Ballard County, Kentucky
| Ballard County, Kentucky | |
 Ballard County Courthouse in Wickliffe, Kentucky
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 Location in the state of Kentucky |
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 Kentucky's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1842 |
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| Named for | Bland Ballard (1761–1853), soldier at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and Battle of River Raisin. |
| Seat | Wickliffe |
| Largest city | La Center |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
273.60 sq mi (709 km²) 251.16 sq mi (651 km²) 22.44 sq mi (58 km²), 8.20% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
8,249 33/sq mi (13/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www.ballardcounty.org |
Ballard County is a county located in west of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was created by the Kentucky State Legislature in 1842, and is named for Captain Bland Ballard, a soldier, statesman, and member of the Kentucky General Assembly.[1] He was one of the few Kentucky volunteers to survive the notorious River Raisin Massacre during the War of 1812. Its county seat is Wickliffe, Kentucky[2]. As of 2010 the population is 8,249. Ballard is a prohibition or dry county.
Ballard County is part of the Paducah, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
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Geography[edit]
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 273.60 square miles (708.6 km2), of which 251.16 square miles (650.5 km2) (or 91.80%) is land and 22.44 square miles (58.1 km2) (or 8.20%) is water.[3]
Adjacent counties[edit]
- Pulaski County, Illinois (north) – across the Ohio River
- McCracken County (east)
- Carlisle County (south)
- Mississippi County, Missouri (southwest) – across the Mississippi River
- Alexander County, Illinois (west) – across the Ohio River
History[edit]
Ballard County was formed from portions of Hickman County and McCracken County. It was named for Bland Ballard (1761–1853), a Kentucky pioneer and soldier who served as a scout for General George Rogers Clark during the American Revolutionary War, and later commanded a company during the War of 1812. On February 17, 1880, the courthouse was destroyed by a fire, which also destroyed most of the county's early records.[4]
Demographics[edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 5,496 |
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| 1860 | 8,692 | 58.2% | |
| 1870 | 12,576 | 44.7% | |
| 1880 | 14,378 | 14.3% | |
| 1890 | 8,390 | −41.6% | |
| 1900 | 10,761 | 28.3% | |
| 1910 | 12,690 | 17.9% | |
| 1920 | 12,045 | −5.1% | |
| 1930 | 9,910 | −17.7% | |
| 1940 | 9,480 | −4.3% | |
| 1950 | 8,545 | −9.9% | |
| 1960 | 8,291 | −3.0% | |
| 1970 | 8,276 | −0.2% | |
| 1980 | 8,798 | 6.3% | |
| 1990 | 7,902 | −10.2% | |
| 2000 | 8,286 | 4.9% | |
| 2010 | 8,249 | −0.4% | |
| http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21007.txt | |||
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 8,286 people, 3,395 households, and 2,413 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 per square mile (13 /km2). There were 3,837 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (5.8 /km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.32% White, 2.87% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
There were 3,395 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.85.
The age distribution was 23.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,130, and the median income for a family was $41,386. Males had a median income of $32,345 versus $20,902 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,035. About 10.70% of families and 13.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.30% of those under age 18 and 15.40% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns[edit]
Notable residents[edit]
Morris E. Crain, Medal of Honor recipient for his bravery during WWII.
Kenny Rollins, an American basketball player who was a member of the University of Kentucky's "Fab Five" who won the 1948 NCAA Championship, the 1948 Gold Medal Winning U.S. Olympic Team, and the NBA's Chicago Stags and Boston Celtics.
Axe Lake Swamp State Nature Preserve[edit]
Axe Lake Swamp State Nature Preserve is a 458 acres (1.85 km2) nature preserve located in Ballard County, in the Barlow Bottoms. The preserve is part of the 3,000-acre (12 km2) Axe Lake Swamp wetlands complex which supports at least eight rare plant and animal species. The site has been recognized as a priority wetland in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ http://www.kyenc.org/entry/b/BALLA02.html
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ http://genealogytrails.com/ken/ballard/
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ <Axe Lake Swamp State Nature Preserve web site URL accessed on 20 August 2006.
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