Prospect

History

The area was first known as "Sand Hill" when it was settled by farmers in the late 18th century. The present community grew up around the "Prospect" railroad station erected by the Louisville, Harrods Creek and Westport Railway . The name referred either to the view from the top of the hill or the expected completion of the line (which owing to the Long Depression never did reach Westport and collapsed into bankruptcy in 1879). When the post office was established in 1886, the local postmaster named it "Wilhoyte" in his own honor, but the community corrected this within the month. Although a few luxury residences existed in the area from the late 19th century and the Louisville Railway Company offered hourly electrified-rail trolleys along the former LHC&W line after 1904, it was largely agricultural until the mid-1960s when large-scale high-end subdivisions were built in the area, most notably the Estates of Hunting Creek, which included a golf course. The newest large-scale high-end development, covering almost 600-acres, is Norton Commons. Prospect incorporated as a city in 1974. An EF2 tornado struck the town on April 2, 2024, causing major damage.

Geography

Prospect is located in northeastern Jefferson County. A small portion of the city extends north into Oldham County. The city is bordered by the Ohio River to the northwest, by U.S. Route 42 to the southwest, and by Harrods Creek, a tributary of the Ohio, to the south. US-42 is the primary transportation artery running through the area, leading southwest to downtown Louisville and northeast to Bedford. According to the United States Census Bureau, Prospect has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.85%, are water. The postal address of "Prospect" (ZIP Code 40059) covers an area far beyond the city limits, extending east as far as the Norton Commons development in the Worthington community.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  32,679
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  30,575
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,879
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,047
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  22,559
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  21,673
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  21,295
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  21,236