Prospect, Kentucky

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Prospect is a home rule-class city<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Jefferson and Oldham counties in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The Jefferson County portion is a part of the Louisville Metro government. The population was 4,592 as of the 2020 census, down from 4,698 at the time of the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref> It is one of the wealthiest communities in Kentucky.Template:Citation needed

History

Template:See also The area was first known as "Sand Hill" when it was settled by farmers in the late 18th century. The present community grew up around the "Prospect" railroad station erected by the Louisville, Harrods Creek and Westport Railway Template:Circa. The name referred either to the view from the top of the hill or the expected completion of the line (which Template:Ndash owing to the Long Depression Template:Ndash never did reach Westport and collapsed into bankruptcy in 1879). When the post office was established in 1886, the local postmaster named it "Wilhoyte" in his own honor, but the community corrected this within the month.<ref name=ren>Rennick, Robert. Kentucky Place Names, p. 244. University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed August 1, 2013.</ref>

Although a few luxury residences existed in the area from the late 19th century and the Louisville Railway Company offered hourly electrified-rail trolleys along the former LHC&W line after 1904,<ref name=louse>Template:Cite book</ref> it was largely agricultural until the mid-1960s when large, high-end subdivisions were built in the area, most notably Hunting Creek, which included a golf course. The newest large-scale high-end development, covering almost 600-acres, is Norton Commons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Prospect incorporated as a city in 1974.

An EF2 tornado struck the town on April 2, 2024, causing major damage.<ref name="LMKsum">Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Prospect is located in northeastern Jefferson County. A small portion of the city extends north into Oldham County. The city is bordered by the Ohio River to the northwest, by U.S. Route 42 to the southwest, and by Harrods Creek, a tributary of the Ohio, to the south. US-42 is the primary transportation artery running through the area, leading southwest Template:Convert to downtown Louisville and northeast Template:Convert to Bedford. According to the United States Census Bureau, Prospect has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert, or 1.85%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

The postal address of "Prospect" (ZIP Code 40059) covers an area far beyond the city limits, extending east as far as the Norton Commons development in the Worthington community.

Demographics

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As of the 2000 census,<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 4,657 people, 1,732 households, and 1,423 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,847 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 92.91% White, 3.39% African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.06% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.

There were 1,732 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.3% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 35.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $111,170, and the median income for a family was $124,131. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $42,159 for females. The per capita income for the city was $51,469. 1.5% of the population and 0.8% of families were below the poverty line.