Chapter 5: The North American Manufacturing Core

Louisville is located in the transitional area in terms of the manufacturing core. The state of Kentucky does not have a major manufacturing region, but that doesn't mean that nothing is manufactured there. Kentucky's primary activity in the manufacturing sector of the economy is the manufacture of transportation equipment (motor vehicles, motor vehicle parts). Other manufactured transportation equipment includes aircraft parts, boat trailers and railroad cars. Ranking second in the manufacturing sector is the manufacture of chemicals (cleaning products, pharmaceutical products, paints, industrial chemicals, industrial gases). The manufacture of machinery (elevators, air filtration equipment, conveyors, heating and air-conditioning equipment, printers, compressors) ranks third.

-Kentucky is the 4th largest producer of cars and trucks in the U.S. 

-10.1 percent of all cars and trucks in the U.S. are produced in Kentucky.  

-With that said,  Ford Motor Co. which manufactures cars, trucks, SUV's and other vehicles is located in Louisville and the top-selling truck in the U.S., the ford F-Series pickup is manufactured there.

Sources: 

http://www.netstate.com/economy/ky_economy.htm

http://www.ky.gov

photo: Louisville's Ford Plant

Chapter 4: Megalopolis

Site: Louisville is located on the south bank of the Ohio River, about 377 miles from its confluence with the Mississippi River. Beargrass Creek and its south fork divide the city into two sectors with different types of topography. Louisville's eastern portion, with an elevation of 565 feet, is hilly, while the western part, lying in the flood plain of the Ohio River, is flat, with an average of 465 feet.

Position: One of the great things about Louisville is that it is located close to many major cities. I have made a list of some major cities and their distance to Louisville to give you an idea of just how many cities are close. (I bolded the cities that are in the top 50 cities by population and rank).

Frankfort, KY: 51 miles

Lexington, KY: 75 miles

Evansville, IN: 96 miles

Cincinnati, OH: 96 miles

Indianapolis, IN: 110 miles

Dayton, OH: 138 miles

Nashville, TN: 151 miles

Knoxville, TN: 186 miles

Columbus, OH: 194 miles

Fort Wayne, IN: 200 miles

Chattanooga, TN: 220 miles

Charleston, West Virginia: 225 miles

Springfield, IL: 232 miles

South Bend, IN: 239 miles

St. Louis, MO: 243 miles

Huntsville, AL: 247 miles

Asheville, NC: 254 miles

Toledo, OH: 266 miles

Chicago IL: 270 miles

Ann Arbor, MI: 300 miles

Sources:

http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Louisville-Geography-and-Climate.html

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/distances.html?n=413

Photo: Downtown Louisville at night. (As viewed across the Ohio River from southern Indiana).