Breckinridge County, Kentucky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Breckinridge County, Kentucky | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Kentucky |
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| Statistics | |
| Formed | 1800 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Hardinsburg |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,517 km² (586 mi²) 1,483 km² (572 mi²) 34 km² (13 mi²), 2.24% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
18,648 7/km² |
| Website: http://www.breckinridgecounty.net | |
Breckinridge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1800. As of 2000, the population was 18,648. Its county seat is Hardinsburg, Kentucky6. The county is named for John Breckinridge (1760-1806), Kentucky Attorney General, Legislator, U.S. Senator, U.S. Attorney General. Breckinridge is a prohibition or dry county.
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[edit] History
Considered one of the oldest counties in the United States, the county was formed out of Hardin County by virtue of a 1799 enactment of the Kentucky General Assembly, but the first fiscal court did not meet until 1800. In 1816, while former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was seven years old, the Thomas Lincoln family spent a few weeks in Hardinsburg and occupied a small cabin near what is now the Future Farmers of America Camp in Hardinsburg. Local residents gave them a cow for milk. The Lincolns left Kentucky through Breckinridge County by crossing the Ohio River at Cloverport, on a ferry operated by Jacob Weatherholt. During the Civil War, Confederate guerrillas burned the local courthouse (the second such fire), but most of the records were saved. Sue Munday, a notorious Confederate outlaw, was arrested near Irvington and later hanged. In the nineteenth century, the Victoria Coal mines were the first to produce coal oil, and Cloverport exported coal oil to Great Britain, where it was used to light Buckingham Palace. United States Supreme Court Justice Wiley Blount Rutledge, who served on the court from 1943 to 1949, was born at Tar Springs in 1894. On June 6, 1932, at Hardinsburg, Sam Jennings became the second last person to be publicly executed in the United States. In the 1950's Rough River Dam State Resort Park was developed at the southern border of the county. A third courthouse fire nearly destroyed county records in 1958. Breckinridge County High School prides itself as the champion of the 1965 and 1995 Kentucky State High School Athletic tournament. The Breckinridge County Archives, formed in 1984, was the first state-funded archival repository in the history of the United States and is known across the nation as an excellent resource for genealogical and historical research.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,517 km² (586 mi²). 1,483 km² (572 mi²) of it is land and 34 km² (13 mi²) of it (2.24%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Perry County, Indiana (northwest – across the Ohio River)
- Meade County (northeast)
- Hardin County (east)
- Grayson County (south)
- Ohio County (southwest)
- Hancock County (west)
[edit] Demographics
| Breckinridge County Population by year |
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2000 18,648 |
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As of the census2 of 2000, there were 18,648 people, 7,324 households, and 5,309 families residing in the county. The population density was 13/km² (33/mi²). There were 9,890 housing units at an average density of 7/km² (17/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.84% White, 2.86% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 7,324 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,554, and the median income for a family was $36,575. Males had a median income of $31,004 versus $19,371 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,402. About 11.80% of families and 15.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.60% of those under age 18 and 19.00% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Famous people
- Union General John Alexander McClernand was born in this county in 1812.
- NBA player and coach Butch Beard was born in Hardinsburg in 1947
- Former United States Supreme Court Justice Wiley Blount Rutledge was born at Tar Springs in 1894.
- Kentucky author Perry T. Ryan was raised in Hardinsburg.
[edit] Cities and towns
- Cloverport
- Hardinsburg
- Irvington
- McDaniels
- McQuady
- Webster
