Gallatin County, Kentucky

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


founded year = 1798
founded date =
seat wl = Warsaw
area_total_sq_mi = 105
area_total_km2 = 271
area_land_sq_mi = 99
area_land_km2 = 256
area_water_sq_mi = 6
area_water_km2 = 15
area percentage = 5.61%
census yr = 2000
pop = 7870
density_sq_mi = 80
density_km2 = 31
time zone = Eastern
UTC offset = -5
DST offset = -4
footnotes =
web = www.gallatincountyky.com
named for = Albert Gallatin, United States Secretary of the Treasury (1801–1814).

Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1799. As of 2000, the population was 7,870. Its county seat is WarsawGR|6. The county is named for Albert Gallatin a Swiss native, who became a financier, prominent American Statesman and served as Secretary of the Treasury of President Thomas Jefferson.

History

The county was formed on December 14, 1798. Gallatin was the 31st Kentucky county to be established. It was derived from parts of Franklin and Shelby counties. Later, parts of the county were pared off to create three additional counties: Owen in 1819, Trimble in 1836 and Carroll in 1838. Today Gallatin is one tenth of its original size.

The American Civil War disrupted the lives of Gallatin countians. There were skirmishes in the county and some of its citizens were arrested for treason. In September 1864, George M. Jessee and his Confederate forces reportedly were in control of Gallatin and several other Kentucky counties. The report went on to state that the Confederates forces were rapidly recruiting volunteers in the area.

After the end of the American Civil War, the Ohio River near Warsaw was the scene of one of the worst steamboat accidents in history. Two passenger steamers, the America and the United States, collided. The United States carried a cargo of barrels of kerosene, which caught fire, and soon both boats were in flames. The death toll reached 162.

As the twentieth century progressed, the river trade began to decline, and the steamboat era ended. Gallatin County is traversed by I-71, U.S. 42, and U.S. 127 highways. Construction on the Markland Locks and Dam began in 1956 and was completed in 1964. In 1967 a hydroelectric power plant was built at the dam and provided jobs, but in the 1980s more than 50 percent of the population was employed outside the county. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygalla2/history.htm]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 105 square miles (271 km²), of which, 99 square miles (256 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (15 km²) of it (5.61%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Switzerland County, Indiana (north, across the Ohio River)
*Boone County (northeast)
*Grant County (southeast)
*Owen County (south)
*Carroll County (west)

Demographics

USCensusPop
1800= 1291
1810= 3307
1820= 7075
1830= 6674
1840= 4003
1850= 5137
1860= 5056
1870= 5074
1880= 4832
1890= 4611
1900= 5163
1910= 4697
1920= 4664
1930= 4437
1940= 4307
1950= 3969
1960= 3867
1970= 4134
1980= 4842
1990= 5393
2000= 7870
estimate= 8153
estyear= 2006
estref=
footnote=http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21077.txt

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 7,870 people, 2,902 households, and 2,135 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile (31/km²). There were 3,362 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.72% White, 1.59% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,902 households out of which 37.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,422, and the median income for a family was $41,136. Males had a median income of $32,081 versus $21,803 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,416. About 11.60% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.60% of those under age 18 and 16.40% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

*Glencoe
*Sparta
*Warsaw

Notable residents

*Samuel Brenton (Nov 22, 1810 - Mar 29, 1857) a US Representative from Indiana; born in Gallatin County, Kentucky.

ee also

* [http://www.kypost.com/content/news/859/story.aspx?content_id=BA43DA68-98C1-4D5F-BEAC-44128893B91D&gsa=true Gallatin County Courthouse]

References

External links

* [http://www.nkyviews.com Northern Kentucky Views]