Editing Louisa, Kentucky

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Louisa, Kentucky
| settlement_type    = [[list of Ky cities|City]]
| named_for          = 
| nickname           = The Gem of the Mountains<ref>{{cite news |title=Louisa: A Brief Review of Her Prospects, Needs, Advantages and a Short Description of Her Business and Business Men |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83004226/1888-03-22/ed-1/seq-2/ |access-date=29 November 2023 |publisher=Big Sandy News (Louisa, KY) |date=22 March 1888}}</ref>
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Main Cross in downtown Louisa.jpg
| imagesize          = 250px
| image_caption      = Main Street
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = File:Lawrence County Kentucky Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Louisa Highlighted 2147854.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location in Lawrence County, Kentucky
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Kentucky]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Kentucky|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Lawrence County, Kentucky|Lawrence]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = [[Mayor-council government|Mayor-Council]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Harold Slone
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = December 11, 1822
| established_title2 = Incorporated
| established_date2  = 1869

<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_21.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 18, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 5.86
| area_land_km2      = 5.81
| area_water_km2     = 0.05
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.26
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.24
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.02

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 2679
| population_density_km2 = 461.31
<!-- 2018 est. -->| population_density_sq_mi = 1194.92

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 607
| coordinates        = {{coord|38|06|38|N|82|37|39|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code        = 41201, 41230
| area_code          = [[Area code 606|606]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 21-47854
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2404959<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2404959}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|www.cityoflouisa.org}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 2022
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| population_est     = 2623
}}

'''Louisa''' is a home-rule class city located in eastern [[Kentucky]], United States, at the merger of the [[Levisa Fork River|Levisa]] and [[Tug Fork River|Tug Fork]]s into the [[Big Sandy River (Ohio River tributary)|Big Sandy River]], which forms part of the state's border with West Virginia. It is the [[county seat|seat]] of [[Lawrence County, Kentucky|Lawrence County]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The population was 2,467 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]]<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Louisa,%20KY&g=1600000US2147584&tid=DECENNIALSF12010.P1| title=Total Population: 2010 Census DEC Summary File 1 (P1), Louisa city, Kentucky| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| website=data.census.gov| access-date=February 7, 2020}}</ref> and an estimated 2,375 in 2018.<ref name="USCensusEst2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2018.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=December 15, 2019}}</ref>

==History==
The origin of the city's name is unclear. Theories include that it was named for [[Louisa County, Virginia]], after Louisa Swetnam, one of the [[first white child]]ren born in the area, or after a corruption of the original name of the Levisa Fork, as it was originally written and spoken as the "Louisa Fork." An 1856 map still shows the river under the name "Louisa." [[Virginia]], [[the Carolinas|Carolina]] and other English colonial-linked settlement attempts began as early as 1790 but did not take hold until 1818. Louisa became the county seat in 1822 and a city in 1823.

About 1792, Vancouver's Station, which had been destroyed by the Native Americans in 1790, on the tongue of land between the Levisa and Tug Forks of the Big Sandy, was reestablished.  A few years later this settlement was known as "Balclutha" and is so designated on early maps of the state.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hXIUAAAAYAAJ&dq=balclutha%20%22mason%20county%20kentucky%22&pg=PA241 Jillson, Willard Rouse. “The Big Sandy Valley: A Regional History Prior to 1850.” In: Register. Kentucky State Historical Society. Frankfort, KY : Kentucky State Historical Society, Vol. 20, No. 60 (September, 1922): pages 241-242]</ref>

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Union troops under future president [[James A. Garfield]] occupied the city from December 1861 until the end of the war, despite several Confederate takeover attempts.

[[File:Needle dam louisa ky.jpg|thumb|left|General view of the needle dam and lock as originally built in 1896 at Louisa]]
The Chattaroi Railroad (now a part of [[CSX]]) connected to Louisa in 1881. The city is also served by [[US 23]].

The ''Big Sandy News'', headquartered in Louisa, profiled the town in March 1888.<ref>{{cite news |title=Louisa |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83004226/1888-03-22/ed-1/seq-2/ |access-date=29 November 2023 |publisher=Big Sandy News (Louisa, KY) |date=22 March 1888}}</ref>

The first [[needle dam]] constructed in the United States was completed just north of town in 1896.<ref>Thomas, B.F. & Watt, D.A. [https://books.google.com/books?id=M9ZAAAAAMAAJ&q=The+improvement+of+rivers+:+a+treatise+on+the+methods+employed+for+improving+streams+for+open+navigation,+and+for+navigation+by+menas+of+locks+and+dams+/+B.+F.+Thomas. ''The Improvement of Rivers: A Treatise on the Methods Employed For Improving Streams for Open Navigation, and for Navigation by Means of Locks and Dams''], p. 563. 1913.</ref>

==Geography==
Louisa's eastern border is the [[Levisa Fork]], and its northern border is the [[Big Sandy River (Ohio River tributary)|Big Sandy River]], which also serves as the Kentucky–[[West Virginia]] border.

[[U.S. Route 23]] passes through the western side of the city, leading north {{convert|30|mi}} down the valley of the Big Sandy River to [[Ashland, Kentucky|Ashland]] on the [[Ohio River]] and southwest {{convert|28|mi}} to [[Staffordsville, Kentucky|Staffordsville]]. [[Kentucky Route 3]] passes through the center of Louisa on Madison Street; KY 3 leads northwest {{convert|7|mi|0}} to [[Fallsburg, Kentucky|Fallsburg]] and southeast up the valley of the [[Tug Fork]] and [[Rockcastle Creek]] {{convert|25|mi}} to [[Inez, Kentucky|Inez]]. [[Kentucky Route 32]] leads southwest from Louisa {{convert|18|mi}} to [[Blaine, Kentucky|Blaine]]. [[West Virginia Route 37]] leads east across the Tug Fork to [[Fort Gay, West Virginia]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Louisa has a total area of {{convert|5.9|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.05|sqkm|order=flip|2}}, or 0.81%, are water.<ref name=Gazetteer>{{cite web| url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_21.txt| title=U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: Kentucky| website=U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division| access-date=February 7, 2020}}</ref>

===Climate===
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Louisa has a [[Humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=649451&cityname=Louisa%2C+Kentucky%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Louisa, Kentucky]</ref>

==Points of interest==
The bridge from Louisa, Kentucky to [[Fort Gay, West Virginia]], is a rare [[Multi-way bridge|multi-way T-bridge]]. The quarter-mile concrete span crosses two forks of the [[Big Sandy River (Ohio River)|Big Sandy River]], connects two states, and has a right turn at its halfway point to connect traffic to the Point Section neighborhood of Louisa. The current concrete and steel structure was constructed in 1979 and retrofitted in 2003.<ref>[https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/21678 "Retrofit of the Louisa-Fort Gay Bridge Using CFRP Laminates"]</ref>

"The Paveillon" (or more commonly known as "The Birdhouse") is a five story tall spire structure that serves as a gas station, rest stop, and a country music museum <ref>[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kentucky-county-music-museum Museum]</ref> along U.S. Route 23 as it passes through the western side of the city. The structure was inspired by the [[Hotel del Coronado]] in [[San Diego]], [[California]] and the [[Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa|Grand Floridian Resort]] in [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Florida]].
[[File:Vinson Birthplace historical marker.jpg|thumb|Historical marker in front of the [[Fred M. Vinson Birthplace]], located on the western corner of the junction of Madison Street and Vinson Avenue.]]
The [[Fred M. Vinson Birthplace]] is the historical boyhood home of the 13th Chief Justice of the United States, and the first jail to be built in Lawrence County. It is located on the corner of Madison St. and Vinson Ave. The grave of Chief Justice Vinson can also be found at Pinehill Cemetery.

The town, having suffered during the opioid crisis, became a center for recovery and rehabilitation.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/magazine/opioid-addiction-recovery-kentucky-louisa.html | title=Opioids Ravaged a Kentucky Town. Then Rehab Became Its Business | work=The New York Times | date=December 11, 2024 | last1=Whang | first1=Oliver }}</ref>

==Culture==
Every second weekend in September, Louisa hosts the regional Septemberfest that features several local and national acts performing for three days, as well as arts and crafts on the northwestern side of town, and the many food vendors featuring Southeastern cuisine.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1830 = 87
| 1860 = 258
| 1870 = 425
| 1880 = 496
| 1890 = 834
| 1900 = 1099
| 1910 = 1356
| 1920 = 2011
| 1930 = 1931
| 1940 = 2023
| 1950 = 2015
| 1960 = 2071
| 1970 = 1781
| 1980 = 1832
| 1990 = 1990
| 2000 = 2018
| 2010 = 2467
| 2020 = 2679
| estyear = 2022
| estimate = 2623
| estref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,018 people, 927 households, and 548 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,496.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,065 housing units at an average density of {{convert|789.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 98.61% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.50% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.05% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.10% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.05% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.69% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.20% of the population.

There were 927 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $16,690, and the median income for a family was $24,474. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $21,250 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,746. About 27.5% of families and 32.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 46.9% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==

===Secondary schools===
* [[Lawrence County High School (Kentucky)|Lawrence County High School]]

===Primary schools===
* Louisa East Elementary School
* Louisa West Elementary School
* Louisa Middle School
* The Millard School

===Public library===
Louisa has a [[public library|lending library]], the Lawrence County Public Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111202017/https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 January 2019 | title=Kentucky Public Library Directory | publisher=Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives | access-date=5 June 2019}}</ref>

==Notable people==
*[[Tyler Childers]], folk/country/Americana singer
*[[Cliff Fannin]], baseball player
*[[James A. Hughes]], U.S. Congressman
*[[Jason Michael]], NFL coach
*[[Chandler Shepherd]] (born 1992), baseball pitcher
*[[Noah Thompson]], 2022 ''American Idol'' winner
*[[Fred M. Vinson|Frederick M. "Fred" Vinson]], Chief Justice of the United States, 1946–1953
*[[The York Brothers|George and Leslie York]], country music performers

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cityoflouisa.org/ City of Louisa official website]

{{Lawrence County, Kentucky}}
{{Eastern Mountain Coal Fields (Kentucky)}} 
{{Kentucky}}
{{Kentucky county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Louisa, Kentucky|*]]
[[Category:Cities in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Cities in Lawrence County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:County seats in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1822]]
[[Category:1822 establishments in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Kentucky populated places on the Big Sandy River]]