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Mount Washington is a home rule-class city in northeast
Bullitt County Bullitt County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 82,217. Its county seat is Shepherdsville. The county was founded in 1796. Located just south of the c ...
,
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 Virgini ...
, in the United States. The population was 18,090 at the 2020 census. The city is one of several surrounding Louisville that have experienced a sharp rise in population in the past three decades, becoming a
commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many ...
.


History

Mount Washington is located at what was once the crossroads of two stagecoach routes and was originally known as The Cross Roads. It was formally established in 1822 as Mount Vernon, after President George Washington's Virginia home, but it was unable to continue using the name because another town's post office had priority. At the time, the settlement housed people and boasted three churches, two schools, six stores and groceries, five doctors, two taverns, and twelve mechanical trades. At the time of its (first) formal incorporation as a city in 1833, the town's name was changed to "Mount Washington", again in honor of the first
United States president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
. Mount Washington became the economic center of Bullitt County by the 1850s. In the autumn of 1862, during the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
, the town was held by John Wharton's Confederate cavalry, who skirmished with Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden's men north of Mount Washington along Floyds Fork on October 1. A defeat the following day led to a Confederate retreat from the area. Through the nineteenth century, a two-room school building stood on the southern end of Bardstown Road (now Highway 31E), but in 1916 a new building consisting of four classrooms was built. Where the four-room classroom building once stood, now stands Mt. Washington Middle School. This building was constructed in the early 1940s as the high school. Mt. Washington Middle School had to expand and remodel in 1995 because the population was growing tremendously, and now supports over 200 classrooms and offices. Since then, another middle school had to be built on the other side of the city. That project was completed in 2006. Mount Washington's industries aged, and by the 1930s it was no longer the most prominent town in the county. The decline continued when fire burned much of the business district on November 18, 1940. Mount Washington enjoyed an influx of new residents starting in the late 1960s with the opening of
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
's Appliance Park nearby in Louisville. The population of Mount Washington grew from 2,020 in 1970 to over 9,000 by the 2010 census. Despite a downturn at the Appliance Park, eventually leading to the sale of GE's appliance division to
Haier Haier Group Corporation () is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational home appliances and consumer electronics company headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong. It designs, develops, manufactures and sells products including refrigerators ...
, Mount Washington continues as a
commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many ...
of Louisville. The events of the final call of the strip search phone call scam took place in Mount Washington in 2004. The local police department charged David R. Stewart with the crime, but he was acquitted in 2006. A former mayor of Mt. Washington was a contestant on ''
The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also i ...
'', playing the Money Game and winning $185 but losing a PT Cruiser; before the game, he presented host
Bob Barker Robert William Barker (born December 12, 1923) is an American retired television game show host. He is known for hosting CBS's ''The Price Is Right'' from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American telev ...
with the key to the city.


Historic site

Three homes in Mt. Washington are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
. Of particular note is the Lloyd House, which is in the care of the Mount Washington Historical Society and is currently being renovated to become a historic house museum. * James M. Lloyd House * Henry J. Barnes House *
Zack Stansbury House Zack or Zach may refer to: People * Zach (surname), various people * Zack (surname), various people * Zack (personal name), lists of people and fictional characters named Zack, Zach, Zac, Zak or Zakk * Záh (gens) or Zách, a ''gens'' (clan) in th ...


Geography

Mount Washington is located in northeastern Bullitt County at (38.045982, -85.554676). The city of Louisville is directly to the north; the downtown is northwest of the center of Mount Washington.
U.S. Route 31E U.S. Route 31E (US 31E) is the easternmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Highway 31 from Nashville, Tennessee, to Louisville, Kentucky. (At one time, it split with U.S. Highway 31W at Sellersburg, Indiana, north of Louisville.) Route d ...
and U.S. Route 150 pass through the city, leading south to
Bardstown Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...
. 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 An economy is an area of th ...
, Mount Washington has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.49%, 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 2000, there were 8,485 people, 3,111 households, and 2,445 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,294 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.26%
White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.32%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.32% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.58% of the population. There were 3,111 households, out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.03. The age distribution was 29.0% under 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $43,813, and the median income for a family was $46,507. Males had a median income of $35,439 versus $23,600 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 $18,495. About 5.9% of families and 7.9% 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 11.8% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.


Infrastructure


Education

Mount Washington is served by the Bullitt County Public Schools. There are four
elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
s, two
middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
s, and one
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
within the city limits. A new elementary school is currently under construction. There are no colleges or universities in Mt. Washington. Mount Washington has a
public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...
, a branch of the Bullitt County Public Library.


Elementary schools

* Old Mill Elementary School * Mount Washington Elementary School * Pleasant Grove Elementary School * Crossroads Elementary School


Middle schools

* Mount Washington Middle School * Eastside Middle School


High schools

* Bullitt East High School


Transportation

The primary method of transportation in Mt. Washington is by road. Formerly named "The Crossroads", Kentucky Route 44 and a road signed as U.S. Route 31EX intersect in the heart of the city. A bypass through the city's east end carries the main line of
U.S. Route 31E U.S. Route 31E (US 31E) is the easternmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Highway 31 from Nashville, Tennessee, to Louisville, Kentucky. (At one time, it split with U.S. Highway 31W at Sellersburg, Indiana, north of Louisville.) Route d ...
and creates a second north-south route through the town.


Fire protection

Several fire protection districts include portions of the city, including Mt Washington Fire Protection District.


Government

As of February 2020, the current mayor of Mount Washington is Barry Armstrong, who took office in January 2015. The current city administrator is Elizabeth D. Hardin.


Notable people

*
W. A. Criswell Wallie Amos Criswell (December 19, 1909 – January 10, 2002), was an American pastor, author, and a two-term elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1968 to 1970. As senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas for five ...
, president of the
Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...
1968–70 * Marisha Ray, actor and producer * Joshua C. Jaynes, former Louisville Police officer who was involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor.


References


External links


City of Mount Washington official website
{{authority control Cities in Bullitt County, Kentucky Cities in Kentucky Louisville metropolitan area 1822 establishments in Kentucky