Nelson County, Kentucky

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]

This article is about the Kentucky county formed in 1784 as Nelson County, Virginia. For the Virginia county of the same name formed in 1807, see Nelson County, Virginia.

Nelson County
County
County of Nelson
Nelson County Courthouse in Bardstown
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°48′N 85°28′W
Country United States
State Kentucky
FoundedNovember 29, 1784
Named forThomas Nelson Jr.
SeatBardstown
Largest cityBardstown
Area
 • Total424 sq mi (1,100 km2)
 • Land418 sq mi (1,080 km2)
 • Water6.6 sq mi (17 km2)  1.5%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
45,851
 • Density104/sq mi (40/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitewww.nelsoncountyky.com

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, Kentucky in 1784, shortly after the Revolutionary War.[3][4] The county was named for Thomas Nelson Jr., the Virginia Governor who signed the Declaration of Independence.[5] In 1807, after Kentucky had become a state, a newly created Virginia county was named in his honor.

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) are land and 6.6 square miles (17 km2) (1.5%) are covered by water.[6]

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
179011,315—
18009,866−12.8%
181014,07842.7%
182016,27315.6%
183014,932−8.2%
184013,637−8.7%
185014,7898.4%
186015,7996.8%
187014,804−6.3%
188016,60912.2%
189016,417−1.2%
190016,5871.0%
191016,8301.5%
192016,137−4.1%
193016,5512.6%
194018,0048.8%
195019,5218.4%
196022,16813.6%
197023,4775.9%
198027,58417.5%
199029,7107.7%
200037,47726.1%
201043,43715.9%
2018 (est.)45,851[7]5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[12] of 2010, 43,437 people inhabited the county.[13] The population density was 102.4 per square mile (39.5/km2). Its 18,075 housing units averaged 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. About 2.04% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 16,826 households, 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 not families. Of all households, 24.41% 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 have not yet been released. As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $39,010, and 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

Many attractions and events are available in Bardstown. The following is 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-tall (4.1 m) 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.

Politics
Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 64.6% 13,431 30.9% 6,434 4.5% 937
2012 57.6% 10,673 41.1% 7,611 1.3% 249
2008 55.9% 10,139 42.2% 7,654 2.0% 353
2004 60.3% 10,161 38.7% 6,524 0.9% 159
2000 57.2% 7,714 40.6% 5,481 2.2% 293
1996 41.6% 4,645 48.3% 5,392 10.1% 1,122
1992 38.5% 4,495 46.6% 5,437 14.9% 1,740
1988 51.9% 5,283 47.0% 4,788 1.1% 108
1984 58.6% 6,044 40.7% 4,199 0.7% 76
1980 36.8% 3,349 60.5% 5,514 2.8% 251
1976 37.4% 2,804 59.4% 4,454 3.3% 246
1972 53.5% 3,495 43.3% 2,828 3.1% 205
1968 34.3% 2,373 49.5% 3,420 16.2% 1,123
1964 23.1% 1,683 76.6% 5,586 0.4% 27
1960 39.1% 3,021 60.9% 4,713 0.0% 0
1956 55.8% 4,107 44.0% 3,240 0.2% 18
1952 47.2% 3,064 52.6% 3,417 0.2% 13
1948 31.8% 1,715 65.8% 3,556 2.4% 130
1944 36.8% 2,136 62.8% 3,648 0.5% 27
1940 33.4% 2,109 66.5% 4,193 0.1% 8
1936 30.1% 1,913 66.6% 4,234 3.3% 211
1932 28.4% 2,100 71.2% 5,272 0.4% 29
1928 42.0% 2,926 57.9% 4,031 0.0% 3
1924 34.6% 2,082 64.1% 3,863 1.3% 79
1920 36.7% 2,945 63.0% 5,061 0.3% 27
1916 36.6% 1,546 62.5% 2,639 0.8% 35
1912 19.9% 751 60.1% 2,275 20.0% 758

Notable residents

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "Nelson County". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. 2000. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  4. Collins, Lewis (1882). Collins' Historical Sketches of Kentucky: History of Kentucky, Volume 2. Collins & Company. p. 26.
  5. The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. p. 36.
  6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  7. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  13. "2010 Demographic Profile Data: Nelson County, Kentucky". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  14. Delong, Hettie (1992). "Rooster Run". In Kleber, John E. (ed.). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 5, 2018.

Further reading
Government
General information

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