Richmond, Kentucky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Richmond, Kentucky | |
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| — City — | |
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| Nickname(s): Home Of Kentucky's Finest | |
| Motto: "The City That Works" | |
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| Coordinates: 37°44′41″N 84°17′37″W / 37.74472°N 84.29361°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Madison |
| Government | |
| - Type | City Mayor/Manager |
| - Mayor | Connie Lawson |
| - Manager | David Evans |
| Area | |
| - Total | 19.3 sq mi (49.9 km2) |
| - Land | 19.1 sq mi (49.5 km2) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 948 ft (289 m) |
| Population (2008) | |
| - Total | 32,895 |
| - Density | 1,420.4/sq mi (548.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 40475-40476 |
| Area code(s) | 859 |
| FIPS code | 21-65226 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0501827 |
Richmond is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Kentucky, United States.[1] It is named after Richmond, Virginia, and is the home of Eastern Kentucky University. The population of Richmond, Kentucky was 32,895 in 2008 and is expected to be 35,000 by 2010. Richmond is Kentucky's 6th largest city and the second largest city in the Bluegrass region. Richmond serves as a center for work and shopping for south central Kentucky.
Richmond is a principal city of the Richmond–Berea Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Madison and Rockcastle counties.
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[edit] History
The City of Richmond was founded in the year of 1798, by Colonel John Miller, who was active in the Revolutionary War as a soldier. According to local lore, Colonel Miller was attracted to the area by the uncommonly good spring water and friendly local Indian tribes. That same year, the Kentucky legislature approved moving the county seat from Milford to land that was owned by the Colonel Miller. The residents of Milford,adamantly opposed the move, and the county and residents of Richmond. This eventually led to a fight between Dave Kennedy (representing Milford) and William Kearly (represented Richmond). The results of this battle was never recorded, but the county approved the move in March 1798. On 4 July 1798, the new town was officially Richmond in honor of Miller's birthplace in Virginia. [2]
During the Civil War, the Union and Confederate Armies waged a pitched battle near Richmond on August 30, 1862. Troops under Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith routed soldiers commanded by Union General William Nelson. Of Wright's 6,500 men, only 1,200 escaped the battle and almost 4,500 were captured. [3] Some historians call this battle "the nearest thing to a Cannae ever scored by any general, North or South, in the course of the whole war." [4]
In 1906, Eastern Kentucky State Normal School was founded in Richmond to train teachers. There were 11 members of first graduating class in 1909. The college became a four-year school in 1922 and added graduate programs in 1935. In 1965, the institution was renamed Eastern Kentucky University.[5]
In the late 1990's and early 2000's, Richmond was the fastest growing city in Kentucky and one of the fastest growing cities in the south.[citation needed] Richmond is Kentucky's 6th largest city although it ranked 11th largest in the 2000 census.[citation needed]
[edit] Transportation
Richmond is served by Interstate 75 .
The Richmond Transit Service is a public transit system for the City of Richmond.[citation needed] Bus routes run throughout the city and make stops from 6am to Midnight on weekdays and Saturdays. There is also a public bus line that connects Richmond and Berea.[citation needed]
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.2 square miles (49.9 km²), of which, 19.1 square miles (49.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²)(0.73%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1970 | 16,861 |
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| 1980 | 21,705 | 28.7% | |
| 1990 | 21,183 | −2.4% | |
| 2000 | 27,257 | 28.7% | |
| Est. 2008 | 32,895 | 20.7% | |
| http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21067.txt | |||
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 27,152 people, 10,795 households, and 5,548 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,420.4 people per square mile (548.3/km²). There were 11,857 housing units at an average density of 620.3/sq mi (239.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.30% White, 8.27% African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.21% of the population.
There were 10,795 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.78.
The age distribution, influenced strongly by the presence of Eastern Kentucky University, is: 17.5% under the age of 18, 31.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 13.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,533, and the median income for a family was $36,222. Males had a median income of $30,817 versus $22,053 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,815. About 16.6% of families and 25.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Richmond is served by the Madison County Schools. [7] Schools located in Richmond include:
[edit] Elementary schools
- Daniel Boone
- Glenn Marshall
- Kirksville
- Kit Carson
- Mayfield
- White Hall
- Model Laboratory School
[edit] Middle schools
- B. Michael Caudill Middle School
- Clark-Moores Middle School
- Madison Middle School
- Model Laboratory School
[edit] High schools
- Madison Central High School
- Bellvue Education Center
- Model Laboratory School
[edit] Private Schools
- St. Mark Catholic School (grades PreK to 8)
[edit] Post-Secondary Education
[edit] Law and Government
Richmond operates under a City Manager form of government. The citizens elect a mayor and four city commissioners which form the Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners is the legislative body of the city government and represents the interests of the citizens when applicable. The Board of Commissioners appoints a city manager who administers the day-to-day operations of the city.
The mayor is elected for a term of four years. Each city commissioner is elected for a term of two years. The term of the city manager is indefinite.
[edit] Cityscape
The city has numerous parks, the most prominent being Lake Reba Recreational Complex. Paradise Cove, the city's aquatic center, is located in the complex along with a horse shoe pit, putt-putt golf course, football field, soccer field, baseball and softball fields, and a playground.
The downtown business district consists mostly of Victorian Style Structures. The only high rise in downtown is Madison Towers.
The majority of the city's high rises are located on the campus of EKU which include 20 stories (Commonwealth Hall), 16 stories (Keene Hall), 13 stories (Telford Hall), along with two 12 story high rises (Todd and Dupree Halls).
Developers Michael Eaves and Ed Worley have announced plans to rebuild five historic buildings on North First Street facing the Madison County Courthouse.
[edit] Media
[edit] Newspaper
The Richmond Register- daily (owned by Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc)[8]
[edit] Radio Stations
[edit] Notable Residents
- Kit Carson, born near Richmond in Madison County, Kentucky, but raised in Franklin, Missouri
- Cassius Marcellus Clay, abolitionist and politician; Minster to Spain and Russia, founder of the Republican Party
- Earle Combs, Yankee great, Hall of Fame member; longtime resident of the area
- Odon Guitar, a brigadier general of Missouri State Militia in the American Civil War
- Bette Henritze, stage, film and TV actress, born on May 23, 1924 at Betsy Lane, near Richmond
- Leigh Ann Hester of the Kentucky Army National Guard, first female in United States military history to be cited for valor in close quarters combat, for action near Salman Pak, Iraq on March 20, 2005; she is the first female recipient of the Silver Star Medal for valor in combat
- James B. McCreary, United States Senator and two-term Governor of Kentucky
- Samuel Freeman Miller, United States Supreme Court Justice
- Samuel Hanson Stone, Kentucky politician, born near Richmond
- Fiddlin' Doc Roberts, American old-time fiddler (April 26, 1897 - August 4, 1978)
[edit] References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Chamber of Commerce website, "City History", retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ The History Channel website. "This Day in Hisotry- August 30, 1862- The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky," retrieved August 28, 2009.
- ^ Foote, Shelby, The Civil War, A Narrative: Fort Sumter to Perryville, Random House, 1958, ISBN 0-394-49517-9
- ^ Eastern Kentucky University website, "About Eastern Kentucky University", retrieved August 28, 2009
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Madison County Schools website, retrieved August 28,2 009.
- ^ Community Newspaper Holdings website
[edit] External links
- Richmond, Kentucky is at coordinates 37°44′41″N 84°17′37″W / 37.74472°N 84.293562°WCoordinates: 37°44′41″N 84°17′37″W / 37.74472°N 84.293562°W
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