Seneca Gardens, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Seneca Gardens, Kentucky
City
Location of Seneca Gardens in Jefferson County, Kentucky
Seneca Gardens, Kentucky Location in Kentucky Show map of Kentucky Seneca Gardens, Kentucky Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Jefferson
Incorporated	1941
Area
• Total	0.15 sq mi (0.40 km2)
• Land	0.15 sq mi (0.40 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	548 ft (167 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	674
• Density	4,405.23/sq mi (1,699.29/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	40205
FIPS code	21-69384
GNIS feature ID	2405445

Seneca Gardens is a small city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. It's part of the larger Louisville Metro area. Almost all buildings in Seneca Gardens are homes, except for the Keneseth Israel Synagogue. In 2020, about 674 people lived there.

History of Seneca Gardens

The land where Seneca Gardens is now was once part of a large estate called Farmington. This estate belonged to John Speed and his wife, Lucy Gilmer Fry, starting in 1810.

Abraham Lincoln's Visit

A famous visitor to Farmington was Abraham Lincoln. He was a friend of John Speed's son, Joshua. In 1841, Lincoln stayed at Farmington for three weeks. He was visiting while he was dating Mary Todd from Lexington. Later, when Lincoln became president, he chose Joshua to be his Attorney General.

Early Land Sales

Over time, the Speed family sold parts of their estate. Much of what is now Seneca Gardens was bought by Jacob Wetstein in 1825 and 1846. Wetstein was a German gardener. He started the Methodist Wetstein Community Church on his land. Local stories say he helped people escape slavery through the Underground Railroad.

Later, Wetstein's granddaughter's husband, Edward F. Weigel, became president of the Wetstein Land Company. He used the land as a loan to help develop another area called Broadmeade.

Development and Challenges

Another German immigrant, Paul Discher, bought the rest of the Speed family's land. His family later formed the Discher Land Company. They worked with Weigel to develop Broadmeade and the area that became Seneca Gardens in 1922. However, Weigel faced financial trouble during the 1929 stock market crash. He lost his share of the land to those he owed money.

A company called Fidelity and Columbia Trust Company had been taking care of the roads and lights in the community for free. They stopped doing this in 1939. At that time, the city of Louisville decided not to add Seneca Gardens to its own city. This was because studies showed that all-residential areas like Seneca Gardens cost more to serve than they brought in from taxes.

Becoming a City

So, the people of Seneca Gardens decided to form their own city government. They officially asked to become a city on September 26, 1939. They held their first government meeting on October 2. The state of Kentucky officially recorded the city's incorporation in 1941. The first city budget was $1,600. This meant residents had to pay a property tax.

World War II and Sewers

In 1940, the U.S. Army built a large base at Bowman Field nearby. Studies during its construction found problems with Seneca Gardens' sewage system. Homes used separate septic tanks, but the area's limestone rock caused issues. Sewage was flowing into streams and affecting the new army base. Plans to build a better sewer system were put on hold when the United States entered World War II in late 1941.

City Growth and Sewer Solutions

In 1941, Seneca Gardens added some nearby areas to its city limits. In 1943, some properties that were partly in Seneca Gardens and partly in Louisville chose to become fully part of Louisville. That same year, the U.S. Army told the city that wartime shortages no longer prevented building a new sewer system. Locals approved a plan to pay for it.

Louisville tried to use this as a reason to take over Seneca Gardens. But in November 1944, people voted strongly against this idea. Even though the vote was later canceled for legal reasons, Louisville understood that Seneca Gardens did not want to join them. Louisville allowed Seneca Gardens to connect to its sewer system. However, the price was too high at first. Finally, in 1946, they agreed on a price. More bonds were issued to cover the costs of connecting to the sewer.

In 1946, more areas were added to Seneca Gardens. By 1948, Seneca Gardens was completely surrounded by Louisville. The city's final borders were set in 1950. This included the original Wetstein home and the Keneseth Israel Synagogue.

Since 1990, Seneca Gardens has had a City Arborist. This person helps manage tree planting and helps residents get trees at lower prices.

Geography of Seneca Gardens

Seneca Gardens is located in the middle of Jefferson County. It is surrounded by Woodbourne Avenue, Carolina Avenue, Taylorsville Road, and Bowman Field and Seneca Park. It is bordered by Strathmoor Village and Kingsley to the south. On all other sides, it is surrounded by Louisville. Downtown Louisville is about 5 miles (8 km) to the northwest.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Seneca Gardens covers an area of about 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²). All of this area is land.

Population and People

In 2000, there were 699 people living in Seneca Gardens. There were 294 households and 211 families. The city had about 4,286 people per square mile.

About 28.2% of households had children under 18. Most households (64.6%) were married couples. About 23.8% of households were individuals living alone. The average household had 2.38 people.

The population was spread out by age:

• 23.0% were under 18
• 4.4% were 18 to 24
• 23.7% were 25 to 44
• 32.3% were 45 to 64
• 16.5% were 65 or older

The average age in the city was 44 years.

In 2000, the average income for a household was $63,750. For families, it was $83,662. The average income per person was $36,343. Very few people (2.0%) lived below the poverty line.

See also

In Spanish: Seneca Gardens (Kentucky) para niños