| Frankfort, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| State Capitol | |
| Location of Frankfort, Kentucky | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Franklin |
| Established | 1786 |
| Incorporated | February 28, 1835 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council/Manager |
| • Mayor | Gippy Graham |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15.0 sq mi (38.8 km2) |
| • Land | 14.7 sq mi (38.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 509 ft (155 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 25,527 |
| • Density | 1,883.2/sq mi (727.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP Code | 40601-40604, 40618-40622 |
| Area code(s) | 502 |
| FIPS code | 21-28900 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0517517 |
| Website | City website |
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County.[1] The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States. Located on the Kentucky River, Frankfort is the principal city of the Frankfort, Kentucky Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Franklin and Anderson counties.
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The town of Frankfort likely received its name from an event that took place in 1780s. Native Americans attacked a group of early British-American pioneers from Bryan’s Station, who were making salt at a ford in the Kentucky River. After the pioneer Stephen Frank was killed, the settlers called the crossing "Frank’s Ford." This name was later shortened to Frankfort.
In 1786 James Wilkinson purchased the 260-acre (1.1 km2) tract of land on the north side of the Kentucky River, which developed as downtown Frankfort. He was an early promoter of Frankfort as the state capital.
After Kentucky became a state, five commissioners were appointed on June 20, 1792, to choose a location for the capital. They were John Allen and John Edwards (both from Bourbon County), Henry Lee (Mason County), Thomas Kennedy (Madison County), and Robert Todd (Fayette County). A number of communities competed for this honor, but Frankfort won. According to early histories, the offer of Andrew Holmes' log house as capitol for seven years, a number of town lots, £50 worth of locks and hinges, 10 boxes of glass, 1,500 pounds of nails, and $3,000 in gold helped the decision go to Frankfort.[2]
Frankfort had a post office by 1794, with Daniel Weisiger as postmaster.[3]
John Brown, a Virginia lawyer and statesman, built a home, now called Liberty Hall, in Frankfort in 1796. Before statehood he represented Virginia in the Continental Congress (1777–78) and the U.S. Congress (1789–91). While in Congress he introduced the bill granting statehood to Kentucky. Once that was accomplished, he was elected a U.S. Senator for Kentucky.
The Kentucky General Assembly appropriated funds to provide a house to accommodate the governor in 1796. Construction was completed in 1798. The Old Governor's Mansion is reputed to be the oldest official executive residence still in use in the United States. In 1829 the Old Capitol, the third Capitol of Kentucky, was built in the Greek Revival style, designed by Gideon Shryock. The building served Kentucky as its Capitol from 1830 until 1910.
During the American Civil War, Union forces built fortifications overlooking downtown Frankfort on what is now called Fort Hill. The Confederate Army occupied Frankfort for a short time.
On February 3, 1900 Governor-elect William Goebel was assassinated in Frankfort while walking to the capitol to be inaugurated. Former Secretary of State Caleb Powers was later found guilty in a conspiracy to kill Goebel.
The city has grown considerably since the 1960s. A modern addition to the State Office Building was completed in 1967. The original building was completed in the 1930s on the location of the former Kentucky State Penitentiary. Some of the stone from the old prison was used for the walls surrounding the office building.
Capitol Plaza was established in the 1960s. It comprises the Capitol Plaza Office Tower, the tallest building in the city, the Capitol Plaza Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn, Frankfort), and the Fountain Place Shoppes. The Capital Plaza Office Tower opened in 1968 and has become a visual landmark for the center of the city. In August 2008, capital officials announced a plan to demolish the Tower and redevelop the area over a period of years. They intended to replace the outdated Tower with a smaller, four- or five-story building for a more pedestrian-oriented scale at the complex.[4]
Frankfort is home to several major distilleries of Kentucky Bourbon whiskey, including Buffalo Trace Distillery (formerly Ancient Age).
Frankfort is located at (38.197274, -84.863110)[5]. It is in the (inner) Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky.
The city is bisected by the Kentucky River, which makes an s-turn as it passes through the center of town. The river valley widens at this point, which creates four distinct parts of town. The valley within the city limits contains Downtown and South Frankfort districts, which lie opposite one another on the river. A small neighborhood with its own distinct identity, Bellepoint, is located on the west bank of the river to the north of Benson Creek, opposite the river from the "downtown" district. The suburban areas on either side of the valley are referred to as West Frankfort and East Frankfort, respectively.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.0 square miles (39 km2), of which 14.7 square miles (38 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) is water.
Frankfort does not have a commercial airport and travelers fly into Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport near Covington or Louisville International Airport in Louisville.
Frankfort is located at the northern extreme limit of the humid subtropical climate of the Southeastern United States. It is proximal to the climatic transition zone where the subtropical Southeast blends with and then eventually changes to a humid continental climate further north (roughly just beyond Cincinnati, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana).
| Climate data for Frankfort, Kentucky | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) |
78 (26) |
83 (28) |
90 (32) |
94 (34) |
103 (39) |
106 (41) |
102 (39) |
106 (41) |
98 (37) |
84 (29) |
78 (26) |
106 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 40 (4) |
45 (7) |
55 (13) |
66 (19) |
75 (24) |
83 (28) |
87 (31) |
86 (30) |
79 (26) |
68 (20) |
55 (13) |
44 (7) |
65.3 (18.5) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 21 (−6) |
23 (−5) |
31 (−1) |
39 (4) |
49 (9) |
59 (15) |
63 (17) |
62 (17) |
55 (13) |
42 (6) |
34 (1) |
26 (−3) |
42 (6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −27 (−33) |
−11 (−24) |
−3 (−19) |
16 (−9) |
27 (−3) |
36 (2) |
49 (9) |
42 (6) |
33 (1) |
20 (−7) |
2 (−17) |
−1 (−18) |
−27 (−33) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.15 (80) |
3.08 (78.2) |
4.04 (102.6) |
3.67 (93.2) |
4.61 (117.1) |
4.40 (111.8) |
4.18 (106.2) |
3.58 (90.9) |
3.15 (80) |
2.66 (67.6) |
3.33 (84.6) |
3.71 (94.2) |
43.56 (1,106.4) |
| Source: The Weather Channel.[6] | |||||||||||||
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 628 |
|
|
| 1810 | 1,099 | 75.0% | |
| 1820 | 1,679 | 52.8% | |
| 1830 | 1,682 | 0.2% | |
| 1840 | 1,917 | 14.0% | |
| 1850 | 3,308 | 72.6% | |
| 1860 | 3,702 | 11.9% | |
| 1870 | 5,396 | 45.8% | |
| 1880 | 6,958 | 28.9% | |
| 1890 | 7,892 | 13.4% | |
| 1900 | 9,487 | 20.2% | |
| 1910 | 10,465 | 10.3% | |
| 1920 | 9,805 | −6.3% | |
| 1930 | 11,626 | 18.6% | |
| 1940 | 11,492 | −1.2% | |
| 1950 | 11,916 | 3.7% | |
| 1960 | 18,365 | 54.1% | |
| 1970 | 21,902 | 19.3% | |
| 1980 | 25,973 | 18.6% | |
| 1990 | 25,968 | 0% | |
| 2000 | 27,741 | 6.8% | |
| 2010 | 25,527 | −8.0% | |
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 27,741 people, 12,314 households, and 6,945 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,883.2 per square mile (727.1 /km2). There were 13,422 housing units at an average density of 911.2 per square mile (351.8 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.84% White or European American, 14.70% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.48% of the population.
There were 12,314 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.83.
The age distribution was 21.6% under 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,980, and the median income for a family was $47,855. Males had a median income of $31,339 versus $25,361 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,512. About 9.5% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
Frankfort is the focal point of a micropolitan statistical area consisting of Frankfort and Franklin County as well as adjacent Lawrenceburg and Anderson County. The city is also classified in a combined statistical area with Lexington and Richmond to the east.
Frankfort's municipal population makes it the fourth smallest capital city in the United States.
Commonwealth Gardens [1] is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the formation of community gardens and school gardens in the Frankfort and Franklin County area. It advocates the consumption of locally grown food because it tastes better and takes less energy to produce, and also to support local farmers and merchants.
Walk/Bike Frankfort [8] is dedicated to making the capital of Kentucky the best city in the Commonwealth for pedestrians and cyclists.
Frankfort Climate Action Network [2], Working to raise awareness about the threat of climate change and solutions for it.
Josephine Sculpture Park [3], provide, community arts education and creative experiences while conserving the beauty of the native, rural landscape. It is free and open every day from dawn until dusk
The Folkbike Re-Cyclery [4] is a non-profit, volunteer organization located at 106 E.Broadway in Frankfort. We restore and repairs used bicycles, providing them to people who cannot afford new ones. Many residents donate unused bikes to the group.
Frankfort is the home of the Kentucky State University, a historically black university situated near the downtown area. Two school districts serve the city, with three public high schools within the city limits:
Private high school:
Frankfort, Franklin County and the surrounding area also have a considerable homeschooling population.
Frankfort has one sister city:
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