Neighborhoods in Louisville, Kentucky

The oldest neighborhoods are the riverside areas of Downtown and Portland (initially a separate settlement), representing the early role of the river as the most important form of commerce and transportation.

As the city expanded, peripheral neighborhoods like Butchertown, Phoenix Hill, Russell, Shelby Park, Smoketown and others were developed to house and employ the growing population.

The arrival of the streetcar allowed suburbs to be built further out, such as Beechmont, Belknap, Old Louisville, Shawnee and the Highlands.

An interurban rail line in the early 1900s led to communities east of Louisville such as Anchorage and Glenview becoming year-round homes for the rich.

After merger, unincorporated census designated places in Jefferson County were considered by many (local media for example) to have become neighborhoods of Louisville.