| Laurel County, Kentucky | |
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Laurel County courthouse in London, 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 | 1826 |
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| Named for | Mountain laurel trees that are prominent in the area |
| Seat | London |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
443.74 sq mi (1,149 km²) 435.67 sq mi (1,128 km²) 8.07 sq mi (21 km²), 1.82% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
58,849 135/sq mi (52/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
Laurel County is a county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 58,849 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is London.[1]
The London Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Laurel County.
Laurel County is a limited dry county, meaning that sale of alcohol in the county is prohibited except in certain areas as voted on by the residents of the area. In the case of Laurel County, by-the-drink alcohol sales is permitted only in restaurants in the city of London seating at least 100 diners and derive at least 70% of their total sales from food.
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According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 443.74 square miles (1,149.3 km2), of which 435.67 square miles (1,128.4 km2) (or 98.18%) is land and 8.07 square miles (20.9 km2) (or 1.82%) is water.[2] Part of Laurel River Lake is in Laurel County.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 2,206 |
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| 1840 | 3,079 | 39.6% | |
| 1850 | 4,145 | 34.6% | |
| 1860 | 5,488 | 32.4% | |
| 1870 | 6,016 | 9.6% | |
| 1880 | 9,131 | 51.8% | |
| 1890 | 13,747 | 50.6% | |
| 1900 | 17,592 | 28.0% | |
| 1910 | 19,872 | 13.0% | |
| 1920 | 19,814 | −0.3% | |
| 1930 | 21,109 | 6.5% | |
| 1940 | 25,640 | 21.5% | |
| 1950 | 25,797 | 0.6% | |
| 1960 | 24,901 | −3.5% | |
| 1970 | 27,386 | 10.0% | |
| 1980 | 38,982 | 42.3% | |
| 1990 | 43,438 | 11.4% | |
| 2000 | 52,715 | 21.4% | |
| 2010 | 58,849 | 11.6% | |
| http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21125.txt | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 52,715 people, 20,353 households, and 15,366 families residing in the county. The population density was 121 per square mile (47 /km2). There were 22,317 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile (20 /km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.66% White, 0.63% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 0.55% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
There were 20,353 households out of which 35.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.50% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.97.
The age distribution was 25.40% under 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,015, and the median income for a family was $31,318. Males had a median income of $27,965 versus $19,757 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,165. About 17.80% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.80% of those under age 18 and 20.10% of those age 65 or over.
Two public school districts serve K-12 students in the county:
Laurel County, the eighteenth county to be organized in Kentucky, was established by an act of the general assembly, December 12, 1825, from parts of Rockcastle, Clay, Knox and Whitley Counties. However, the actual operation of the county government did not begin until March 1826. Laurel County is home to the Battle of Wildcat Mountain, a pivotal yet little known battle during the American Civil War that kept Confederate armies from advancing on Big Hill, a major stronghold during the war.
The first Kentucky Fried Chicken was started in Laurel County in Colonel Harland Sanders hometown of North Corbin. Due to the history of chicken in the county, The World Chicken Festival is celebrated every year in Laurel County, drawing crowds of up to 250,000 people over the four-day festival.
Nationally bestselling author Silas House was raised and currently lives in Laurel County, at the small town of Lily. Former University of Kentucky basketball star Jeff Sheppard, the Most Outstanding Player of the 1998 NCAA Tournament who briefly played in the NBA, now lives in London.
2000 ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Darrell Scott, who has written hit songs for the Dixie Chicks, Travis Tritt, Brad Paisley, Patty Loveless, and many others, was born in London.
Laurel County is home to Chera-Lyn Cook, the first young woman from Southeast Kentucky to win the title of Miss Kentucky. Cook was talent winner and 4th runner-up to Miss America 1999. Cook was recognized by the Joint Sessions of the Kentucky Legislature for volunteer work with at-risk youth and was the Kentucky School Psychologist of the Year in 2004. Her platform issue at Miss America, Children's Miracle Network, was later adopted by the Miss America Scholarship Organization as a national platform. She was also commissioned a Goodwill Ambassador for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
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