Pippa Passes, Kentucky

Pippa Passes, Kentucky
—  City  —
Location of Pippa Passes, Kentucky
Coordinates: 37°20′5″N 82°52′32″W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Knott
Area
• Total	0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
• Land	0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	991 ft (302 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	297
• Density	557.3/sq mi (215.2/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	41844
Area code(s)	606
FIPS code	21-61374
GNIS feature ID	0500757

Pippa Passes is a town in Knott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 297 at the 2000 census. The city is known for Alice Lloyd College.

Pippa Passes was incorporated as a Kentucky sixth-class city on 1 July 1983, and is governed by a mayor and city council. In 2009, the mayor was Scott Cornett, who is also baseball coach for Alice Lloyd College. The police department operates as a combined unit with the college's security organization.

Origin of name

The name of the town is a reference to Robert Browning's verse drama, Pippa Passes, which contains the lines "God's in His heaven, all's right with the world." Pippa works in a sweatshop every day of the year but three. On rare days off, she goes about town singing her song, containing the lines above, which unknown to her influences others to act for the good. The name "Pippa Passes" is supposed to be emblematic of the influence of unconscious good on the world.

The town had no post office when Alice Lloyd, founder of Alice Lloyd College, arrived in 1916. She solicited donations from the Browning Society to found the college and build a post office. The Browning Society suggested Pippa Passes as a name for the post office. The town was earlier Caney Creek and is still called that by its inhabitants.

Geography

Pippa Passes is at 37°20′5″N 82°52′32″W (37.334629, -82.875490). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1990	195		—
2000	297		52.3%
Est. 2008	447		50.5%
U.S. Census Bureau

In the census of 2000, there were 297 people, 48 households, and 30 families in the city. The population density was 557.3 per square mile (216.4/km²). There were 50 housing units at an average density of 93.8 per square mile (36.4/km²). The racial makeup was 97.31% White, 0.34% African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.68% Asian, and 0.34% from two or more races.

There were 48 households of which 39.6% had children under 18, 60.4% were married couples living together, 2.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 37.5% of households were made up of individuals and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size 3.47.

The age distribution was 13.8% under 18, 62.0% from 18 to 24 (primarily students at Alice Lloyd College), 12.8% from 25 to 44, 8.8% from 45 to 64, and 2.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 21. For every 100 females there were 24.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 17.4 males.

The median income for a household was $36,250, and the median for a family $73,250. Males had a median of $38,625 versus $25,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,780. 3.1% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under 18 but none of those 65 or over.