Morgantown, Kentucky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Country	United States of America
Morgantown
Location of Morgantown within Kentucky.
State	Kentucky
County	Butler
Government
- Mayor	Charles Black
Area
- City	3.4 sq mi (8.7 km²)
Population (2000)
- City	2,544
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Code	42261

Morgantown is the county seat of Butler County, Kentucky, United States^GR6. The population was 2,544 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Transportation
5 Events of interest
6 Notable natives
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

The etymology of the town's name is uncertain. According to The Kentucky Encyclopedia, it may have, at one time, been named Funkhouser Hill after Christopher Funkhouser, who donated land for the town. The Encyclopedia further speculates that Funkhouser may have given the town its present name to honor a hunter named Morgan or Daniel Morgan Smith, the first child born in the town.^[1]

[edit] Geography

Morgantown is located at 37°13′10″N, 86°41′33″W (37.219465, -86.692513)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.7 km² (3.4 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,544 people, 1,051 households, and 627 families residing in the city. The population density was 291.5/km² (754.8/mi²). There were 1,148 housing units at an average density of 131.5/km² (340.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.52% White, 1.10% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 2.36% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.22% of the population.

There were 1,051 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,912, and the median income for a family was $27,218. Males had a median income of $24,671 versus $18,594 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,100. About 24.9% of families and 27.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.0% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Transportation

Prior to 1917, the city's primary channel of transportation was the Green River. However, in 1917, the river froze, leaving the city without supplies for two months. A subsequent period of road-building began, and in 1930, a road connecting Morgantown with Bowling Green provided an alternate conduit for commerce.^[1]

[edit] Events of interest

Morgantown's municipal park is home to the annual Green River Catfish Festival held the week of July 4.^[1]

[edit] Notable natives

John Monroe Moore - bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c (1992) "Morgantown", in Kleber, John E.: The Kentucky Encyclopedia, Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter, Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813117720.