The area was first sparsely settled by French and German Catholics in the mid-19th century, and the first church, St. Andrew's Church, was built in 1851, and although it no longer exists, a major local road still bears its name. What is now the Paducah and Louisville Railway built a station in the area in 1874, and a summer resort and hotel called Paine Hotel developed around a shaded ridge on Muldraugh Hill, what came to be called Pleasure Ridge. The name Pleasure Ridge Park was chosen for the first post office in the area in 1876. The area continued to be popular for tourism until World War I. By the 1950s, the area began expanding rapidly as subdivisions were built. People moving to the area liked its cheap land and location reasonably close to both Downtown Louisville and Fort Knox. Residents blocked a 1984 attempt by the nearby city of Shively to annex Pleasure Ridge Park.
Geography
Pleasure Ridge Park is located at. It is in southwest Jefferson County, Kentucky. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 21.5 km², all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,776 people, 10,290 households, and 7,347 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,196.2/km². There were 10,643 housing units at an average density of 493.9/km². The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.39% White, 3.84% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population. There were 10,290 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couplesliving together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96. In the CDP, the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,800, and the median income for a family was $53,296. Males had a median income of $35,263 versus $24,457 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,337. About 5.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over. 8.7% of residents had a bachelor's degree or higher, 21.7% don't have a high school diploma.
Economy and growth
Although growth in Pleasure Ridge Park is fairly slow, the area has seen an increase in small-scale retail in the last few years. The first Starbucks opened in Pleasure Ridge Park in 2006 in the Dixie Manor Shopping Center. A new Super Wal-Mart opened as well in the city in March 2008 on the Greenbelt Highway. This shopping center also has a retail building built suited for several tenants. Since the completion of the Greenbelt, many subdivisions have been built along or near the belt to allow for easy access to I-264 and I-265. A popular teen nightclub, the Electric Cowboy, also opened in 2007 near the corner of Dixie Highway and Greenwood Road. This club opened in a newly built retail center that houses several other tenants. There have been an abundance of new jobs in the Riverport area near the Ohio River. Many of these jobs have, of course, sprung up because of the UPS Worldport Expansion at the airport. Most of these jobs are in warehousing and logistics, but still provide the area with new employment opportunities.
