Hodgenville, Kentucky

Hodgenville, Kentucky
—  City  —
Town Square
Location of Hodgenville, Kentucky
Coordinates: 37°34′16″N 85°44′19″W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Larue
Area
• Total	1.7 sq mi (4.5 km2)
• Land	1.7 sq mi (4.5 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	728 ft (222 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	2,874
• Density	1,667.7/sq mi (643.9/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	42748
Area code(s)	270
FIPS code	21-37396
GNIS feature ID	0494334

Hodgenville is a city in and the county seat of LaRue County, Kentucky, United States. It sits along the North Fork of the Nolin River. The population was 2,874 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Hodgenville is located at 37°34′16″N 85°44′19″W (37.571015, -85.738512).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all land.

Demographics

Larue County Courthouse

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,874 people, 1,235 households, and 781 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,667.7 people per square mile (645.1/km²). There were 1,349 housing units at an average density of 782.8 per square mile (302.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.64% White, 11.27% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.

There were 1,235 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,132, and the median income for a family was $37,125. Males had a median income of $30,678 versus $18,095 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,794. About 16.9% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 21.5% of those age 65 or over.

Lincoln's statue in the town square

Federally, Hodgenville is part of Kentucky's 2nd congressional district, currently represented by Republican Brett Guthrie, elected in 2008.

History

Abraham Lincoln was born in a small cabin on Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville on February 12, 1809. A little over two years later, the family moved to another farm in the Hodgenville area. Despite claims made later, the cabin Lincoln was born in was likely destroyed by the time of his assassination. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site labels the replica cabin, which was built thirty years after his death, the "Traditional Lincoln Birthplace Cabin." However, the significance of the two Hodgenville sites (birthplace and boyhood home) are found in the setting itself. These two national sites still allow visitors to glimpse at the land that most influenced the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Hodgenville was originally founded by Robert Hodgen.