Bullitt County, Kentucky
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| Bullitt County, Kentucky | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Kentucky |
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 Kentucky's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1797 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Shepherdsville |
| Largest city | Mount Washington |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
300 sq mi (778 km²) 299 sq mi (775 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.37% |
| Population - (2007 (est.)) - Density |
73,931 205/sq mi (79/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website: www.bullittcounty.org | |
| Named for: Alexander Scott Bullitt, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky (1800–1804). | |
Bullitt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky[1], just south of the city of Louisville. Bullitt is one of the fastest growing counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The population was 61,236 at the 2000 census. Current population estimates of 2007 put the population at 73,931. Shepherdsville is the county seat.[1]
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[edit] History
Bullitt County is named after Alexander Scott Bullitt, one of the architects of Kentucky government, and was created on January 1, 1797. It was formed out of parts of Jefferson and Nelson County. In 1811, the current northwestern area of the county was formed from land given by Jefferson County, and when Spencer County was created in 1824, land from the eastern boundary was given to them.[2]
In the late 1700s to the mid 1800s, Bullitt County was the site of thriving Salt and Iron works industries.
[edit] Natural disasters
- See also: Ohio River flood of 1937
The Great Flood of the Ohio River Valley in 1937 left a profound impact throughout the region, and Bullitt County was no different. Much of the county was covered, including the cities of Shepherdsville and Lebanon Junction. Most local attention was diverted to Louisville, but at least a few of the nearby news sources reported on the event in Bullitt County. One such notable source was the Jeffersonia, a local newspaper of Jeffersontown, Kentucky, which reported the inundation of Shepherdsville and the general state of panic in the town. [3]
On May 28, 1996 a large tornado outbreak occurred and an F4 tornado hit Brooks and Pioneer Village. With 100 millions dollars of damage and only 10 injures. A more recent tornado outbreak happen in mid-October 2007 from Florida to Michigan, from Oklahoma to Ohio. One tornado hit Bullitt County twice getting to strength of an EF1.
[edit] Economy
Bullitt County, which is bisected by I-65, the main north-south transportation corridor, has grown into a thriving distribution hub, and several of its major business parks are just about 16 miles from Louisville International Airport and UPS’s global air-freight hub Worldport. More than 6 million square feet of distribution, warehousing and other complexes have been built and absorbed in Bullitt County since 2000, and additional construction is ongoing.
Additionally, Bullitt residents have easy access to major job centers such as Fort Knox, and Louisville.
[edit] Parks and outdoor attractions
Knobs State Forest in Bullitt County, Kentucky's newest state forest, has added 429 acres, bringing the total size to 1,539 acres. The forest will have no visitor’s center or other man-made features, and it initially will have no established trails. Gwen Holt, information officer for the Division of Forestry said she expects it to be used for hiking, with trails being worn in over time, wildlife viewing, and picnicking. You can even bring your dogs if you keep them on a leash.
Knob State Forest is located near the 14,000-acre nationally recognized Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, about 25 miles south of Louisville.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Jefferson County - Louisville (north)
- Spencer County - (east)
- Nelson County - (southeast)
- Hardin County - Fort Knox (southwest)
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 300 square miles (778 km²), of which, 299 square miles (775 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (3 km²) of it (0.37%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 3,542 |
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| 1810 | 4,311 | 21.7% | |
| 1820 | 5,831 | 35.3% | |
| 1830 | 5,652 | -3.1% | |
| 1840 | 6,334 | 12.1% | |
| 1850 | 6,774 | 6.9% | |
| 1860 | 7,289 | 7.6% | |
| 1870 | 7,781 | 6.7% | |
| 1880 | 8,521 | 9.5% | |
| 1890 | 8,291 | -2.7% | |
| 1900 | 9,602 | 15.8% | |
| 1910 | 9,487 | -1.2% | |
| 1920 | 9,328 | -1.7% | |
| 1930 | 8,868 | -4.9% | |
| 1940 | 9,511 | 7.3% | |
| 1950 | 11,349 | 19.3% | |
| 1960 | 15,726 | 38.6% | |
| 1970 | 26,090 | 65.9% | |
| 1980 | 43,346 | 66.1% | |
| 1990 | 47,567 | 9.7% | |
| 2000 | 61,236 | 28.7% | |
| Est. 2007 | 73,931 | 20.7% | |
| http://ksdc.louisville.edu/ | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 61,236 people, 22,171 households, and 17,736 families residing in the county. The population density was 205 people per square mile (79/km²). There were 23,160 housing units at an average density of 77 per square mile (30/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.07% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 22,171 households out of which 39.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.40% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.00% were non-families. 16.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.20% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 32.70% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 7.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,058 (2005), and the median income for a family was $49,481. Males had a median income of $35,851 versus $24,098 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,339. About 6.20% of families and 7.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
Although large-scale residential development hasn't made its way south of county seat Shepherdsville, the growth is apparent in and around that town and in Mount Washington, as well as points north along I-65 towards Hillview. Both Shepherdsville and Mount Washington have stretched their boundaries such that they are nearly touching each other. The 10-mile stretch of Kentucky 44 that connects the two towns have homes nearly the entire expanse.
[edit] County infrastructure
- Jewish Hospital Medical Center South, opened in Hillview in May 2006. It's a $35 million, 49,000-square-foot outpatient center that provides surgery, diagnostic imaging and 24-hour emergency care, with an adjacent 24,000-square-foot medical office building. Status: A 60 inpatient hospital bed addition is under review.
- Bullitt Community College, Bullitt County officials and business leaders as well as the Kentucky Community and Technical College System are working toward the development of a permanent college campus in Bullitt County. The county has agreed to donate 40 acres near the intersection of Kentucky 245 and Interstate 65 for a permanent campus, but will need $28 million to $35 million for construction and equipment costs. Status: Planning stage.
- Heritage Hill, an upscale residential golf community, located off Kentucky 480. A multi-year development covering 840 acres with 40% preserved as green space, a seven-mile walking trail, a farmhouse which was built in the early 1800s being converted into a community center, and an 18-hole championship public golf course. Status: Construction began in early 2005, with 1,200 home sites planned for the 840-acre development in the next 10 to 12 years.
[edit] Fire protection
Fire protection is provided by both Kentucky Chapter 75 and 95 Districts and Departments. Zoneton Fire Protection District and Mount Washington Fire Protection District are currently staffed with a 24-hour professional firefighting staff.
The Shepherdsville Division of Fire provides their residents with four man crew on staff 24 hours a day. The crew consists of a career Captain and career Sergeant and 2 paid firefighters. Shepherdsville Fire also has four live-in firefighters who live at Station 1 for a faster response time for a second apparatus. Shepherdsville Fire opened a new firehouse in November 2006, located in the Shepherdsville Government Center in addition to the existing Station 2 on Frank E. Simon Blvd. Shepherdsville also has 30-35 volunteer firefighters to augment the paid personnel.
Nichols, Southeast Bullitt, and Lebanon Junction are all volunteer-based.
Zoneton Fire Protection District is 59 square miles (153 km²) with coverage from two stations. A $1 million expansion to Station 1 was completed in October 2006 providing more offices, apparatus storage, dormitories, and training facility. Zoneton also has live-ins at both stations to provide faster response times.
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[edit] Attractions
- Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
- Jim Beam Distillery - Home of Jim Beam and Knob Creek bourbons.
- Knob Creek Gun Range - Home of the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot. Although the range's postal address is in the Hardin County city of West Point, the range actually lies in Bullitt County.
[edit] See also
- Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area
[edit] References
- ^ a b Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/bccreation.html The Creation of Bullitt County
- ^ Bullitt County History - 1937 Flood
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Kart Kountry -- Family Entertainment Center
- Heritage Hill -- A New Community
- Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
- Bullitt County government and commerce website
- Bullitt County History Museum
- Bullitt County Attractions
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