Louisville and suburbs With the Ohio River running along its Indiana side, the moderate 3rd sprawls across ethnically and economically diverse neighborhoods, taking in thriving Louisville. Compared with the rest of the state, the city has a sizable black population, as well as a large Catholic following, a legacy of a massive German immigration in the mid-19th century. Despite some job losses from industrial decline, labor strength runs deep among the blue-collar, white residents of the South End. Blacks, who live near downtown in the West End also make up a strong Democratic voting bloc.
Republicans live in the affluent East End by the Ohio River.
Although tobacco is an important part of the 3rd's hearty economy, other sectors, such as the service industry, have rivaled it. Louisville claims a booming health care industry, and the United Parcel Service operates an air-freight hub out of Standiford Airport. Tourism, already big, was boosted by the 1998 opening of a massive floating casino on the Indiana bank of the Ohio River. A politically competitive district, the 3rd ousted a Democrat in 1996. Democrats are still favored at the local level, especially in downtown Louisville.