Paintsville, Kentucky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paintsville is a city in Johnson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,132 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County^GR6. It was the birthplace of country singers Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Recreation
4 Demographics
5 External links

[edit] History

Paintsville serves as the county seat of Johnson County. It is located along the mouth of Paint Creek at the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River. Originally called Paint Creek Station, the town was established in 1834, after being laid out in 1826. Paint Creek and Paintsville were named in reference to drawings found on trees, believed to be drawn by Native Americans. It is believed that the post office was originally known as Paint Creek, but was renamed to Paintsville before 1843. The founder of the town is acknowledged to be William Henry Dixon.

Paintsville is rapidly growing. This is due in part to some business developments in the past few years, as well as growing tourist interest. The Kentucky State Apple Festival is hosted in Paintsville.

[edit] Geography

Paintsville is located at 37°48′41″N, 82°48′24″W (37.811324, -82.806780)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.6 km² (5.3 mi²), all land.

[edit] Recreation

Paintsville Country Club

Less than one mile from downtown Paintsville lies the world-famous Paintsville Golf Course, a haven for perfect greens and a bastion of countless Spring and Summer memories. Founded in 1929, the course has established itself as a premier golfing facility in Eastern Kentucky and has indeed set par for others to follow. Of note is the famous swinging bridge that takes golfers onto the back nine while crossing the Big Sandy River and into a site removed from any distractions, perfect for high concentration and extreme relaxation. The Paintsville Golf Course is also home to the Paintsville Invitational golf tournament, held annually the last weekend of July. The invitational is the premier golf tournament in Eastern Kentucky for both amateurs and pros alike.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 4,132 people, 1,681 households, and 1,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 303.3/km² (786.1/mi²). There were 1,901 housing units at an average density of 139.5/km² (361.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.48% White, 0.65% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 1,681 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,259, and the median income for a family was $30,575. Males had a median income of $30,478 versus $25,640 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,876. About 21.0% of families and 29.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.9% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over.