Edmonson County, Kentucky

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


founded year = 1826
founded date =
seat wl = Brownsville
area_total_sq_mi = 308
area_total_km2 = 798
area_land_sq_mi = 303
area_land_km2 = 784
area_water_sq_mi = 5
area_water_km2 = 14
area percentage = 1.75%
census yr = 2000
pop = 11644
density_sq_mi = 38
density_km2 = 15
time zone = Central
UTC offset = -6
DST offset = -5
footnotes =
web = www.edmonsoncounty.com
named for = John Edmonson (1764–1813), military captain killed at the Battle of River Raisin.

Edmonson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1826. As of 2007, the population was 11,978. It is included in the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is Brownsville, KentuckyGR|6. The county is named for Captain John Edmonson, hero in the War of 1812, honored after the Battle of River Raisin. The sale of alcohol is currently prohibited in Edmonson County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 308 square miles (798 km²), of which, 303 square miles (784 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (14 km²) of it (1.75%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Grayson County (north)
*Hart County (east)
*Barren County (southeast)
*Warren County (southwest)
*Butler County (west)

National protected area

* Mammoth Cave National Park (part)

Demographics

USCensusPop
1830= 2642
1840= 2914
1850= 4088
1860= 4645
1870= 4459
1880= 7222
1890= 8005
1900= 10080
1910= 10469
1920= 10894
1930= 11475
1940= 11344
1950= 9376
1960= 8085
1970= 8751
1980= 9962
1990= 10357
2000= 11644
estimate=11978
estyear=2007
estref=
footnote=http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21061.txt

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 11,644 people, 4,648 households, and 3,462 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 6,104 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.39% White, 0.58% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,648 households out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.50% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 males there were 92.50 females. For every 100 males age 18 and over, there were 89.33 females.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,413, and the median income for a family was $31,843. Males had a median income of $26,770 versus $17,158 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,480. About 14.20% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.50% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There are currently four public schools operating as part of the Edmonson County School System. They are Kyrock Elementary(located in the Kyrock community in Northern Edmonson County), South Edmonson Elementary(located near the Chalybeate community in Southern Edmonson County), the Edmonson County Fifth/Sixth Grade Center and Edmonson County Middle/High School(both located in Brownsville).

Transportation

There are two main routes that form the major transportation corridors through Edmonson County.

KY 70 is the primary West to East Route, traversing the width of the county.

Ky 259 enters Edmonson County at the border with Grayson County, near the town of Bee Spring. The highway continues on, bridging the Green River(the only bridge over the river in Edmonson County), before intersecting with KY 101. KY 259 then branches off in a southeastern direction, while KY 101 continues as the main north-south route through the county, exiting into Warren County just South of the Chalybeate community.

Additionally,KY 185 is a north - south route connecting Bowling Green with points in Grayson County and points north which lie between I-65 (which goes from Bowling Green to Elizabethtown and Louisville) and the William H. Natcher Parkway from Bowling Green to Owensboro; it enters Edmonson County near the Roundhill community and passes north paralleling the Edmonson County - Butler County before entering Grayson County south of the Reedy community.

I-65 passes through the southeastern tip of the county, but has no interchanges allowing access to the road. I-65 parallels the older US 31-W, which runs through a small southeastern portion of the county.

Attractions

The biggest tourist attraction in Edmonson County is Mammoth Cave National Park, which usually draws almost 2 million visitors a year. [ [http://www2.nature.nps.gov/NPstats/select_report.cfm?by=year NPS Reports ] ] The park includes in its area roughly a fourth of the County. [ [http://www.cavesandlakes.com/map.html Edmonson County, Kentucky map ] ]

Located mostly in the Northern part of Edmonson County, the Nolin Lake area was incorporated as a Kentucky State Park in 2001 and offers fishing and other recreational opportunities.

Media

Edmonson County is served by a weekly newspaper, the Edmonson News. The paper is sometimes referred to by its' nickname, "the Gimlet". The paper has a circulation number of 3,704. [ [http://www.kypress.com/directory/w/weekly_member.asp?ID=13 Edmonson News ] ]

Cities and towns

*Bee Spring
*Big Reedy
*Brownsville
*Chalybeate Springs
*Huff
*Lindseyville
*Rhoda
*Rocky Hill
*Sunfish
*Sweeden
*Windyville

Famous Residents

*Joe Blanton, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, was born in Nashville, TN, but spent most of his childhood and young adult life in Edmonson County.

ee also

*Edmonson County High School
*Mammoth Cave National Park

References

External links

* [http://www.trailsrus.com/civilwar/region3/brownsvi.html Civil War in Edmonson County]
* [http://www.edmonsoncounty.ky.gov/default.htm/ Edmonson County Government Site]
* [http://www.edmonson.k12.ky.us/ Edmonson County Schools Website]
* [http://www.cavesandlakes.com/ Edmonson County Tourist Commision]
* [http://www.kentuckyhighlands.com/kh/counties/edmonson_county.asp The Kentucky Highlands Project]
* [http://www.nps.gov/maca/ Mammoth Cave NPS Site]
* [http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/recparks/nl/ Nolin Lake State Park Site]