As Kentucky’s largest city, Louisville was estimated to have a population of 721,594 in 2009. It is located in north-central Kentucky on the Ohio River and comprises counties in Southern Indiana. Historically, Louisville was very crucial as a shipping port. Today people know Louisiana for its infamous Kentucky Derby. Culturally the city is most influenced by mid-western and southern culture. The city’s university, the University of Louisville seeks to be “Kentucky’s premier, nationally recognized metropolitan research university with a commitment to the liberal arts.”