Liberty Heights, Lexington Explained
| Liberty Heights |
| Pushpin Map: | Kentucky |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Settlement Type: | Neighborhood of Lexington, Kentucky |
| Coordinates: | 38.0379°N -84.465°W |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | Commonwealth |
| Subdivision Name2: | Commonwealth of Kentucky |
| Subdivision Type3: | Urban County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Lexington-Fayette |
| Unit Pref: | US |
| Population Demonym: | Lexingtonian |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.9 |
| Population Total: | 2585 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | EST |
| Utc Offset1: | -5 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -4 |
| Postal Code: | 40505 |
| Area Code Type: | Area Code |
| Area Code: | 859 |
Liberty Heights is a neighborhood in southeastern Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Its boundaries are Winchester Road to the north, New Circle Road to the east, and R. J. Corman (former CSX)[1] railroad tracks to the west and south.
Overview
The neighborhood has a mixture of postwar and recent single family home subdivisions, as well as apartment homes. The business consists of light industrial, service, wholesale and retail. Lexington's first shopping center, Eastland, is located adjacent to Liberty Heights.
History
Most of Liberty Heights was outside the Lexington city limits until the merger of the city and Fayette County. Despite this, pockets of city coexisted with pockets of "county," sometimes causing confusion of jurisdiction for law enforcement, as there were formerly both Lexington and Fayette County police departments.
When the Union Depot in downtown Lexington was demolished, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C & O, now CSX) continued passenger service on its George Washington streamliner through Lexington until the 1970s, utilizing a newly built Netherlands yard passenger station on Delaware Avenue.[2] [3] The former C & O passenger station building now houses a church.[4]
Amenities
- Public parks
- Johnson Heights Park has no direct street frontage and access is via bridge walk from 846 Johnsdale Road, back yards, holes in fences or a sidewalk from the North Maintenance building on Liberty Road. The park features acres of grass, hills, playground, picnic shelter, and baseball and basketball facilities.[5]
- Government services
- Liberty Road station branch of USPS is located in the neighborhood.
- Family services is located on Creative Drive.
- A Justice of the Peace is in residence at Henry Clay Boulevard and Delaware Avenue.
- Transit
two bus lines serve the neighborhood, Eastland (#9) and Hamburg (#10).
Industry
- Unicomp, which licensed the IBM keyboard technology from Lexmark, is located on Henry Clay Boulevard. Its water tower serves as a landmark for the neighborhood.[6]
- Clay-Ingels is housed in the former CSX Netherlands rail yard.[4]
- Retail is primarily located on the outer boundaries of Winchester and New Circle Roads. There are some retail locations on Delaware Avenue, Henry Clay Boulevard and Liberty Road. The Lexus dealership is located in the southeast part of the neighborhood.
- J.M. Smucker operates the world's largest peanut butter plant, Jif, adjacent to Liberty Heights.
Notable residents
- Louisville-born Mona von Bismarck née Strader was raised on the Strader farm, located at Loudon and Winchester Road.[7] Mona Bismarck was a socialite and fashion icon. She was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1958.[8]
- Minnesota-born Shirley Ardell Mason lived in obscurity as an artist for the remaining years of her life in the neighborhood, for after her death it was revealed she was the basis for "Sybil Isabel Dorsett" in the book and film Sybil.
Neighborhood statistics
- Population: 2,585
- Land area: 0.73sqmi
- Population density: 3,541 per sq mile
- Median household income: $29,074
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Central Kentucky Lines . R.J. Corman Railroad Company . Shortlines . May 15, 2011 . Central Kentucky Lines . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110728112357/http://www.rjcorman.com/shortlines.htm . July 28, 2011 .
- Web site: The George Washington. The Chessie System. American-Rails. May 23, 2011. March 17, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110317231210/http://www.american-rails.com/george-washington.html. live.
- Web site: The Lexington Subdivision Ashland to Lexington, KY . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110809131326/http://www.abandonedrails.com/Lexington_Subdivision . August 9, 2011 . April 24, 2024.
- Book: Jim Cox (radio)
. Cox. Jim. 2011. Rails Across Dixie. 335. Located on Delaware Ave. at Netherlands yard. Appendix "E" Terminals in KY. McFarland . 9780786461752. Jim Cox (radio). https://books.google.com/books?id=gY4FgCKdb7UC&q=Netherland+yard+c&pg=PA335. ~ Mt Olivet Baptist Church 1008 Delaware Ave.
- Web site: Park Facts . Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government . Johnson Heights Park . May 18, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111006185635/http://www.lexingtonky.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=7980 . October 6, 2011 .
- Web site: Unicomp corporate website . May 15, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110426114136/http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/ . April 26, 2011 .
- Web site: Mona von Bismarck . Filson Historical Society . Mona Bismarck Foundation . May 15, 2011 . September 27, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927160240/http://www.filsonhistorical.org/archive/news_v4n3_MonaBismarck.html . live .
- Web site: World's Best Dressed Women . Vanity Fair . The International Hall of Fame: Women . 1958 . May 16, 2011 . Staff . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130712215415/http://www.vanityfair.com/style/the-international-best-dressed-list/hall-of-fame-women . July 12, 2013 .
