| Official Name: | Junction City, Kentucky |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Named For: | the L&N and Cincinnati Southern railroads |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kentucky |
| Subdivision Type2: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name2: | Boyle |
| Government Type: | Mayor-council government |
| Leader Title1: | City Council |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | April 8, 1882 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 2.01 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 2.01 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.01 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 2268 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1130.61 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 984 |
| Coordinates: | 37.5853°N -84.7903°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 40440 |
| Area Code: | 859 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 21-41338 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2404815 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2022 |
| Pop Est Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Est: | 2290 |
| Area Total Km2: | 5.21 |
| Area Land Km2: | 5.20 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.01 |
| Population Density Km2: | 436.54 |
Junction City is a home rule-class city[3] in Boyle County on its border with Lincoln County in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Junction City's population was 2,241 at the 2010 U.S. census.[4] It is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Junction City began when the Louisville and Nashville Railroad reached the area. It was originally known as "Goresburg" for the proprietors of the Gore Hotel. The Gore post office opened in 1880, and was renamed Goresburg in 1882. The town was renamed "Junction City" when the Cincinnati Southern Railway reached town later that year, its tracks intersecting those of the L&N. The city was formally incorporated April 8, 1882, by the state assembly.[5] The L&N station there was known as "Danville Junction" for its proximity to the larger city of Danville.
The southeastern part of Junction City was once the separate town of Shelby City, incorporated in 1867, and named for Kentucky's first governor Isaac Shelby, who lived and was buried nearby. This community's separate post office was known as "South Danville" when it was established April 26, 1866, renamed Shelby City the next year (the eastern portion of Junction City is still known as Shelby City), and closed in 1926. It was also known as "Briartown" and its L&N station was called "Danville Station". The tomb of Kentucky's first governor, Isaac Shelby, and his homestead Traveler's Rest, is located across the Lincoln County line, just south of this part of town.[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8sqkm, all land.[7]
The city lies in a broad valley south of Danville, and just north of the border between Boyle and Lincoln counties. Much of Junction City is concentrated along Shelby Street between the Cincinnati Southern tracks on the west and U.S. Route 127 on the east. The part of town east of US 127 is known as "Shelby City." Kentucky Route 37 and Kentucky Route 300 intersect in northwestern Junction City.
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 2,184 people, 876 households, and 617 families residing in the city. The population density was 1088.3/mi2. There were 945 housing units at an average density of 470.9/mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 97.53% White, 1.05% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.73% from other races, and 0.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.85% of the population.
There were 876 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.93.
27.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was US $29,569, and the median income for a family was $32,609. Males had a median income of $25,700 versus $21,688 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,258. About 14.5% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.