Shepherdsville, Kentucky

"Shepherdsville" redirects here. For the Indiana community, see Shepardsville, Indiana.

Shepherdsville, Kentucky
—  City  —
Downtown Shepherdsville
Location of Shepherdsville, Kentucky
Coordinates: 37°59′17″N 85°42′50″W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Bullitt
Area
• Total	10.8 sq mi (27.9 km2)
• Land	10.5 sq mi (27.3 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	449 ft (137 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	8,334
• Density	791.3/sq mi (305.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	40165
Area code(s)	502
FIPS code	21-70086
GNIS feature ID	0503351

Shepherdsville is a city in Bullitt County, Kentucky, United States, just south of Louisville. The population was 8,334 at the 2000 census, but 2009 estimates put the city at 9,344. It is the county seat of Bullitt County.

History

Shepherdsville was founded by and named after Adam Shepherd in 1793. In its early days, the major industry in Shepherdsville was salt production from nearby Bullitt's Lick. The first post office in Shepherdsville opened in 1806. In 1836, a mineral water spa called Paroquet Springs opened. The mineral water supposedly had medicinal properties and so sufferers from a variety of maladies would visit Shepherdsville to drink and bathe in the water. During the American Civil War, the railroad bridge over the Salt River at Shepherdsville was a potential target for sabotage and was guarded by Union troops. In 1879, the Paroquet Springs hotel burned to the ground, but water from the springs continued to be bottled and sold until 1915. Throughout most of the 20th century, Shepherdsville was primarily an agricultural area. With the construction of the Kentucky Turnpike in the 1950s and Interstate 65 in the 1980s, people who worked in Louisville, Kentucky could live outside the city. From then on Shepherdsville experienced a period of rapid growth.

The deadliest train wreck in Kentucky history, which killed about fifty people in a two-train collision, took place in Shepherdsville several days before Christmas in 1917.

Geography

Shepherdsville is located at 37°59′17″N 85°42′50″W (37.988169, -85.713965). It is on the banks of the Salt River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.8 square miles (28 km²), of which, 10.5 square miles (27 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (2.32%) is water.

Education

Area students attend Bullitt County Public Schools. Different sections of the city are zoned to one of the county's three regular public high schools:

• Most of the city is served by Bullitt Central High School, located in Shepherdsville proper.
• Some northern areas are zoned to North Bullitt High School, which has a Shepherdsville postal address but is located in the city of Hebron Estates.
• Far eastern portions of the city are zoned to Bullitt East High School in Mount Washington.

The city also houses Riverview High School, the county district's alternative high school for at-risk students.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	267		—
1880	290		8.6%
1890	251		−13.4%
1900	277		10.4%
1910	318		14.8%
1920	520		63.5%
1930	633		21.7%
1940	762		20.4%
1950	953		25.1%
1960	1,525		60.0%
1970	2,769		81.6%
1980	4,454		60.9%
1990	4,805		7.9%
2000	8,334		73.4%
Est. 2009	9,344		12.1%
U.S. Census Bureau

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,334 people, 3,177 households, and 2,363 families residing in the city. The population density was 791.3 people per square mile (305.6/km²). There were 3,402 housing units at an average density of 323.0 per square mile (124.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.24% White, 0.92% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.

There were 3,177 households out of which 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,103, and the median income for a family was $40,878. Males had a median income of $31,324 versus $22,871 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,519. About 13.7% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Charles Kurtsinger (1906–1946), U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey
• Wayne Edwards (b. 1967), NASCAR driver
• Alexandria Mills (b. c. 1992), Miss World 2010

References

Alma Wallace Lesch, 1917-1999 resided in Shepherdsville KY 1949-1999 author, teacher and textile innovator "fabric collage" archive in University of Louisville, "Southern Gothic" permanent display at U of L.

External links

• City of Shepherdsville official site
• "Shepherdsville: Salt of the Earth Provided Roots for First Settler, Town Has Withstood the Tests of Fire and Water" — Article by Bobbie Harville of The Courier-Journal