Nelson County, Kentucky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nelson County, Kentucky
Map
Location in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	1785
Seat	Bardstown
Area - Total - Land - Water	424 sq mi (1,098 km²) 423 sq mi (1,095 km²) 1 sq mi (4 km²), 0.34%
Population - (2000) - Density	37,477 89/sq mi (34/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website: www.bardstownchamber.com
Named for: Thomas Nelson, Jr. (1738–1789), signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Nelson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 37,477. In 2006 the population was estimated at 42,102. Its county seat is Bardstown^[1]. The county is part of the Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

1 History
2 Geography
- 2.1 Adjacent counties
3 Demographics
4 Cities, towns and census-designated places
5 See also
6 References

[edit] History

The fourth county created in what is now Kentucky, it was formed from Jefferson County, Virginia in 1784. The county is named for Thomas Nelson, Jr. a Virginia Governor who signed the Declaration of Independence.

[edit] Geography

Former Nelson County Courthouse in Bardstown. Constructed from 1891-1892.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 424 square miles (1,098 km²), of which, 423 square miles (1,095 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.34%) is water.

[edit] Adjacent counties

Spencer County (north)
Anderson County (northeast)
Washington County (east)
Marion County (southeast)
LaRue County (south)
Hardin County (west)
Bullitt County (northwest)

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	11,315	—
1800	9,866	-12.8%
1810	14,078	42.7%
1820	16,273	15.6%
1830	14,932	-8.2%
1840	13,637	-8.7%
1850	14,789	8.4%
1860	15,799	6.8%
1870	14,804	-6.3%
1880	16,609	12.2%
1890	16,417	-1.2%
1900	16,587	1.0%
1910	16,830	1.5%
1920	16,137	-4.1%
1930	16,551	2.6%
1940	18,004	8.8%
1950	19,521	8.4%
1960	22,168	13.6%
1970	23,477	5.9%
1980	27,584	17.5%
1990	29,710	7.7%
2000	37,477	26.1%
Est. 2006	42,102	12.3%
http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21179.txt

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 37,477 people, 13,953 households, and 10,269 families residing in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile (34/km²). There were 14,934 housing units at an average density of 35 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.84% White, 5.51% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 1.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,953 households out of which 38.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 12.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.08.

The age distribution is 27.70% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.80% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,010, and the median income for a family was $44,600. Males had a median income of $32,015 versus $21,838 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,120. About 10.00% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.70% of those under age 18 and 17.40% of those age 65 or over.