Barbourmeade, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barbourmeade, Kentucky
City
Location of Barbourmeade in Jefferson County, Kentucky
Barbourmeade, Kentucky Location in Kentucky Show map of Kentucky Barbourmeade, Kentucky Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Jefferson
Government
• Type	Commission
Area
• Total	0.40 sq mi (1.02 km2)
• Land	0.40 sq mi (1.02 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	633 ft (193 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,216
• Density	3,078.48/sq mi (1,188.16/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	40241
Area code(s)	502
FIPS code	21-03556
GNIS feature ID	2403154

Barbourmeade is a small city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. It was officially established as a city in 1962. According to the 2020 census, 1,216 people live there. The city's name comes from Thomas and Richard Barbour, who were early settlers in the area. Barbour Lane, a street in the city, is also named after them.

History of Barbourmeade

Early Days and Springdale Community

Today, Barbourmeade is part of an older area known as Springdale. This name comes from a farm that was built there in 1830. Even though Springdale isn't an official neighborhood today, some older businesses in the area still use the Springdale name.

Barbour Lane, which runs through the middle of Barbourmeade, was once the driveway to the Barbour family's large 500-acre property. The original Barbour house was destroyed by a powerful tornado in 1974.

A Busy Crossroads

The spot where Barbour Lane meets Brownsboro Road was a busy place long ago. In 1879, it had a gristmill (a place to grind grain), a grocery store, and a blacksmith shop. There was also a tavern called the Seven Mile House, named because it was seven miles from downtown Louisville. This intersection is still a commercial hub today, with shops like a convenience store, gas station, and an animal hospital. Springdale Presbyterian Church was built in 1882, with much of its current building finished in 1964.

The "Potato Capital" Era

From the late 1800s until the 1950s, much of Barbourmeade and the surrounding areas were covered in potato farms. Farmers from this region helped create the St. Matthews Produce Exchange. This was the second-largest potato shipping company in the country, located in nearby St. Matthews. St. Matthews was even known as "the potato capital of the world."

One famous farmer was John "The Potato King" Stutzenberger Sr. His family farm covered a large part of what is now Barbourmeade. In 1941, the area was known for its very fertile land. A farmhouse built by the Schneider family, who ran a farm there, is one of the few buildings left from before World War II.

Growth and New Homes

After World War II, potato farming in the area slowed down. In 1953, a developer named Joe Wilhoyte bought 45 acres of farmland near Brownsboro Road and Barbour Lane. This land belonged to Albert D. Stutzenberger and his sister Anna Hahn, who were children of "The Potato King."

The Barbourmeade neighborhood was then planned out on this farmland. The street names in Barbourmeade are a mix of different things. Some come from Italian and Spanish places, like Sorrento and Coronado. Others are named after plants and animals, like Nandina and Foxglove. Some names come from old landmarks or features of the land, like Pine Ridge. And some streets are named after the developers' families or friends. The word "-meade" in Barbourmeade means "meadow" or "pasture." The first new homes were built in 1953. These homes included popular styles from that time, like ranch-style and Cape Cods.

To serve the growing number of families, Jefferson County Public Schools opened Norton Elementary School in 1967. The school is named after George Norton Jr. and Jane Norton, who were important people in the community.

City Services and Changes

In 1988, Barbourmeade's city commission decided to close its police department to save money. Since 2011, the Graymoor-Devondale Police Department has provided police services for Barbourmeade.

In 1999, Barbourmeade officially added the nearby community of Brownsboro Gardens to its area. This process is called annexation.

Geography of Barbourmeade

Barbourmeade is located in the northeastern part of Jefferson County. It shares borders with several other communities. To the northeast is Brownsboro Farm, and to the west is Spring Valley. The city is also surrounded by parts of Louisville.

Interstate 71 runs along the northern edge of Barbourmeade, but there isn't a direct exit into the city. Kentucky Route 22 (Brownsboro Road) forms part of the southern border. Downtown Louisville is about 10 miles southwest, and Crestwood is about 8 miles northeast.

The United States Census Bureau says that Barbourmeade covers a total area of about 0.40 square miles (1.02 square kilometers), and all of it is land.

Barbourmeade is unofficially divided into three main parts:

• The Hillvale section is southwest of Barbour Lane.
• The Norton section is northeast of Barbour Lane, named after the elementary school.
• The Brownsboro Vista section is southeast of Highway 22. This area used to be the Brownsboro Gardens neighborhood before it joined Barbourmeade in 1999.

Population Information

As of the census in 2000, there were 1,260 people living in Barbourmeade. There were 506 households, and 400 of these were families. The population density was about 2,908 people per square mile.

Most of the people living in the city were White (95.87%). A smaller number were Black (2.38%) or Asian (0.95%). About 0.63% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

The average household had about 2.49 people, and the average family had about 2.84 people. The population was spread out by age. About 22.8% were under 18 years old, and 20.4% were 65 years or older. The average age in the city was 48 years.

The median income for a household in Barbourmeade was $71,711. This means half of the households earned more than this, and half earned less. For families, the median income was $78,414.

Arts and Culture

In the mid-1990s, a small record label called Omnicron Records was based in Barbourmeade. This label released the first album by Hotel Roy, which included some of the earliest recordings of Jim James, who later became famous as the frontman for the band My Morning Jacket.

Notable People

• Wade Houston and Allan Houston: Wade Houston, a former basketball player and coach, lived in Barbourmeade with his son, Allan Houston, from 1986 to 1989. Allan Houston later became a professional basketball player. During this time, Allan attended Ballard High School nearby.
• William E. McAnulty Jr.: He was an attorney and judge who lived in Barbourmeade in the 1980s. He made history as the first African American justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Transportation

Brownsboro Road has always been the main way to get to Barbourmeade, first by horse and carriage, and now by car. The road has hills and sharp turns where it crosses Goose Creek, making it tricky to access by bike or on foot.

Barbourmeade is often called a "car suburb" because it's easy for people who drive to get to major highways like Interstates 71 and 264. The city has not had direct public transit bus service since the late 1990s.

In 2015, heavy rains caused a part of Brownsboro Road to collapse near Barbourmeade. This cut off the city from the interstates and nearby shopping areas for five months. The road was repaired and reopened.

Within Barbourmeade, people walking, biking, and driving share the roads. There are not many sidewalks, so pedestrians often walk on the streets facing traffic. In 2006, Barbourmeade received a grant to improve walking and biking paths for students going to Norton Elementary. Some streets near the school now have marked pedestrian crossings and shared paths on the side of the road.