| Adair County, Kentucky | |
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Adair County Courthouse in Columbia, Kentucky
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Location in the state of Kentucky |
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Kentucky's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1802 |
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| Named for | John Adair, Governor of Kentucky (1820–1824) |
| Seat | Columbia |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
412.23 sq mi (1,068 km²) 406.84 sq mi (1,054 km²) 5.39 sq mi (14 km²), 1.31 |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
18,656 42.4/sq mi (16/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www.columbia-adaircounty.com |
Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population is 18,656.[1] Its county seat is Columbia, Kentucky.[2] The county is named for John Adair, then Speaker of the House in Kentucky and later Governor of Kentucky (1820 - 1824).[3]
Adair County also has one of the few remaining American Chestnut trees in America.
Adair County is a prohibition or completely dry county. It is represented in District 51 in the Kentucky House of Representatives by the Republican, John "Bam" Carney of Campbellsville, the seat of Taylor County. Its previous representatives, all Republicans, included were Russ Mobley, Ricky Lee Cox, Ray H. Altman, and Herman Rattliff. The state senator from District 16 is David L. Williams of Burkesville, the President of the Kentucky Senate. Williams's predecessor, Doug Moseley, who served from 1974–1987, formerly resided in Adair County.
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Adair County is part of the Pennyroyal Plateau region of Kentucky and is part of western Appalachia.[4] According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 412.23 square miles (1,067.7 km2), of which 406.84 square miles (1,053.7 km2) (or 98.69%) is land and 5.39 square miles (14.0 km2) (or 1.31%) is water.[5] Over 40% of the county's land is covered with timber.[4]
The Green River is the county's major waterway.[4] The river was impounded to form Green River Lake, the major feature of Green River Lake State Park, which lies in Adair and Taylor counties.[4]
Adair County was formed on December 11, 1801 from sections of Green County.[4] Columbia was chosen as the county seat the following year.[4] It was named in honor of John Adair, later commander of Kentucky troops in the Battle of New Orleans and the eighth Governor of Kentucky.[4] It was the 44th of Kentucky's 120 counties to be formed.[4]
A gang of five men, believed to include Frank and Jesse James, robbed the Bank of Columbia of $600 on April 29, 1872, and killed the cashier, R.A.C. Martin.[6]
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 6,011 |
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| 1820 | 8,765 | 45.8% | |
| 1830 | 8,217 | −6.3% | |
| 1840 | 8,466 | 3.0% | |
| 1850 | 9,898 | 16.9% | |
| 1860 | 9,509 | −3.9% | |
| 1870 | 11,065 | 16.4% | |
| 1880 | 13,078 | 18.2% | |
| 1890 | 13,721 | 4.9% | |
| 1900 | 14,888 | 8.5% | |
| 1910 | 16,503 | 10.8% | |
| 1920 | 17,289 | 4.8% | |
| 1930 | 16,401 | −5.1% | |
| 1940 | 18,566 | 13.2% | |
| 1950 | 17,603 | −5.2% | |
| 1960 | 14,699 | −16.5% | |
| 1970 | 13,037 | −11.3% | |
| 1980 | 15,233 | 16.8% | |
| 1990 | 15,360 | 0.8% | |
| 2000 | 17,244 | 12.3% | |
| 2010 | 18,656 | 8.2% | |
| http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21001.txt | |||
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 17,244 people, 6,747 households, and 4,803 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 per square mile (16 /km2). There were 7,792 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7.3 /km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.00% White, 2.55% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,747 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,055, and the median income for a family was $29,779. Males had a median income of $23,183 versus $17,009 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,931. About 18.20% of families and 24.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.60% of those under age 18 and 21.70% of those age 65 or over.
Adair County's agrarian economy produces livestock, dairy products, corn, and tobacco.[4] The county experienced a minor oil boom in the 1960s.[4]
Lack of adequate transportation infrastructure hindered the county's prosperity well into the 20th century.[4] The completion of the Cumberland Parkway in 1973 significantly ameliorated this problem.[4]
Events held in Adair County, Kentucky:
The county is served by Adair County Schools.[8]
Its schools are[9]:
Flowers, Randy; Nancy S. Willis, Beverly England, and Dorothy Gerrick. Adair County, Kentucky: A Pictorial History. Columbia, Kentucky: Adair County Genealogical Society. pp. 152.
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