Established in 1813, Florence, Kentucky was originally an Indian-fur trading post known as Polecat, then Pow-Wow. Today it’s a vibrant and progressive community providing top-quality services to its residents. It has a 53-member police department, three fire stations and 82 paid/volunteer firemen; a 60-member public services department managing everything from water to sewer to streets. A wide selection of homes for families and for every level of income is available, and more housing developments are coming. There are new detached single-family homes in the antebellum neighborhood of Plantation Pointe subdivision (of off Wetherington Boulevard); also at Orleans North Subdivision some single-family attached and detached housing. There is abundant shopping, and big draws include Florence Mall with 133 stores and soon a $14-million, 14-screen cinema in summer of 2008; the new Mall Road Shoppes of Florence on the site of the old Chi Chi’s; and Florence Antique Mall with more than 200 booths. Dining is plentiful—everything from Chinese at Cathay Kitchen to steaks at LongHorn to Japanese at Matsuya’s. Of course, people flock here for Thoroughbred racing at Florence’s Turfway Park, and for baseball to Florence Freedom’s 4-500-seat Champion Window Field. Florence is home to St. Luke Hospital West, a 177-bed hospital. The area boasts a healthy commercial development, closely monitored and controlled by strict commercial and industrial planning, to preserve the interests of the city.