Spencer County, Kentucky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Spencer County, Kentucky | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Kentucky |
|
 Kentucky's location in the USA |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1824 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Taylorsville |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
192 sq mi (497 km²) 186 sq mi (481 km²) 6 sq mi (15 km²), 3.07% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
11,766 63/sq mi (24/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern : UTC-5/-4 |
| Website: www.spencercountyky.gov | |
Spencer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed from land from nearby existing counties in 1824. As of 2005, the estimated population is 15,766. Its county seat is Taylorsville.6 The county is named for Spier Spencer. It is home to Taylorsville Lake, which serves as a major economic resource for the area, as well as a popular fishing area. Spencer is a dry county, where the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited. From 2000 to 2005 Spencer County ranked 19th out of all U.S. counties in percent growth with a 33% increase.
Contents |
[edit] History
Spencer County was formed in January 1824, by the 32nd Kentucky General Assembly. The land that now makes up Spencer County was taken from Bullitt County, Shelby County, and Nelson County. Spencer County became Kentucky's 77th county. The county was named for Kentucky's own Captain Spier Spencer a hero who fought gallantly and died in the Battle of Tippecanoe.
Later that year, in December 1824, Taylorsville was made the county seat. In 1829, the city was incorporated.[1]
During the American Civil War, the courthouse at Taylorsville was burned by Confederate guerrillas in January of 1865, but the county's records were saved.[2]
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 497 km² (192 mi²). 481 km² (186 mi²) of it is land and 15 km² (6 mi²) of it (3.07%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Shelby County (north)
- Anderson County (east)
- Nelson County (south)
- Bullitt County (west)
- Jefferson County (northwest)
[edit] Major Roadways
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 6,812 |
|
|
| 1840 | 6,581 | -3.4% | |
| 1850 | 6,842 | 4.0% | |
| 1860 | 6,188 | -9.6% | |
| 1870 | 5,956 | -3.7% | |
| 1880 | 7,040 | 18.2% | |
| 1890 | 6,760 | -4.0% | |
| 1900 | 7,406 | 9.6% | |
| 1910 | 7,567 | 2.2% | |
| 1920 | 7,785 | 2.9% | |
| 1930 | 6,606 | -15.1% | |
| 1940 | 6,757 | 2.3% | |
| 1950 | 6,157 | -8.9% | |
| 1960 | 5,680 | -7.7% | |
| 1970 | 5,488 | -3.4% | |
| 1980 | 5,929 | 8.0% | |
| 1990 | 6,801 | 14.7% | |
| 2000 | 11,766 | 73.0% | |
| http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21215.txt | |||
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 11,766 people, 4,251 households, and 3,358 families residing in the county. The population density was 24/km² (63/mi²). There were 4,555 housing units at an average density of 9/km² (24/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.50% White, 1.13% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,251 households out of which 38.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.90% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.00% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.00% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 33.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 101.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,042, and the median income for a family was $52,038. Males had a median income of $36,638 versus $24,196 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,848. About 7.70% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.90% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Education
As of 2005, there are four public schools in Spencer County.
- Spencer County High School, located at 520 Taylorsville Road, has an estimated 38 teachers and 800 students. The school building was built in 1982-83. The current principal is Tracy Bale.
- Spencer County Middle School, located at 1263 Mount Washington Road right behind Spencer County Elementary School, has an estimated 45 teachers and 620 students. The school building was built in 2004-05. The current principal is Dena Kent.
- Spencer County Elementary School, located at 1265 Mount Washington Road, has an estimated 52 teachers and 790 students. The school building was built in 1999-2000. The current principal is Karen Larimore.
- Taylorsville Elementary School, located at 206 Reasor Avenue, has an estimated 25 teachers and 490 students. The school building is the oldest in the district, having been since 1938. The current principal is Chuck Abell.
Until the early 2000s, there were only two public schools in the district, the elementary school (educating grades K-6) and the high school (educating grades 7-12). In 2000, a new elementary school was built, and the district split into a three-school system. Due to the fast growth of the county, a new middle school was built in 2004-05, and a second elementary school took residence in what had been the middle school. [3]
[edit] See also
- Dry county
- Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area
[edit] References
- ^ Spencer County History
- ^ http://kentucky.gov/kyhs/hmdb/MarkerSearch.aspx?mode=County&county=108
- ^ Spencer County Schools
