SOUTHERN SUBURBAN COUNTIES
Bardstown-Nelson County
Elizabethtown-Hardin County
Lebanon-Marion County
Springfield-Washington County
Taylorsville-Spencer County
Residents of the scenic rural counties that lie south of the metropolitan Louisville region enjoy the best of all worlds: A country lifestyle with urban amenities. These counties are so closely tied to their major hub community that the names are used almost interchangeably. Bardstown anchors Nelson County, Elizabethtown is the hub of Hardin County, Lebanon is the focal point of Marion County, Springfield serves as the commercial center for Washington County, and Taylorsville anchors Spencer County. Many of the counties situated south of the city of Louisville in Central Kentucky claim a proud heritage, attracting throngs of tourists to famous historic sites and charming shopping districts. Bardstown celebrates one of America’s most beloved song writers, Stephen Foster, who penned “My Old Kentucky Home.” Washington County is proud of the fascinating stops along the Lincoln Heritage Trail, while Springfield welcomes visitors to a charming main street with landscaped walkways, quaint shops, and Victorian lighting.
Services
Major hospitals and medical centers serving these counties include Hardin Memorial Hospital in Hardin County’s Elizabethtown, Norton Spring View Hospital in Marion County’s Lebanon, and Flaget Memorial Hospital in Nelson County’s Bardstown. Spencer County Health Center provides another hub of services and facilities close to home.
The public school districts ensure a quality education for students from preschool through 12th grade, combining favorable teacher-pupil ratios with extracurricular activities and innovative programs. Several parochial schools are located in this area, expanding the options for private education. Vocational-technical schools, community colleges, an industrial training consortium, and several institutions of higher education are available within an easy commute from most communities. Just two miles west of Springfield in Washington County is the two-year, independent, coed institution of St. Catharine College.
Lifestyle
Beautiful parks, sparking lakes, greenbelts, and regional recreational sites are part of the attraction to this vast and diverse region. The panoramic lake region in Spencer County is bordered by five other Kentucky Counties to draw outdoor enthusiasts from across the metropolitan area. Taylorsville Wildlife Refuge and the Tanglewood Golf Course near Taylorsville Lake are just two of the popular attractions.
Homes in this rural paradise range from modest older bungalows to country estates or magnificent manors surrounded by generous acreage. Colorful celebrations and festivals enhance the close-knit spirit that prevails in each community. Those who appreciate the pleasures of country living will want to explore the small towns and rural villages that dot this beautiful terrain on the fringe of the Bluegrass Region.
BARDSTOWN-NELSON COUNTY
County Offices
113 E. Stephen Foster Avenue
Bardstown 502-348-1800
www.nelsoncountyky.com
City Offices
220 North 5th Street
Bardstown 502-348-5947
www.cityofbardstown.org
Chamber of Commerce
One Court Square
Bardstown 502-348-9545
www.bardstownchamber.com
Major Highways
US 31, 62 and 150; Blue Grass Parkway
Just south of Louisville lies the idyllic town that inspired the great American songwriter, Stephen C. Foster, to pen his most enduring romantic ballad, “My Old Kentucky Home.” Nelson County showcases the memory of the songwriter and his home, Federal Hill Mansion, as well as other historic sites in this region of charm and beauty. At the same time, progressive Bardstown, along with Nelson County, provides outstanding opportunities for expanding businesses. Site Selection Magazine recently ranked this area among the Top 20 small communities for locating a business. The harmony of reverence for the past and visionary attitude has garnered several awards for Bardstown including a ranking among the “Best Small Towns in America.”
Ideally located near the Bluegrass Parkway just a 20-minute drive from Interstate 65, Bardstown enjoys the strength of economic diversity. The city has managed to attract a healthy blend of industrial and retail activity with an emphasis in historic preservation and tourism. Excellent services crown the area’s enviable quality of life. The public schools in this region feature modern, well-equipped classrooms and dedicated staff members. In addition to the considerable career resources available at the Nelson County Vocational Educational Center, residents enjoy access to Elizabethtown State Vocational-Technical School and a number of other institutions of higher education.
Flaget Memorial Hospital right in Bardstown provides comprehensive healthcare services that include cardiology, orthopedics, skilled nursing, dermatology, dietetics, 24-hour emergency care, neurology, hospice, nuclear medicine, a work health center, obstetrics, and many other specialties. Throughout the metropolitan area, a network of healthcare facilities and services are available to meet every need.
Residents of Bardstown and Nelson County are only a 35-minute drive from Louisville’s world-class art, cultural, and entertainment venues and amenities. Offering a hometown atmosphere, Bardstown joins several other incorporated communities in the county that include Bloomfield and New Haven. In addition to My Old Kentucky Home State Park and more than 25 festivals each year, Nelson County provides a wealth of activities and attractions for quality leisure hours. Golf courses, fitness centers, local parks, sports courts/fields, playgrounds, multi-purpose trails, tennis courts, and swimming pools are all available for public use. Bardstown’s quaint, historic streets feature a medley of retail dealers that blend antique shops with galleries, boutiques, and specialty stores. For a true blend of rural friendliness, home value, and urban amenities, Nelson County represents a quality lifestyle choice near Metropolitan Louisville.
Elizabethtown-Hardin County
County Offices
14 Public Square
Elizabethtown 270-765-2350
www.hcky.org
City Offices
200 West Dixie Avenue
Elizabethtown 270-765-6121
www.elizabethtownky.org
Chamber of Commerce
111 West Dixie Avenue
Elizabethtown 270-765-4334
www.hardinchamber.com
Major Highways
Interstate 65, U.S. Highways 31 and 62
Newcomers to Hardin County and the city of Elizabethtown will discover a country haven in the center of Kentucky’s Historic Heartland. Within a 50-mile radius, the world-class attractions of Louisville remain easily accessible. At the same time, the rural treasures of Bardstown’s Federal Hill that inspired Stephen Foster to write “My Old Kentucky Home” are just 20 minutes away. Other nearby highlights include the natural beauty of Mammoth Cave National Park and the Pine Knob Theatre near Rough River Dam State Resort Park.
Hardin Memorial Hospital, a regional 300-bed acute-care facility serving 11 Kentucky counties, anchors the outstanding healthcare services. The network of public and private schools are complemented by a community college campus and a vocational-technical center, an industrial training consortium, and four other institutions of higher education with a 45-mile area.
Other amenities and conveniences in this region include a well-stocked public library, the community college library, and a local airport. Residents can take advantage of a regional shopping mall and strip centers as well as neighborhood plazas for goods and services. Historic districts offer a charming atmosphere for antique shopping in this welcoming and friendly environment. The Elizabethtown Greenbelt includes miles of trails and mini-parks around Freeman Lake, Buffalo Lake Fisherman’s Lake, and numerous streams. Throughout the county, celebrations and festivities mark the seasons and bring friends and family together. The Elizabethtown County Club offers a private retreat with an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, and a swimming pool.
Lebanon-Marion County
County Offices
102 West Main Street
Lebanon 270-692-3451
http://lebanon.ky.gov/
City Offices
113 S. Proctor Knott Avenue
Lebanon 270-692-6272
http://lebanon.ky.gov/
Chamber of Commerce
239 North Spalding Avenue
Lebanon 270-692-9594
www.lebanon-ky.com
Major Highways
US Highway 68 and Kentucky 55
Marion County is nestled in the heart of Kentucky in the geographic center of the state. Settled in 1789, this scenic region of rolling bluegrass hills and rangy knoblands is a focal point for Kentucky historians. Marion County claims such treasures as the 1823 Holy Cross Church and the 1812 Loretto Motherhouse. Another point of pride is the Maker’s Mark Distillery, a National Historic Landmark known for its world-famous bourbon whiskey.
The county seat of Lebanon once claimed such an impressive collection of elegant homes and flourishing businesses that it was considered as the site for the state capitol. Tragically burned during the Civil War, Lebanon rose from its own ashes to place its downtown district on the National Register of Historic Places. The town’s proud Historic Homes and Landmarks Tour is now a part of the Civil War Discovery Trail, and the vintage Main Street district has been renovated and beautified.
Residents of Marion County enjoy superb services that include quality public education services provided within the Marion County School District. The district’s technology center with its job-training consortium and St. Augustine’s parochial school expand the options for alternative learning environments and opportunities suited to individual needs. Within a 70-mile radius, nearly 20 colleges and universities ensure a selection of degree options in various academic settings.
Norton Spring View Hospital in Lebanon provides a 113-bed facility for full-service medical/surgical care as well as specialized support clinics, from a women’s center to long-term care. Nearby major metropolitan areas provide a comprehensive network of facilities and services to meet every need. Residents of Marion County enjoy quick and easy access to Interstates 64, 65, and 75 for commuting ease.
Many newcomers are drawn to Marion County for the attractive and affordable housing that is available in all price ranges. Property values tend to be less than state averages in this scenic area of panoramic countryside and welcoming small towns. One of the most popular of the colorful celebrations in Marion County is Country Ham Days. Held on the last weekend in September, this delightful extravaganza of entertainment, food, games, and parades attracts more than 50,000 visitors to the area and requires hundreds of delicious hams. To the south is Green River Lake State Park, where 1,300 acres of pristine land and an 8,200-acre lake create a paradise of natural beauty that includes beaches, boat docks, fishing, and picnic areas, and panoramic campsites. Lebanon’s aquatic center and the trail around the Fagan Branch Reservoir are just a few of the local attractions that add to the appeal of life in Marion
County.
Springfield-Washington County
County Offices
117 N. Cross Main Street
Springfield 859-336-5410
www.springfieldky.org
City Offices
127 W. Main Street
Springfield 859-336-5440
www.springfieldky.org
Chamber of Commerce
124 West Main Street
Springfield 859-336-3810
www.sweda.org
Major Highways
US 150 and Routes 55, 152, 555
As the first county formed after Kentucky became a state in 1792, Washington County was appropriately named for the nation’s first president. True to its namesake, the entire region excels in tradition and historic significance. The Springfield-Washington County Courthouse on Main Street displays such treasures as the marriage certificate of President Abraham Lincoln’s parents. Those interested in Lincoln history can begin in Springfield on the Lincoln Heritage Trail. Local residents enjoy the stories and legends passed down from generation to generation about the Lincoln’s settlement in Washington County. Lincoln Homestead State Park provides a 120-acre storehouse of Lincoln lore that includes a reproduction of the cabin that was the boyhood home of Thomas Lincoln and several memorials and reproductions of the Lincoln heritage. Washington County also boasts some of the oldest Catholic educational institutions west of the Alleghenies.
Area youth receive an outstanding public education in the Washington County public school system, supported by private school alternatives. The two-year, independent, coed St. Catharine College is located two miles west of Springfield. Nearly 15 other institutions of higher learning are located within 60 miles of the leading town of Springfield, with Elizabethtown providing a vocational-technical school. Vocational training is also available at Marion County Area Vocational Education Center located in Lebanon. County residents enjoy access to state-of-the-art healthcare in regional hospitals and medical centers as well as a network of support facilities.
The renovation of the downtown district of Springfield created a central business district that provided shopping and services in a quaint and charming setting. Victorian lighting and landscaped sidewalks welcome shoppers to a variety of shops and stores in this welcoming corner of the metropolitan region. Springfield is home to some of the finest recreational amenities in the region. The comprehensive list of public facilities include two lush parks, Idle Hour Park and Springfield Swimming Pool Park. Tennis courts, baseball diamonds, volleyball courts, croquet, and game areas combine with a tot lot and a multi-purpose paved trail as well as picnic areas for a full complement of facilities.
Colorful annual festivals are highlighted by the Washington County Sorgham Festival, Springfield’s largest recreational event. Held annually on the first weekend of October, the festival offers a kaleidoscope of family-oriented activities, from a hot air balloon race and a parade to an antique car show. For yesterday’s charm and modern convenience, few locales can rival Washington County.
Taylorsville-Spencer County
County Offices
Two West Main Street
Taylorsville 502-477-3205
www.spencercountyky.gov
City Offices
70 Taylorsville Road
Taylorsville 502-477-3236
www.spencercountyky.gov
Chamber of Commerce
West Main Street
Taylorsville 502-477-8369
www.spencercountyky.gov
Major Highways
Routes 44 and 55; U.S. 31
Spencer County is well-known for its rural ambiance and rich wildlife, a panoramic lake region bordered by five other Kentucky counties including Jefferson on the west, Shelby on the north, Bullitt on the southwest, Anderson on the east, and Nelson on the south. Louisville is only a 40-minute drive from Taylorsville. Among the highlights are Tanglewood Golf Course near the lake, an 18-hole public golf facility that boasts a challenging rolling terrain designed for USGA championship play. Taylorsville Wildlife Refuge ensures a peaceful habitat for everything from bluebirds to deer.
Residents of Spencer County have access to local and regional services that provide state-of-the-art healthcare and educational resources. The regional facilities of Flaget Memorial Hospital in Bardstown and Baptist Hospital Northeast join the Spencer County Health Center to meet every routine and advanced healthcare need.
Education is recognized as an exciting life-long process in Spencer County, a fact that is evidenced by the expanded opportunities provided at the Lifelong Learning Center. Throughout the major metropolitan areas, public and private colleges and universities provide opportunities for higher education. Affordable community college campuses, career and technical institutes, and highly respected universities are accessible within a reasonable commute.
Small communities are nestled throughout Spencer County like treasures waiting to be discovered, including the county seat of Taylorsville. Those who appreciate country charm, picturesque settings, and unique retail opportunities will want to explore this corner of the fringe Bluegrass region.
Taylorsville is the historic focal point of the region, and many ancestors of today’s residents were among those who first settled the town’s “basin” area in the mid 1700s. The Taylorsville Lake Dock offers a modern marina with every amenity, accommodating canoes, runabouts, cruisers and houseboats. The regional attraction of Taylorsville Lake Park features a sparkling 3,050-acre lake surrounded by a magnificent park covering more than 15,000 lush acres. This popular recreation destination encompasses some of the most panoramic country for horseback riding in the entire state.
