| County: | Greenup County |
| State: | Kentucky |
| Founded Year: | 1803 |
| Seat Wl: | Greenup |
| Largest City Wl: | Flatwoods |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 354 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 344 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 10 |
| Area Percentage: | 2.8 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 35962 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Est: | 35221 |
| Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Eastern |
| Web: | http://greenupcounty.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx |
| Ex Image: | Greenup County, Kentucky courthouse.jpg |
| Ex Image Cap: | Greenup County courthouse in Greenup |
| District: | 4th |
Greenup County is a county located along the Ohio River in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,962.[1] The county was founded in 1803 and named in honor of Christopher Greenup.[2] Its county seat is Greenup.[3] Greenup County is part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Located with its northern border formed by the Ohio River, Greenup County was organized by an act of the General Assembly of Kentucky on December 12, 1803, from Mason County, which included the majority of eastern Kentucky at the time.
Three courthouses have served Greenup County.[4] The first courthouse, built of logs, was replaced by a brick structure in 1811.[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (2.8%) is water.[6]
Like most eastern Kentucky counties, Greenup County is predominantly made up of rolling hills and valleys. The land in the Ohio River valley is generally flat and mostly populated by industry, commerce and residential development. Beyond this the land gives way to a series of hills and valleys that are representative of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It is relatively sparsely inhabited by farmers. Among these hills, popular fishing spots can be found among the Little Sandy River, Greenbo Lake, and Tygarts Creek. Greenup County's land is still predominantly covered by forest with minimal clear cutting of the old forests.
The soil has long supported a healthy agriculture and livestock industry. Traditionally, this has meant a sizeable tobacco base and cattle ranching. Since the late 20th century, as traditional agriculture products have been dominated by industrial-scale agri-corporations, growth has been seen in non-traditional products such as American Quarter Horses, ostriches, and marijuana.
U.S. Highway 23 is the primary route for travel through Greenup County. It enters Greenup County at the southeasternmost point and follows the Ohio River north along the eastern border passing through Russell, Flatwoods, Raceland, Wurtland, Greenup and South Shore. It then exits just west of South Shore crossing the Ohio River via the U.S. Grant Bridge into Portsmouth, Ohio and continuing north towards Columbus, Ohio.
The AA Highway begins at U.S. Highway 23 and connects to U.S. Highway 52 in Ohio via the Jesse Stuart Memorial Bridge. The AA Highway (also known as Route 10) runs west intersecting Route 7 and eventually exiting west into Lewis County. Since its completion in 1995, the AA Highway has allowed Northeastern Kentucky residents to more easily travel to Maysville, Kentucky as well as Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio.
The northern terminus of the Industrial Parkway (Kentucky Route 67) ends at U.S. Highway 23 at Wurtland. This highway serves to connect Wurtland and the surrounding towns of Greenup, Flatwoods and the unincorporated area of Argillite to the EastPark industrial park and Interstate 64 in Carter County.
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 36,891 people, 14,536 households, and 11,032 families residing in the county. The population density was 107/sqmi. There were 15,977 housing units at an average density of 46/sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 98.07% White, 0.57% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 0.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 14,536 households, out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.30% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.10% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% 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 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,142, and the median income for a family was $38,928. Males had a median income of $35,475 versus $21,198 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,137. About 11.60% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 9.90% of those age 65 or over.
The current officials of Greenup County are:[8]
Greenup County is a part of the 20th Judicial Circuit (general jurisdiction) and the 20th Judicial District (limited jurisdiction) of the Kentucky Court of Justice (the state's unified court system), which includes neighboring Lewis County. The officials in the 20th Judicial Circuit are:[9] [10]
The judge in the 20th Judicial District is:
Misdemeanor criminal cases brought in District Court are prosecuted by the County Attorney's office.
Greenup County is a moist county, meaning that sale of alcohol in the county is prohibited except in certain areas as voted on by the residents of the area, including at least one area where full retail sales are permitted. In the case of Greenup County, alcohol sales are permitted in the following areas:
The sale of alcohol is prohibited in the cities of Flatwoods, Worthington, Wurtland and in all areas of unincorporated Greenup County outside the River Bend Golf Course.
