Knox County, Kentucky Explained

County:Knox County
State:Kentucky
Type:County
Founded Year:1799
Founded Date:December 19
Seat Wl:Barbourville
Largest City Wl:Barbourville
Area Total Sq Mi:388
Area Land Sq Mi:386
Area Water Sq Mi:1.5
Area Percentage:0.4
Census Yr:2020
Pop:30193
Pop Est As Of:2023
Population Est:29794
Density Sq Mi:auto
Time Zone:Eastern
Web:https://knoxfiscalcourt.com/
Ex Image:Knox County Kentucky Courthouse.jpg
Ex Image Cap:Knox County courthouse in Barbourville
District:5th

Knox County is a county located in Appalachia near the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,193.[1] Its county seat is Barbourville.[2] The county is named for General Henry Knox. It is one of the few coal-producing counties in Kentucky that has not suffered massive population loss. Knox County is included in the London, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Knox County was formed on December 19, 1799, from portions of Lincoln County.[3] It is usually assumed to be named for Henry Knox of Massachusetts, a Revolutionary War general and the first United States Secretary of War.[4] However, there is strong evidence that it was actually named for James Knox. Knox was a pre-war explorer and long hunter, a veteran of Dunmore's War and the Revolutionary War, a pioneer guide, road-builder, and legislator. Knox had used the Wilderness Road, which traverses the county, as an explorer and later oversaw its improvement into a wagon road.[5] [6] [7] [8]

The Civil War Battle of Barbourville was fought on September 19, 1861, between 800 Confederate soldiers from General Felix Zollicoffer's command and 300 Union troops who attempted to defend the Union's Camp Andrew Johnson. The Union men tore up the planks on the bridge in an attempt to keep the Confederates from crossing, but the more numerous Confederates succeeded anyway. They destroyed the camp and seized the arms and equipment it contained.

The present courthouse, completed in 1964, is the fifth courthouse to serve the county.[9]

The county has historically had coal mining as the driver of its economy. Unlike other areas of southeastern Kentucky, it has continued to maintain jobs and much of its population.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.4%) is water.[10]

Adjacent counties

Economy

The largest employers in Knox County are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,406 people), Retail Trade (1,331 people), and Educational Services (1,226 people). But the highest-paying jobs are with mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Real estate sales, and rental and leasing also pay well, followed by finance and insurance.[11]

Demographics

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 31,795 people, 12,416 households, and 8,939 families residing in the county. The population density was 82/sqmi. There were 13,999 housing units at an average density of 36/sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 97.84% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,416 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% 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 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $18,294, and the median income for a family was $23,136. Males had a median income of $24,833 versus $18,390 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,660. About 29.60% of families and 34.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.40% of those under age 18 and 28.90% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Knox County is part of the Unionist bloc of counties covering the eastern Pennyroyal Plateau and the western part of the Eastern Coalfield. Like all counties in this bloc, Knox County is majority white by a high proportion, strongly opposed secession,[13] and has been rock-ribbed Republican ever since the Civil War. The only Democrat to carry Knox County since then has been Lyndon Johnson during his 1964 landslide.

On the state level, Knox County has historically been strongly Republican, having only voted for the Democratic candidate for Governor six times since 1900. Since 2000, Knox County has voted for the Democratic candidate only once, in 2011.

Education

K–12

Three public school districts serve the county:[14]

Higher education

Union College, a small Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college, is located in Barbourville.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: State & County QuickFacts . July 13, 2022 . United States Census Bureau.
  2. Web site: Find a County . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx . May 31, 2011 . June 7, 2011 . National Association of Counties.
  3. Web site: 2000 . Knox County . August 22, 2014 . The Kentucky Encyclopedia.
  4. Book: The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1 . Kentucky State Historical Society . 1903 . 35.
  5. Book: Stephen, Aron . How the West was Lost: The Transformation of Kentucky from Daniel Boone to Henry Clay . Johns Hopkins University Press . 1999 . 0801861985 . Baltimore . 27.
  6. Book: Secrist, M. . Knox County, Kentucky: History Revealed Through Biographical and Genealogical Sketches of Its Ancestors . 2012 . 9781300402084.
  7. Web site: Curry . John . James Knox and Captain Dick: An Auspicious Encounter . May 13, 2021 . Traditional Artwork by Andrew Knez.
  8. Web site: Neville . Gabriel . August 19, 2017 . James Knox Was There Before Daniel Boone . May 13, 2017 . The 8th Virginia Regiment.
  9. Book: Hogan, Roseann Reinemuth . Kentucky Ancestry: A Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research . 1992 . Ancestry Publishing . 9780916489496 . 264 . July 26, 2013.
  10. Web site: August 22, 2012 . 2010 Census Gazetteer Files . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140812210847/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_21.txt . August 12, 2014 . August 17, 2014 . United States Census Bureau.
  11. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/knox-county-ky/ Knox County, KY Economy
  12. Web site: U.S. Census website . January 31, 2008 . United States Census Bureau.
  13. Copeland, James E.; ‘Where Were the Kentucky Unionists and Secessionists’; The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, volume 71, no. 4 (October 1973), pp. 344-363
  14. Web site: 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Knox County, KY . July 25, 2022 . U.S. Census Bureau. - Text list - For more detailed boundaries of the independent school districts see: Web site: Appendix B: Maps Of Independent School Districts In Operation In FY 2014-FY 2015 Using 2005 Tax District Boundaries – Barboursville ISD / Corbin ISD . Research Report No. 415 – Kentucky's Independent School Districts: A Primer . Office of Education Accountability, Legislative Research Commission . Frankfort, KY . 88, 99 (PDF p. 103, 113). September 15, 2015 .

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