Jefferson

Formed June 1, 1780 (2^nd county)

Jefferson County (782,956), Louisville (632,550)

The 1975 modern steel skyscraper augments an 1838 masonry Greek Revival courthouse as the Hall of Justice.  The courthouse is at Jefferson and 6^th streets.  Interstate Highway 64 is four blocks to the north.  Gideon Shryock and Albert Fink provided the designs.  A Judicial Center was added in 2001.  Jefferson County was established on June 1, 1780 as one of the original three counties (2^nd county) in Kentucky with Louisville as the only county seat.  Virginia Governor and later United States President Thomas Jefferson inspired the name of the county.  Louisville is named for French King Louis XVI.  Jefferson County was the birthplace of 2 Kentucky Governors, Lawrence W. Wetherby and Andrew G. Beshear. 

Jefferson County government consists of a sheriff, Mayor, and 26 Council Members.  Seventeen Circuit Court Judges, One District Court Judge, and Ten Family Court Judges serve Jefferson County.  The county is on the Ohio River border with Indiana in north central Kentucky.  Cincinnati, Ohio is northeast and Evansville, Indiana is west of the county.  The county center is in Louisville 8.1 miles Southeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Indiana and Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Bullitt, and Hardin counties. 

The area of the county is 385 square miles.  It is 37 out of 120 in the state.  It ranks 1 out of 120 in population in the state.  It has a density of 2033.7 persons per square mile making it 1 out of 120 in the state.  Jefferson County has 100.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 64 goes east to west in the county from Shelby County to Indiana.  Interstate Highway 65 travels north to south from Indiana to Bullitt County.  Interstate Highway 71 comes from Oldham County, northeast, and terminates.  United States Highway 31 East originates and goes southeast into Spencer County.  United States Highway 31 West originates and travels southwest into Bullitt County.  United States Highway 42 parallels Interstate Highway 71 from Oldham County and terminates.  United States Highway 60 enters from Shelby County, east, and joins United States Highway 31 West to exit into Bullitt County.  United States Highway 150 comes from Indiana and joins United States Highway 31 East into Spencer County.  Zachary Taylor, the 12^th President, is buried in this county.  The county’s shape resembles the state’s shape.  Louisville and Jefferson County combined in 2000 thus Louisville is the same as the county.  Louisville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 80.8% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced LU-I-VIL.  This county is in the Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Statistical Area.