Morgan County, Kentucky

Morgan County, Kentucky
Morgan County, courthouse in West Liberty, Kentucky
Location in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded	1823
Named for	Daniel Morgan (1736–1802), Revolutionary War general.
Seat	West Liberty
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	383.73 sq mi (994 km²) 381.26 sq mi (987 km²) 2.47 sq mi (6 km²), 0.64%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	13,984 37/sq mi (14/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	[http://www.morgancounty.ky.gov www.morgancounty.ky.gov]

Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 13,948. Its county seat is West Liberty. The county is among the dry counties, which means that the sale of alcohol is restricted or prohibited.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 383.73 square miles (993.9 km²), of which 381.26 square miles (987.5 km²) (or 99.36%) is land and 2.47 square miles (6.4 km²) (or 0.64%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Rowan County (northwest)
• Elliott County (north)
• Lawrence County (northeast)
• Johnson County (east)
• Magoffin County (southeast)
• Wolfe County (southwest)
• Menifee County (west)

National protected area

• Daniel Boone National Forest (part)

History

Morgan County was formed on December 7, 1822 from portions of Bath County and Floyd County. It was named for Daniel Morgan, a general in the American Revolutionary War.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,948 people, 4,752 households, and 3,568 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 per square mile (14 /km²). There were 5,487 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.59% White, 4.38% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	2,857		—
1840	4,603		61.1%
1850	7,620		65.5%
1860	9,237		21.2%
1870	5,975		−35.3%
1880	8,455		41.5%
1890	11,249		33.0%
1900	12,792		13.7%
1910	16,259		27.1%
1920	16,518		1.6%
1930	15,130		−8.4%
1940	16,827		11.2%
1950	13,624		−19.0%
1960	11,056		−18.8%
1970	10,019		−9.4%
1980	12,103		20.8%
1990	11,648		−3.8%
2000	13,948		19.7%
http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21175.txt

There were 4,752 households out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.40% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.40% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 32.90% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 123.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,869, and the median income for a family was $26,135. Males had a median income of $23,966 versus $18,463 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,657. 27.20% of the population and 23.50% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 33.90% are under the age of 18 and 28.50% are 65 or older.

Cities and towns

• Caney
• Cannel City
• Cottle
• Crockett
• Dingus
• Elamton
• Elkfork
• Ezel
• Grassy Creek
• Lenox
• Malone
• Mima
• Mize
• Moon
• Ophir
• Relief
• Stacy Fork
• West Liberty
• White Oak
• Wrigley

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Morgan County, Kentucky

External links

• County Background and History
• Morgan County Schools
• The Kentucky Highlands Project