Nelson County, Kentucky

Nelson County, Kentucky
Nelson County Judicial Center in Bardstown
Location in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded	November 29, 1784
Named for	Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Seat	Bardstown
Largest city	Bardstown
Area
• Total	424 sq mi (1,098 km2)
• Land	418 sq mi (1,083 km2)
• Water	6.6 sq mi (17 km2), 1.5%
Population
• (2010)	43,437
• Density	104/sq mi (40/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.nelsoncountyky.com

Nelson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,437.^[1] Its county seat is Bardstown.^[2]

Nelson County comprises the Bardstown, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Louisville/Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Madison, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area.

History

The fourth county created in what is now Kentucky, it was formed from Jefferson County, Virginia in 1784 shortly after the Revolutionary War.^[3][4] The county is named for Thomas Nelson, Jr., a Virginia Governor who signed the Declaration of Independence.^[5] In 1808, another new Virginia county was named for Governor Nelson. (see Nelson County, Virginia).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 424 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 418 square miles (1,080 km²) is land and 6.6 square miles (17 km²) (1.5%) is water.^[6]

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

As of the census^[12] of 2010, there were 43,437 people and 18,075 housing units in the county.^[13] The population density was 102.4 per square mile (39.5/km²). There were 18,075 housing units at an average density of 42.6 per square mile (16.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.48% White (90.93% non-Hispanic), 5.03% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 2.04% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

There were 16,826 households out of which 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.09% were married couples living together, 13.19% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.35% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.37% were non-families. 24.41% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.09% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.

The age distribution was 25.98% under 18, 7.98% from 18 to 24, 26.47% from 25 to 44, 27.84% from 45 to 64, and 11.73% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37.7 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.

Income data for Kentucky locations from the 2010 Census has not yet been released. As of the 2000 census, 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.

Attractions and events

There are many attractions and events in Bardstown. Following are attractions and events outside the county seat:

• Rooster Run is a general store located on Kentucky Route 245 halfway between Bardstown and Clermont, well known for baseball caps featuring its logo and a 13.5-foot (4.1 m)-tall fiberglass rooster statue standing in front of the store. According to The Kentucky Encyclopedia, it is "one of the best-known general stores in the country and one of Kentucky's best-known unincorporated businesses".^[14]

Education

Two public school districts operate in the county:

• The Nelson County School District serves K-12 students throughout the county, with the exception of most of the city of Bardstown and developed areas near the city limits. The district operates two K-8 schools, two elementary schools, two middle schools, an alternative school, a vocational-technical school, and two high schools.
• The Bardstown City Schools serve students in most of the city of Bardstown, as well as much of the developed area immediately adjacent to the city limits. However, some areas of the city are instead served by the Nelson County district, and some of the Nelson County schools are physically within the Bardstown district. The district operates a preschool, an ungraded primary school (K-2), one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. The preschool and primary school occupy separate buildings on adjacent plots of land in the north of the city, and the other schools are adjacent to one another near downtown.

Several private schools also operate in the county. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville operates five schools in all—three K-8 schools, a fourth that educates grades 1 through 8, and one high school. Several Protestant-affiliated schools also exist.

Communities

See also

• Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Nelson County, Kentucky

References

External links

• Nelson County Government website

Municipalities and communities of Nelson County, Kentucky, United States County seat: Bardstown Cities Bardstown Bloomfield Fairfield New Haven CDPs Boston Chaplin New Hope Other unincorporated communities Balltown Coxs Creek Howardstown Nazareth

Commonwealth of Kentucky Frankfort (capital) Topics Index Cuisine Environment Geography History Music People Religion Symbols (Seal Flag) Theater Tourism Transportation Visitor attractions Category Index Portal Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Sports Regions Allegheny Plateau The Bluegrass Central Kentucky Cumberland Mountains Cumberland Plateau Eastern Kentucky Coalfield Highland Rim The Knobs Mississippi Plain Northern Kentucky Pennyroyal Plateau The Purchase Ridge-and-Valley South Central Kentucky Tennessee Valley Western Coal Fields 25 largest cities Louisville Lexington Bowling Green Owensboro Covington Hopkinsville Richmond Florence Georgetown Henderson Elizabethtown Nicholasville Jeffersontown Frankfort Paducah Independence Radcliff Ashland Madisonville Winchester Erlanger Murray St. Matthews Fort Thomas Danville Metropolitan areas Ashland Bowling Green Clarksville, TN Elizabethtown Evansville Lexington–Fayette Louisville/Jefferson County Northern Kentucky Owensboro Counties Adair Allen Anderson Ballard Barren Bath Bell Boone Bourbon Boyd Boyle Bracken Breathitt Breckinridge Bullitt Butler Caldwell Calloway Campbell Carlisle Carroll Carter Casey Christian Clark Clay Clinton Crittenden Cumberland Daviess Edmonson Elliott Estill Fayette Fleming Floyd Franklin Fulton Gallatin Garrard Grant Graves Grayson Green Greenup Hancock Hardin Harlan Harrison Hart Henderson Henry Hickman Hopkins Jackson Jefferson Jessamine Johnson Kenton Knott Knox LaRue Laurel Lawrence Lee Leslie Letcher Lewis Lincoln Livingston Logan Lyon Madison Magoffin Marion Marshall Martin Mason McCracken McCreary McLean Meade Menifee Mercer Metcalfe Monroe Montgomery Morgan Muhlenberg Nelson Nicholas Ohio Oldham Owen Owsley Pendleton Perry Pike Powell Pulaski Robertson Rockcastle Rowan Russell Scott Shelby Simpson Spencer Taylor Todd Trigg Trimble Union Warren Washington Wayne Webster Whitley Wolfe Woodford

Coordinates: 37°48′N 85°28′W / 37.80°N 85.47°W / 37.80; -85.47