Christian County, Kentucky

Christian County, Kentucky
Christian County courthouse in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Location in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded	1797
Named for	William Christian (1743–1786), Revolutionary War soldier.
Seat	Hopkinsville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	724.01 sq mi (1,875 km²) 721.32 sq mi (1,868 km²) 2.69 sq mi (7 km²), 0.37%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	72,265 38/sq mi (15/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.christiancounty.org

Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1797. As of 2000, its population was 72,265. Its county seat is Hopkinsville, Kentucky^[1]. As of 2007, its population was estimated to be 80,868.

Christian County is part of the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county is named for Colonel William Christian, a native of Augusta County, Virginia, and a veteran of the Revolutionary War. He settled near Louisville, Kentucky in 1785, and was killed by Native Americans in southern Indiana in 1786.

Jefferson Davis was born in Christian County, as was Adlai E. Stevenson I.

Joshua Grant was an early settler of Christian County. He married into the McNeil family. Almost all of Joshua's sons had "McNeil" as their middle name. Joshua Grant was a descendant of James Grant and Anne Diskin of Caswell County, North Carolina. Many of the Grants in Montgomery County, Tennessee and Jefferson County, Illinois were also descendants of James Grant and Anne Diskin. Contrary to what is stated in publications dating back to the 1880s, this is a southern Grant family that was not related to General Ulysses S. Grant, at least on this Continent.

The United States Supreme Court case Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514 (1972), arose out of a 1958 double-murder in Christian County, Kentucky.

In 2006 and 2008, tornadoes touched down across northern Christian County, damaging homes in the Crofton area.

In 2017, northwestern Christian County will experience the longest duration of totality in the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 that will cross North America.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 724.01 square miles (1,875.2 km²), of which 721.32 square miles (1,868.2 km²) (or 99.63%) is land and 2.69 square miles (7.0 km²) (or 0.37%) is water.^[2]

Adjacent counties

• Hopkins County (north)
• Muhlenberg County (northeast)
• Todd County (east)
• Montgomery County, Tennessee (southeast)
• Stewart County, Tennessee (southwest)
• Trigg County (west)
• Caldwell County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1800	2,318		—
1810	11,020		375.4%
1820	10,459		−5.1%
1830	12,684		21.3%
1840	15,587		22.9%
1850	19,580		25.6%
1860	21,627		10.5%
1870	23,227		7.4%
1880	31,682		36.4%
1890	34,118		7.7%
1900	37,962		11.3%
1910	38,845		2.3%
1920	35,883		−7.6%
1930	34,283		−4.5%
1940	36,129		5.4%
1950	42,359		17.2%
1960	56,904		34.3%
1970	56,224		−1.2%
1980	66,878		18.9%
1990	68,941		3.1%
2000	72,265		4.8%
Est. 2007	80,868		11.9%
http://ksdc.louisville.edu/

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 72,265 people, 24,857 households, and 18,344 families residing in the county. The population density was 100 per square mile (39 /km²). There were 27,182 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile (15 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.92% White, 23.73% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 2.23% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races. 4.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. This number, however, was estimated to be around 4% for a 2006 Census Estimate, according to the United States Census Bureau.

There were 24,857 households out of which 41.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.30% under the age of 18, 15.80% from 18 to 24, 30.10% from 25 to 44, 16.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 106.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,177, and the median income for a family was $35,240. Males had a median income of $25,063 versus $20,748 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,611. About 12.10% of families and 15.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.30% of those under age 18 and 13.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

• Crofton
• Hopkinsville
• LaFayette
• Oak Grove
• Pembroke

Unincorporated towns

• Fairview
• Fearsville
• Fort Campbell North
• Gracey
• Herndon
• Kelly

Education

High Schools

• Christian County High School
• Hopkinsville High School
• Fort Campbell High School — physically located in Tennessee, but serving the entire Fort Campbell base, and a member of Kentucky's governing body for high school athletics, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association
• University Heights Academy (private K-12)
• Heritage Christian Academy (private K-12)

Colleges

• Hopkinsville Community College (Website)
• Murray State University (regional campuses in Hopkinsville and Ft. Campbell)

See also

Kentucky portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Christian County, Kentucky

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

• Community Data and Relocation Info
• Economic Development Council- Hopkinsville/Christian County
• Chamber of Commerce- Hopkinsville/Christian County
• WHVO-AM (Local Radio Station)
• History of Christian County

Coordinates: 36°54′N 87°29′W / 36.90°N 87.49°W / 36.90; -87.49