In 1828, when it became Kentucky's first city, government shifted to a ten-member "Common Council".
Reforms in 1893 aimed at reducing corruption allowed citywide election of all Aldermen, who could live in any ward.
In 1929 the larger but less prestigious Common Council was eliminated, leaving just the Board of Aldermen as the city's sole legislative body, in an arrangement that would become familiar to Louisvillians over the next 75 years.
Wards were originally split contiguously on an east-to-west axis across the city.
Due to the nature of the local geography, the city could only expand south in most places, making most wards very long and thin by the mid-20th century.