Barbourville, Kentucky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Barbourville is a city in Knox County, Kentucky, USA. The population was 3,589 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Knox County^GR6.

Barbourville is home to Union College. Famous past residents include

Green Adams, (1812-1884), born in Barbourville, United States Congressman^[1]
Missouri Governor Silas Woodson and United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Freeman Miller.
Kerri Mitchell, who attended Knox Central High School in Barbourville, was Miss Kentucky 2005.
Dr. Philip Sharp, who earned the Nobel Prize for work that fundamentally changed scientists' understanding of the structure of genes, received his undergraduate degree at Union College.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Sports
4 Drug use and availability
5 Further reading
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Barbourville is located at 36°51′40″N, 83°52′46″W (36.861027, -83.879550)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.0 km² (3.5 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,589 people, 1,454 households, and 859 families residing in the city. The population density was 397.1/km² (1,027.4/mi²). There were 1,646 housing units at an average density of 182.1/km² (471.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.40% White, 3.23% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.

There were 1,454 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 15.7% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $13,297, and the median income for a family was $20,762. Males had a median income of $31,775 versus $18,102 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,485. About 32.6% of families and 38.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.4% of those under age 18 and 30.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Sports

The two local high schools (Barbourville High School and Knox Central High School) have an extremely intense basketball rivalry. Due to the violence that sometimes occurred among spectators, the two schools did not play for many years, but a recent decision to seed their district tournament forces the schools to meet at least once yearly. Local radio station WKKQ has created a trophy for the annual "Battle of the Blue." Barbourville has won both of these contests (2006 and 2007).

[edit] Drug use and availability

Drug use in Barbourville has continued to rise over the years despite several efforts to clean up the city. In 2005 78 people were arrested for drug-related crimes. In 2006 there were 123 arrests for drug-related crimes, and in 2007 there is estimated to be over 200. Benzodiazepines, Cocaine, Alcohol, and Cannabis are widely distributed in Barbourville. Alcohol is distributed via so-called bootleggers while xanax and other benzodiazepines are obtained through unlawful prescription medication. Some people in the city have decided that the drug law does not work within the city and a select few are pushing for new laws. The Decriminalization of cannabis in the United States movement is currently widespread throughout the country and some people think that it should be decriminalized in Barbourville for private consumption up to one ounce. This law would be similar to Denver, Colorado's recent law allowing for possession of 28.45 grams (one ounce) of marijuana by persons age 21 or older legally. Whether the city will do anything about its drug problem has yet to be seen.

Barbourville is a part of a drug enforcement program entitled Operation UNITE along with 29 other counties in southern and eastern Kentucky.

[edit] Further reading

For a depiction of early Barbourville see: Michael A. Ross, “Hill Country Doctor: The Early Life and Career of Supreme Court Justice Samuel F. Miller in Kentucky, 1816-1849,” The Filson History Quarterly, Vol. 71 (October 1997): 430-462.