St. Matthews, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Downtown St. Matthews | |
 Location of St. Matthews in Jefferson County, Kentucky | |
  St. Matthews Location within the state of Kentucky Show map of Kentucky St. Matthews St. Matthews (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:38°14′59″N85°38′18″W / 38.24972°N 85.63833°W /38.24972; -85.63833 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Jefferson |
| Incorporated | 1950[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.40 sq mi (11.39 km2) |
| • Land | 4.38 sq mi (11.35 km2) |
| • Water | 0.015 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 535 ft (163 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 17,534 |
| • Density | 4,002.9/sq mi (1,545.52/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 40207 |
| FIPS code | 21-67944 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2405399[3] |
| Website | stmatthewsky.gov |
St. Matthews[4] is acity inJefferson County,Kentucky, United States. It forms part of theLouisville Metro government but is separately incorporated as ahome rule-class city.[5] The population was 17,472 at the2010 census,[6] up from 15,852 at the2000 census. It is the 23rd-largest city in the state. St. Matthews is one of the state's major shopping areas, home to the fifth-largest mall in Kentucky (Mall St. Matthews) along with many smaller shopping centers alongShelbyville Road.
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Dating the arrival ofAmerican Indians to present-day Kentucky remainscontroversial, with estimates ranging from 40,000 to 10,000 years before the present. As with later European cultures, indigenous cultures were often divided near the falls of theOhio River, which marked a transition zone in travel and settlement. During the lateWoodland period (c. 1st century), this area was between the OhioanHopewell culture and the IllinoisCrab Orchard culture that extended to the west. Later (c. 1200), it was the boundary between theMississippian andFort Ancient cultures. During the 18th century, the area was claimed by various Indian tribes, including theShawnee from the northwest and theIroquois to the east; based in New York and Pennsylvania, the Iroquois used the Ohio Valley as a hunting ground by right of conquest.
The area eventually known as St. Matthews was firstsettled by European Americans in 1779 during theAmerican Revolutionary War byCol.James John Floyd of Virginia. He had conducted an important survey of theJefferson County area in 1774, and bought 2,000 acres (8 km2) of land from Virginia and other colonial veterans who had been awarded the parcels for their service in theFrench and Indian War (known as theSeven Years' War in Europe). He arrived overland on November 8, 1779, bringing several family members and ablack slave. They built cabins and a stockade, which came to be known as "Floyd's Station".[7]
During the early 19th century, the area held severalplantations and was known as the "garden of the state". As with most areas of the InnerBluegrass Region, the area was settled by many migrants fromVirginia, who brought slaves for labor. The major crops were labor-intensivetobacco andhemp; breeding livestock, primarily horses, was also important to the economy.[8] There were some changes to mixed crops because the soil was exhausted from tobacco. In the years before theCivil War, Kentucky planters had a surplus of slaves and sold many atmarkets in Louisville to traders who took them to theDeep South in the domestic slave trade. Demand was high as the South was being developed forsugar and especiallycotton. The invention of thecotton gin had made cultivation of short-staple cotton profitable.
The St. Matthews community developed around the intersection of what are now Breckenridge Lane, Shelbyville Road, and Westport Road. By 1840, it was known as "Gilman's Point", after local tavern owner Daniel Gilman. The name "St. Matthews" was adopted in 1850 after the completion of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, the area's first. It became the official name of the community in 1851 when the newly opened U.S. post office adopted it. Later numerous otherProtestant churches were founded, includingBaptist. Holy Trinity, the oldest of the threeCatholic churches in the city, was completed in 1882, following immigration to the area of Catholics from Switzerland and Germany.[9]Trinity High School was established nearby in association with the church.
St. Matthews was connected to theLouisville, Cincinnati and Lexington Railroad (later part of theLouisville and Nashville) that connected Louisville toAnchorage andMiddletown. The railroad did not greatly alter the economy of St. Matthews, however, which remained heavily agricultural well into the 20th century.
In the early 20th century, it produced so manypotatoes that it was a major center of the country for this crop. From 1910 to 1946, it was home to the St. Matthews Produce Exchange, which was once the second-largest potato shipper in the country. The area began changing in the early 20th century as a result of urban transit and automobile traffic. Gradually the farms were subdivided and developed as residential areas. The original landowners' names – including Brown, Rudy, Nanz, Monohan, Oeschner, and Stich – were used for local streets. The town's first bank was founded in 1905. A modern shopping district began developing in the 1920s, to include the landmarkVogue Theater, opened in 1938.
Growth of the area was accelerated by theOhio River flood of 1937, which caused many families to leave low-lying ground in Louisville and move to St. Matthews. It incorporated as a city in 1950, partially to address infrastructure problems[which?] and to build a sewer system.[dubious –discuss] TheMall St. Matthews, Louisville's first indoor shopping mall, opened around this time.
In 2001, St. Matthews annexed the cities ofBroad Fields,Cherrywood Village,Fairmeade,Plymouth Village, andSpringlee.[10]
St. Matthews is located in north-central Jefferson County at38°15′0″N85°38′33″W / 38.25000°N 85.64250°W /38.25000; -85.64250 (38.249931, −85.642613).[11] It is 7 miles (11 km) east ofdowntown Louisville. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.2 km2), of which 0.02 square miles (0.04 km2), or 0.36%, are water.[6]
The present boundaries of St. Matthews are roughly Cannons Lane to the west,I-264 to the south and east, and several subdivisions off Brownsboro Road to the north. These includeBellewood,Brownsboro Village,Maryhill Estates, andWindy Hills. Farther east, St. Matthews is bordered byWoodlawn Park,Graymoor-Devondale,Lyndon, andNorwood. The separately incorporated cities ofRichlawn,Beechwood Village andNorbourne Estates are enclaves within St. Matthews.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 8,738 | — | |
| 1970 | 13,152 | 50.5% | |
| 1980 | 13,519 | 2.8% | |
| 1990 | 15,800 | 16.9% | |
| 2000 | 15,852 | 0.3% | |
| 2010 | 17,472 | 10.2% | |
| 2020 | 17,534 | 0.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 17,806 | [12] | 1.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
As of thecensus[14] of 2000, there were 15,852 people, 7,978 households, and 3,661 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,938 inhabitants per square mile (1,520/km2). There were 8,537 housing units at an average density of 2,121 per square mile (819/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.32%White, 4.95%African American, 0.15%Native American, 2.62%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.59% fromother races, and 1.36% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.69% of the population.
There were 7,978 households, out of which 19.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% weremarried couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.1% were non-families. 45.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.94 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.0% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.
Trinity High School, a Catholic all-boys college-preparatory high school, along with Waggener High School and St. Matthews Elementary School, serve the area. Thelending library is a branch of theLouisville Free Public Library.[15]
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