Edmonson County, Kentucky

Edmonson County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,126.[1] Its county seat and only municipality is Brownsville.[2] The county was formed in 1825 and named for Captain John "Jack" Edmonson (1764–1813), who was killed at the Battle of Frenchtown during the War of 1812.[3][4][5][6] This is a dry county where the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Edmonson County is included in the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Edmonson County
County
Edmonson County Courthouse in Brownsville
Edmonson County Courthouse in Brownsville
Map of Kentucky highlighting Edmonson County
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Map of the United States highlighting Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°13′N 86°15′W
Country United States
State Kentucky
FoundedJanuary 12, 1825
Named forJohn Edmonson
SeatBrownsville
Largest cityBrownsville
Area
 • Total308 sq mi (800 km2)
 • Land303 sq mi (780 km2)
 • Water5.1 sq mi (13 km2)  1.7%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total12,126
 • Estimate 
(2022)
12,269 Increase
 • Density39/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitewww.edmonsoncounty.ky.gov

History

Edmonson County was established on January 12, 1825, from land given by Grayson, Hart and Warren counties. A courthouse built in 1873 replaced a former structure rendered unfit when its floor collapsed.[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 308 square miles (800 km2), of which 303 square miles (780 km2) is land and 5.1 square miles (13 km2) (1.7%) is water.[8]

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18302,642—
18402,91410.3%
18504,08840.3%
18604,64513.6%
18704,459−4.0%
18807,22262.0%
18908,00510.8%
190010,08025.9%
191010,4693.9%
192010,8944.1%
193011,4755.3%
194011,344−1.1%
19509,376−17.3%
19608,085−13.8%
19708,7518.2%
19809,96213.8%
199010,3574.0%
200011,64412.4%
201012,1614.4%
202012,126−0.3%
2022 (est.)12,269[9]1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2021[14]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 11,644 people, 4,648 households, and 3,462 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 per square mile (15/km2). There were 6,104 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (7.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.39% White, 0.58% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,648 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.50% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 males there were 92.50 females. For every 100 males age 18 and over, there were 89.33 females.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,413, and the median income for a family was $31,843. Males had a median income of $26,770 versus $17,158 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,480. About 14.20% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.50% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
United States presidential election results for Edmonson County, Kentucky[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 4,828 78.73% 1,227 20.01% 77 1.26%
2016 4,135 78.85% 979 18.67% 130 2.48%
2012 3,232 69.24% 1,374 29.43% 62 1.33%
2008 3,562 67.59% 1,652 31.35% 56 1.06%
2004 3,595 65.59% 1,856 33.86% 30 0.55%
2000 3,250 65.07% 1,710 34.23% 35 0.70%
1996 2,619 57.96% 1,595 35.30% 305 6.75%
1992 2,486 54.22% 1,653 36.05% 446 9.73%
1988 2,555 66.75% 1,243 32.47% 30 0.78%
1984 3,001 71.05% 1,200 28.41% 23 0.54%
1980 2,913 68.82% 1,252 29.58% 68 1.61%
1976 1,976 57.93% 1,418 41.57% 17 0.50%
1972 2,327 75.70% 722 23.49% 25 0.81%
1968 2,280 65.44% 679 19.49% 525 15.07%
1964 1,603 60.56% 1,022 38.61% 22 0.83%
1960 2,884 72.83% 1,076 27.17% 0 0.00%
1956 2,800 71.85% 1,092 28.02% 5 0.13%
1952 2,279 69.63% 992 30.31% 2 0.06%
1948 1,984 64.39% 1,031 33.46% 66 2.14%
1944 2,433 70.36% 1,016 29.38% 9 0.26%
1940 2,589 65.81% 1,332 33.86% 13 0.33%
1936 2,526 65.44% 1,329 34.43% 5 0.13%
1932 2,690 59.79% 1,796 39.92% 13 0.29%
1928 3,104 74.15% 1,076 25.70% 6 0.14%
1924 2,062 63.54% 1,183 36.46% 0 0.00%
1920 2,348 66.42% 1,171 33.13% 16 0.45%
1916 1,339 58.34% 935 40.74% 21 0.92%
1912 736 35.38% 799 38.41% 545 26.20%

Education
The combined Edmonson County High and Middle School complex is located in Brownsville.

There are currently five public schools operating as part of the Edmonson County School System. They are Kyrock Elementary (in the Kyrock community in northern Edmonson County), South Edmonson Elementary (near the Chalybeate community in southern Edmonson County), the Edmonson County Fifth/Sixth Grade Center, Edmonson County Middle School, and Edmonson County High School (all in Brownsville).

Transportation
A water tower along KY101 welcomes visitors as they enter southern Edmonson County.

There are two main routes that form the major transportation corridors through Edmonson County.

KY 70 is the primary west to east route, traversing the width of the county.

KY 259 enters Edmonson County at the border with Grayson County, near the town of Bee Spring. The highway continues on, bridging the Green River (the only bridge over the river in Edmonson County), before intersecting with KY 101. KY 259 then branches off in a southeastern direction while KY 101 continues as the main north–south route through the county, exiting into Warren County just south of the community of Chalybeate.

Additionally, KY 185 is a north–south route connecting Bowling Green with locations in the western part of the county and points north into Grayson County. I-65 passes through the southeastern tip of the county, but has no interchanges allowing access to the freeway within the county. I-65 parallels the older US 31W, which runs through a small southeastern portion of the county.

Attractions
Sign marking the boundary of Mammoth Cave National Park, the most popular tourist attraction in Edmonson County.

The biggest tourist attraction in Edmonson County is Mammoth Cave National Park, which usually draws almost 2 million visitors a year.[17] The park includes in its area roughly a fourth of the county.[18]

Located mostly in the northern part of Edmonson County, the Nolin Lake area was incorporated as a Kentucky State Park in 1996. The lake itself was created following the 1963 impounding of the Nolin River and construction of Nolin Dam. The lake offers fishing and other recreational opportunities.

Media
Publishing offices of the Edmonson News, the printed newspaper in Edmonson County.

Edmonson County is served by a weekly newspaper, the Edmonson News. The paper is sometimes referred to by its nickname, "the Gimlet", and carries the slogan "It Bores In". The paper has a circulation number of 3,704.[19]

Radio and television

Edmonson County is part of the Bowling Green radio and television markets, and is served mainly by that city's radio and TV outlets. Mediacom is the local cable provider serving the most of the county. In 2022, Glasgow-based South Central Rural Telephone Cooperative began servicing parts of Edmonson County and Warren County with cable, phone and internet service.

The unincorporated community of Wingfield, in southwestern Edmonson County, is home to the transmitting tower of adult hits-formatted radio station WKLX (100.7 FM, officially licensed in Brownsville) and low-powered television station WCZU-LD (channel 39). Both outlets operate outside of Edmonson County.[20]

Online blogs

Additionally, Edmonson County is also served by an online news website, Edmonson Voice.[21] It is a multimedia platform that operates as a combination of an online newspaper, a streaming broadcaster, and video report provider. The company serves as the main media outlet in the county with a weekly readership of over 23,000.[22]

Edmonson County on national television

Edmonson County has had national exposure on two occasions. On March 6, 2007, MTV wrote an article titled "Who's Joining The Army"[23] in which they stated Edmonson County has the highest Army enlistment rate of any county in the United States. In January 2017, the Edmonson County Sheriff's Department has been featured on A&E Television's Live PD in the 14th and 15th episodes of that program's first season.

Movies filmed in Edmonson County

Edmonson County was one of two main locations where two faith-based films, The Prayer Box and Christmas Manger, were filmed in 2017 and 2018, respectively.[24][25] Edmonson County is one of three other locations where the upcoming thriller film Horntak is being filmed.[26]

Video archive

Volunteers have digitized and created a repository of video related to Edmonson County High School on YouTube. The archive contains a variety of media, including graduation ceremonies, proms, and athletic events.[27]

Local Events
  • Big Brownsville Bash (early June, since 2022)
  • Edmonson County Lions Club Fair - early September (including a parade that takes place in downtown Brownsville on the second Friday of September), one of the longest-running county fairs in the state.
  • Nolin Fest (July or August) - at Nolin Lake State Park, organized by the Friends of Nolin Lake.
  • Annual Saddle Club Horse Show - Edmonson County Fairgrounds
  • Freedom Fest (late June) at the Chalybeate Sports Complex

Source: Edmonson County Tourism Commission

Communities

City

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Notable residents

See also

References
  1. "Census - Geography Profile: Edmonson County, Kentucky". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "Edmonson County". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. 2000. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  4. Rennick, Robert M. (1987). Kentucky Place Names. University Press of Kentucky. p. 89. ISBN 0813126312. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  5. The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 35.
  6. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 115.
  7. Hogan, Roseann Reinemuth (1992). Kentucky Ancestry: A Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research. Ancestry Publishing. p. 225. ISBN 9780916489496. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  9. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  12. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  14. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  17. NPS Reports Archived 2007-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
  18. Edmonson County, Kentucky map Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
  19. Edmonson News Archived 2008-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  20. "RabbitEars.Info". www.rabbitears.info. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  21. Edmonsonvoice.com
  22. "Stats". The Edmonson Voice. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  23. Rabinowitz, Michelle (March 6, 2007). "Who's Joining The Army? Lots Of Rural Kids - Election 2012 News". MTV. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  24. "Official Movie Trailer For The Prayer Box Shot in Edmonson County". EdmonsonVoice.com. September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  25. French, Jackson (December 10, 2018). "Edmonson-filmed movie starring Tara Reid gets local screening Sunday". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  26. Phipps, Sarah (September 26, 2023). "Thriller "Horntak" being filmed in Edmonson and surrounding counties". WBKO. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  27. "JOscarJr - YouTube". YouTube.

37.21°N 86.25°W / 37.21; -86.25

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