Edmonson County, Kentucky

Edmonson County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,161.[1] Its county seat is Brownsville.[2] The county was formed in 1825 and named for Captain John "Jack" Edmonson (1764–1813), who was killed at the Battle of Frenchtown during the War of 1812.[3][4][5][6] This is a dry county where the sale of alcohol is prohibited.

Edmonson County
U.S. county
Edmonson County Courthouse in Brownsville
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°13′N 86°15′W
Country United States
State Kentucky
FoundedJanuary 12, 1825
Named forJohn Edmonson
SeatBrownsville
Largest cityBrownsville
Area
 • Total308 sq mi (800 km2)
 • Land303 sq mi (780 km2)
 • Water5.1 sq mi (13 km2)  1.7%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
12,274
 • Density40/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitewww.edmonsoncounty.ky.gov

Edmonson County is included in the Bowling Green, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Edmonson County was established on January 12, 1825 from land given by Grayson, Hart and Warren counties. A courthouse built in 1873 replaced a former structure rendered unfit when its floor collapsed.[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 308 square miles (800 km2), of which 303 square miles (780 km2) is land and 5.1 square miles (13 km2) (1.7%) is water.[8]

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18302,642—
18402,91410.3%
18504,08840.3%
18604,64513.6%
18704,459−4.0%
18807,22262.0%
18908,00510.8%
190010,08025.9%
191010,4693.9%
192010,8944.1%
193011,4755.3%
194011,344−1.1%
19509,376−17.3%
19608,085−13.8%
19708,7518.2%
19809,96213.8%
199010,3574.0%
200011,64412.4%
201012,1614.4%
Est. 201812,274[9]0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 11,644 people, 4,648 households, and 3,462 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 per square mile (15/km2). There were 6,104 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (7.7/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.

Politics
Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 78.9% 4,135 18.7% 979 2.5% 130
2012 69.2% 3,232 29.4% 1,374 1.3% 62
2008 67.6% 3,562 31.4% 1,652 1.1% 56
2004 65.6% 3,595 33.9% 1,856 0.6% 30
2000 65.1% 3,250 34.2% 1,710 0.7% 35
1996 58.0% 2,619 35.3% 1,595 6.7% 305
1992 54.2% 2,486 36.1% 1,653 9.7% 446
1988 66.8% 2,555 32.5% 1,243 0.8% 30
1984 71.1% 3,001 28.4% 1,200 0.5% 23
1980 68.8% 2,913 29.6% 1,252 1.6% 68
1976 57.9% 1,976 41.6% 1,418 0.5% 17
1972 75.7% 2,327 23.5% 722 0.8% 25
1968 65.4% 2,280 19.5% 679 15.1% 525
1964 60.6% 1,603 38.6% 1,022 0.8% 22
1960 72.8% 2,884 27.2% 1,076 0.0% 0
1956 71.9% 2,800 28.0% 1,092 0.1% 5
1952 69.6% 2,279 30.3% 992 0.1% 2
1948 64.4% 1,984 33.5% 1,031 2.1% 66
1944 70.4% 2,433 29.4% 1,016 0.3% 9
1940 65.8% 2,589 33.9% 1,332 0.3% 13
1936 65.4% 2,526 34.4% 1,329 0.1% 5
1932 59.8% 2,690 39.9% 1,796 0.3% 13
1928 74.2% 3,104 25.7% 1,076 0.1% 6
1924 63.5% 2,062 36.5% 1,183 0.0% 0
1920 66.4% 2,348 33.1% 1,171 0.5% 16
1916 58.3% 1,339 40.7% 935 0.9% 21
1912 35.4% 736 38.4% 799 26.2% 545

Education
The combined Edmonson County High and Middle School complex is located in Brownsville.

There are currently five public schools operating as part of the Edmonson County School System. They are Kyrock Elementary (in the Kyrock community in northern Edmonson County), South Edmonson Elementary (near the Chalybeate community in southern Edmonson County), the Edmonson County Fifth/Sixth Grade Center, Edmonson County Middle School, and Edmonson County High School (all in Brownsville).

Transportation
A water tower along KY101 welcomes visitors as they enter southern Edmonson County.

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 community of Chalybeate.

Additionally, KY 185 is a north-south route connecting Bowling Green with points in Grayson County and points north which lie between. 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 31W, which runs through a small southeastern portion of the county.

Attractions
Sign marking the boundary of Mammoth Cave National Park, the most popular tourist attraction in Edmonson County.

The biggest tourist attraction in Edmonson County is Mammoth Cave National Park, which usually draws almost 2 million visitors a year.[16] The park includes in its area roughly a fourth of the county.[17]

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
Publishing offices of the Edmonson News, the printed newspaper in Edmonson County.

Edmonson County is served by a weekly newspaper, the Edmonson News. The paper is sometimes referred to by its nickname, "the Gimlet", and carries the slogan "It Bores In". The paper has a circulation number of 3,704.[18]

On March 6, 2007, MTV wrote an article titled "Who's Joining The Army"[19] in which they stated Edmonson County has the highest Army enlistment rate of any county in the United States.

The unincorporated community of Wingfield, in southwestern Edmonson County, is home to the transmitting tower of Antenna TV and MyNetworkTV affiliated low-powered television station WCZU-LD Channel 39 (since 2014), and adult hits-formatted radio station WKLX-FM 100.7 Sam FM, although both the television and radio stations operate outside of Edmonson County.[20]

Additionally, Edmonson County is also served by an online news website, Edmonson Voice.[21] It is a multimedia platform that operates as a combination of an online newspaper, a streaming broadcaster, and video report provider. The company serves as the main media outlet in the county with a weekly readership of over 23,000.[22]

The Edmonson County Sheriff's Department has been featured on A&E Television's "Live PD". Most recently in 2017 and 2018, Edmonson County was one of two main locations where two faith-based films, The Prayer Box and Christmas Manger, were filmed.[23][24]

Volunteers have digitized and created a repository of video related to Edmonson County High School on YouTube. The archive contains a variety of media, including graduation ceremonies, proms, and athletic events.[25]

Local Events
  • Edmonson County Lions Club Fair - early September (including a parade that takes place in downtown Brownsville on the second Friday of September), one of the longest-running county fairs in the state.
  • Nolin Fest (July or August) - at Nolin Lake State Park, organized by the Friends of Nolin Lake.
  • Annual Saddle Club Horse Show - Edmonson County Fairgrounds
  • Freedom Fest (late June) at the Chalybeate Sports Complex

Source: Edmonson County Tourism Commission

Communities

Notable residents

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. "Edmonson County". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  4. Rennick, Robert M. (1987). Kentucky Place Names. University Press of Kentucky. p. 89. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  5. The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 35.
  6. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 115.
  7. Hogan, Roseann Reinemuth (1992). Kentucky Ancestry: A Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research. Ancestry Publishing. p. 225. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  9. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  12. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  16. NPS Reports Archived 2007-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Edmonson County, Kentucky map Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
  18. Edmonson News Archived 2008-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  19. Rabinowitz, Michelle (2007-03-06). "Who's Joining The Army? Lots Of Rural Kids - Election 2012 News". MTV. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  20. "RabbitEars.Info". www.rabbitears.info. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  21. Edmonsonvoice.com
  22. "Stats". The Edmonson Voice. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  23. "Official Movie Trailer For The Prayer Box Shot in Edmonson County". EdmonsonVoice.com. September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  24. French, Jackson (December 10, 2018). "Edmonson-filmed movie starring Tara Reid gets local screening Sunday". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  25. https://www.youtube.com/user/joscarjr

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