractions included a clubhouse used for dining, and a dance pavilion that hosted many orchestras and other music groups that were popular during the Jazz Age. As time progressed, the Lagoon began to add many classic amusement park rides. The most popular was the Scenic Railway, which rode across the lake. It was designed by LaMarcus Thompson, who also designed the Scenic Railway at
Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
in New York. Other attractions which contributed to the Lagoon's success were an
amphitheater An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...
, a movie theatre, a vaudeville stage, and a Japanese-themed fair. The park also featured many walking trails, games, acrobats, and other performers. The park was receiving thousands of visitors each day by the early 1900s. The Ludlow Motordrome, which was opened on July 21, 1913, attracted large crowds. It was a motorcycle racetrack that could seat 8,000 spectators.


Damaging disasters

Just before the motordrome was built, the
Great Flood of 1913 The Great Flood of 1913 occurred between March 23 and March 26, after major rivers in the central and eastern United States flooded from runoff and several days of heavy rain. Related deaths and damage in the United States were widespread and ...
swept through Ludlow, damaging many attractions. Just nine days after the motordrome's opening on July 30, 1913, tragedy struck Ludlow once again. A driver lost control of his motorcycle during a race. The cycle crashed into a gas lamp, and set fire to the stands which killed at least ten people and injured over one-hundred people out of the 5,000 spectators present. Two years later, a tornado struck Ludlow in July 1915, which damaged many buildings and attractions of the Lagoon, causing $20,000 ($615,000 adjusted for 2024 inflation) in damage. The final blow of the Lagoon occurred as a result of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Grain was needed for the war effort, so the U.S. Government restricted the amount of beer that was able to be produced. As a result, the Lagoon took a heavy blow because it sold local beer throughout the park. The Ludlow Lagoon ended its operations after the 1917 season. Since its closing, the lake has been filled in, and all attractions have been destroyed. Except for the clubhouse, which still stands at 312 Lake St.


Post World War I – present

After World War I, Ludlow experienced a time of growth subsequent to the shutdown of the Lagoon. On the east side of town, the Morningside neighborhood was annexed. On the west side of town, the area of the defunct Ludlow Lagoon was being redeveloped. Ludlow also experienced success after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The
Baby Boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of births. This demography, demographic phenomenon is usually an ascribed characteristic within the population of a specific nationality, nation or culture. Baby booms are caused by various ...
increased the population to 6,374 by 1950 which filled churches and schools. The increased population also resulted in the development of the Ludlow Heights. However, in the 1960s, the population began to decline and has been declining ever since. In recent years, Ludlow has made minor developments, especially to its housing.


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 city has a total area of , of which is land and (30.65%) is water.


Demographics

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 4,409 people, 1,739 households, and 1,135 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,888 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.46%
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 ...
, 0.39%
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 ...
, 0.09% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races.
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 were 0.75% of the population. There were 1,739 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% 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, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.18. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,509, and the median income for a family was $44,441. Males had a median income of $34,890 versus $26,714 for females. 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 city was $16,015. About 8.8% of families and 11.0% 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 17.5% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.


Education

The majority of Ludlow is in the Ludlow Independent School District. One parcel of land is in the Covington Independent School District.
District text list
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See also

*
List of cities and towns along 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 ...


References


External links


City of Ludlow Official Website



Ludlow Heritage Society & Museum
{{authority control Cities in Kentucky Cities in Kenton County, Kentucky Populated places established in 1864 Kentucky populated places on the Ohio River