Bullitt County’s population has been booming for the past two decades, but in recent years the county has also gained a reputation as a regional center of industrial growth and economic development. From 1990 to 2000, the county’s population grew 28 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, making it the 11th-fastest growing county in the commonwealth.
Most of this growth has been in the area that borders Jefferson County to the east of I-65 — in and around Hillview and Mt. Washington. With about 8,500 residents, Mt. Washington is the county’s largest city; Shepherdsville, the county seat, is close behind with a population of about 8,400, and Hillview ranks third with about 7,000 residents.
The increasing population has fueled an active home building industry. Housing starts in Bullitt County have averaged more than 500 per year for the last 10 years.
To accommodate this growth, Bullitt County has opened four public schools in the last decade. In 2000, the county had a public-school enrollment of 10,863 in 10 elementary, four middle and four high schools.
With one of the nation’s busiest interstate highways running through the middle of it, Bullitt County also is a prime location for commercial and industrial sites. Five I-65 interchanges within 20 miles of the UPS air hub at Louisville International Airport give Bullitt County a unique opportunity for economic growth.
Since 2000 Bullitt County has seen an explosion of new businesses. The opening of Cedar Grove Business Park started the influx, and there are now nine businesses located there: APL Logistics,
, Quilts-by-Donna, Linens-N-Things,
, Woodgrain-Millsource and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
In 2003 the county’s economy continued its rapid growth, with 800 new jobs created and an estimated investment of $135 million.
Among the major developments in 2003:
• Alliance Entertainment, a distributor of CDs, DVDs and video cassettes, announced plans to lease 168,000 square feet in the Cedar Grove park for a distribution facility that will employ 85.
• Gordon Food Service said it will build a $75 million distribution facility in Cedar Grove that will employ about 200 workers.
• Genco, Reynolds Packaging plans to expand a distribution center in the business park that will employ 60 people.
• Ontario, Canada-based Snowbear Corp. announced plans to purchase a building in Shepherdsville and manufacture utility trailers and snowplows, employing up to 200.
• Mt. Washington’s Business Center gained a new tenant with the addition of Allgeier. The center now has five businesses with a total employment of about 250.
On the medical front, two Louisville hospitals revealed plans to increase their presence in Bullitt County. Jewish Hospital announced that it will build a $35 million medical center in Hillview, while Norton Hospital built a 12,500-square-foot family practice center in Mt. Washington in 2003 and announced that it will build a similar facility in Shepherdsville.
On the commercial side, a new 50,000-square-foot Kroger store opened in a new retail center being developed near downtown Shepherdsville.
To accommodate the recreational needs of its increasingly suburban population, Bullitt County offers six public fishing lakes, four 18-hole golf courses, several mini-golf courses, two gun clubs, an archery range and a go-kart track.
While county leaders envision a vibrant and growing economy, efforts are continuing to ensure that the county’s rural past isn’t left entirely behind. Bullitt County is assured of maintaining plenty of undeveloped land for the foreseeable future, thanks to the presence of the Fort Knox Military Reservation. The Bullitt County portion of Fort Knox, an area of forested knobs and creek bottoms used primarily for training, makes up almost a third of the county’s land mass.
Bullitt County is also home to the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, a 10,000-acre nature preserve in the heart of the county. Bernheim contains more than 2,000 varieties of woody plants, including the largest holly collection in the world. The arboretum, which offers a nature center, more than 30 miles of hiking trails and a fishing lake, is also famous for its dwarf conifer and crabapple collections.
The county’s historic heritage plays an important role in local commerce. Bullitt County has 27 antiques and collectibles galleries, including the Antiques Galleries in Brooks, the Cedar Grove Antique Mall in Shepherdsville and Stonehouse Antiques and Collectibles in Mt. Washington.
Visitors can explore the bourbon-making process and the 200-year history of the Beam family at the Jim Beam American Outpost and Homestead in Clermont. And country-music fans can enjoy their favorite tunes performed live at three Bullitt County venues: the Bluegrass Music Show and the Shepherdsville Country Music Show, both in Shepherdsville, and the Country Palace Music Show in Mt. Washington.
