Louisville, founded in 1778, is the largest city in Kentucky and county seat of Jefferson County. The estimated Louisville Metro population is just over 700,000 while the greater Louisville metropolitan area exceeds 1.2 million. It is located in north central Kentucky on the border with Indiana, leading to the nickname, Kentuckiana.
Louisville is most famous as the home of "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports": the Kentucky Derby which is held at the Churchill Downs. The Derby is also known as the "Run for the Roses".
The downtown area has seen great growth, with many new high rise condominiums and office buildings. Most of the residential neighborhoods are located to the southwest, south and east of downtown.
Louisville neighborhood communities include Anchorage, Beech Spring Farm, Glen Oaks, Hillcreat, Middletown, Springhurst, Lake Forest, Landis Lakes Sutherland, Lyndon, Northfield, Prospect, Norton Commons, Polo Fields, St. Matthews, Saratoga Woods, the Woods of St. Thomas and Woodmount. The East Market District was named by Money magazine in 2007 as one of the best places to retire.
Colleges and universities in Louisville include the University of Louisville, Bellarmine University, ITT Technical Institute, Jefferson Community College, RETS Institute of Technology, Southern Baptist Seminary, Spalding University, Spencerian University, and Sullivan University. The University of Louisville has one of the best basketball programs in the country.
