Louisville, Kentucky is the most populous city in the state of Kentucky and home to over 600,000 people. It is also the anchor of its own metropolitan area, known as the Louisville-Jefferson County Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which has a population size estimated at 1.3 million residents. This makes it the 29th largest MSA in the United States by population.
Louisville was founded in 1778 and named after King Louis XVI of France for his assistance during the American Revolution. The economy of Louisville is largely based on manufacturing sectors such as automotive production, food processing, beverage production, chemical production, tobacco products and shipping industry. Additionally, healthcare services are an important part of the local economy with more than 250 medical facilities employing about 32% of all workers. The University of Louisville serves as one of three primary research universities in Kentucky and houses seven schools and colleges that offer 190-degree programs to students from around the world. Furthermore, many companies have chosen Louisville as their headquarters including Yum! Brands Inc., Humana Health Insurance Company, and Papa John’s International Incorporated.