Spencer County, Kentucky

Infobox U.S. County
county = Spencer County
state = Kentucky


founded year = 1824
founded date =
seat wl = Taylorsville
largest city wl =
area_total_sq_mi = 192
area_total_km2 = 497
area_land_sq_mi = 186
area_land_km2 = 481
area_water_sq_mi = 6
area_water_km2 = 15
area percentage = 3.07%
census yr = 2000
pop = 11766
density_sq_mi = 63
density_km2 = 24
time zone = Eastern
UTC offset = -5
DST offset = -4
footnotes =
web = www.spencercountyky.gov
named for =

Spencer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed from land from nearby existing counties in 1824. As of 2007, the estimated population is 16,837. Its county seat is Taylorsville.GR|6 The county is named for Spier Spencer. It is home to Taylorsville Lake, which serves as a major economic resource for the area, as well as a popular fishing area. Spencer is a dry county, where the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited.From 2000 to 2005 Spencer County ranked 19th out of all U.S. counties in percent growth with a [http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/CO-EST2005-09.html 33%] increase.

History

Spencer County was formed in January 1824, by the 32nd Kentucky General Assembly. The land that now makes up Spencer County was taken from Bullitt County, Shelby County, and Nelson County. Spencer County became Kentucky's 77th county. The county was named for Kentucky's own Captain Spier Spencer a hero who fought gallantly and died in the Battle of Tippecanoe.

Later that year, in December 1824, Taylorsville was made the county seat. In 1829, the city was incorporated. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~kyspence/history.htm Spencer County History] ]

During the American Civil War, the courthouse at Taylorsville was burned by Confederate guerrillas in January 1865, but the county's records were saved. [ [http://kentucky.gov/kyhs/hmdb/MarkerSearch.aspx?mode=County&county=108 KY:Historical Society - Historical Marker Database - Search for Markers ] ]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 192 square miles (497 km²), of which, 186 square miles (481 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (15 km²) of it (3.07%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Shelby County (north)
*Anderson County (east)
*Nelson County (south)
*Bullitt County (west)
*Jefferson County (northwest)

Major Roadways

*Kentucky Route 44
*Kentucky Route 55

Demographics

USCensusPop
1830= 6812
1840= 6581
1850= 6842
1860= 6188
1870= 5956
1880= 7040
1890= 6760
1900= 7406
1910= 7567
1920= 7785
1930= 6606
1940= 6757
1950= 6157
1960= 5680
1970= 5488
1980= 5929
1990= 6801
2000= 11766
estimate= 16837
estyear= 2007
estref=
footnote=http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21215.txt

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 11,766 people, 4,251 households, and 3,358 families residing in the county. The population density was 63 people per square mile (24/km²). There were 4,555 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.50% White, 1.13% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,251 households out of which 38.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.90% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.00% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.00% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 33.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 101.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,042, and the median income for a family was $52,038. Males had a median income of $36,638 versus $24,196 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,848. About 7.70% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.90% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities, towns and census-designated places

Education

As of 2005, there are four public schools in Spencer County.
*Spencer County High School, located at 520 Taylorsville Road, has an estimated 38 teachers and 800 students. The school building was built in 1982-83. The current principal is Tracy Bale.
*Spencer County Middle School, located at 1263 Mount Washington Road right behind Spencer County Elementary School, has an estimated 45 teachers and 620 students. The school building was built in 2004-05. The current principal is Ed Downs.
*Spencer County Elementary School, located at 1265 Mount Washington Road, has an estimated 52 teachers and 790 students. The school building was built in 1999-2000. The current principal is Karen Larimore.
*Taylorsville Elementary School, located at 206 Reasor Avenue, has an estimated 25 teachers and 490 students. The school building is the oldest in the district, having been since 1938. The current principal is Chuck Abell.

Until the early 2000s, there were only two public schools in the district, the elementary school (educating grades K-6) and the high school (educating grades 7-12). In 2000, a new elementary school was built, and the district split into a three-school system. Due to the fast growth of the county, a new middle school was built in 2004-05, and a second elementary school took residence in what had been the middle school. [http://www.spencer.k12.ky.us/ Spencer County Schools] ]

ee also

*Dry county
*Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
*Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area

References

External links

* [http://www.spencermagnet.com The Spencer Magnet, a local newspaper]