Frankfort is the capital of the Commonwealth of
Kentucky, a state of the United States of
America. It is also the county seat of Franklin County. The city has a population of 27,077 (July 2006 est.).
History
Gen. James Wilkinson purchased in 1786, the 260-acre tract of land on the north side
of the Kentucky River, which is now downtown Frankfort. He was an early promoter to make Frankfort the State Capitol. General
Wilkinson is called by some the father of Frankfort.
The town of Frankfort probably received its name from an event that took place in 1780's when Indians attacked a group of
pioneers from Bryan’s Station who were making salt at a ford in the Kentucky River. One of the pioneers, Stephen Frank, was
killed and the crossing became known as “Frank’s Ford.” Later this name was shortened to Frankfort.
After Kentucky became a state, five commissioners were appointed on June 20, 1792, to choose a location for the state capital.
They were John Allen and John Edwards (both from Bourbon Co.), Henry Lee (Mason Co.), Thomas Kennedy (Madison Co.), and Robert
Todd (Fayette Co.). A number of communities competed for this honor, but Frankfort won by perseverance and, according to early
histories, the offer of Andrew Holmes' log house as capitol for seven years, a number of town lots, £50 worth of locks and
hinges, 10 boxes of glass, 1500 pounds of nails, and $3000 in gold.[1]
John Brown a Virginia lawyer and statesman built a home, now called
Liberty Hall in Frankfort in 1796. Before statehood he represented Virginia in
the Continental Congress (1777-1778) and the U.S. Congress (1789-1791). While in Congress he introduced the bill granting Statehood to
Kentucky. Once that was accomplished, he was elected a U.S. Senator for
Kentucky.
The Kentucky General Assembly appropriated funds to provide a house to
accommodate the governor in 1796. Construction was completed in 1798. The Old Governor's
Mansion is reputed to be the oldest official executive residence still in use in the United States.
In 1829 the Old Capitol, the third Capitol of Kentucky was built in the
Greek Revival style by Gideon
Shryock. The building served the Commonwealth as its Capitol from 1830 until 1910.
During the American Civil War fortifications overlooking downtown Frankfort were
built on what is now called Fort Hill. The Confederate Army occupied Frankfort for a short time.
On February 3, 1900 Governor-elect William Goebel was assassinated in Frankfort while walking to the capitol to be inaugurated. Former-Secretary of State Caleb
Powers was later found guilty in a conspiracy to kill Goebel.
The city has seen considerable growth since the 1960's. The State Office Building (SOB) was completed in 1967. Capitol Plaza
was established in the 1970's. The Plaza consists of the Capitol Plaza Office Tower, the Capitol Plaza Hotel (formerly the
Holiday Inn, Frankfort), and the Fountain Place Shoppes.
Frankfort is home to several major distilleries of Kentucky Bourbon whiskey, including Buffalo Trace Distillery (formerly Ancient Age).
Historic Churches
Geography
Bird's eye view of the city of Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky 1871. Downtown Frankfort is seen in the foreground, while South
Frankfort lies across the river in the background. Fort Hill is in the lower left hand corner.
Hilltop view of modern day Frankfort. You can see the Kentucky River the left.
Frankfort is located at 38°11′50″N, 84°51′47″W (38.197274,
-84.863110)1. It is in the Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky.
The city is bisected by the Kentucky River, which makes an s-turn as it passes through
the center of town. The river valley widens at this point, which creates four distinct parts of town. The valley within the city
limits contains "downtown" and "south" Frankfort districts, which lie opposite one another on the river. The suburban areas on
either side of the valley are referred to as "west" Frankfort and "east" Frankfort, respectively.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 38.9 km² (15.0 mi²). 38.2 km² (14.7 mi²) of it
is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.87%) is water.
Frankfort does not have its own airport and all travellers should either fly into Bluegrass Airport or Louisville
Airport.
Climate
Frankfort is located at the northern extreme limit of the humid subtropical
climate of the Southeastern United States. It is proximal to the climatic transition zone where the subtropical Southeast
blends with and then eventually changes to a humid continental climate further
north (roughly just beyond Cincinnati, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana).
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 27,741 people, 12,314 households, and 6,945 families
residing in the city. The population density was 727.1/km² (1,883.2/mi²). There were
13,422 housing units at an average density of 351.8/km² (911.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.84% White, 14.70% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. 1.48% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 12,314 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were
non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% 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 2.83.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from
45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,980, and the median income for a family was $47,855. Males had a median
income of $31,339 versus $25,361 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$20,512. About 9.5% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
Frankfort is the focal point of a micropolitan statistical area
consisting of Frankfort and Franklin County as well as adjacent
Lawrenceburg and Anderson
County. The city has also achieved classification into a combined statistical
area with Lexington and Richmond
to the east.
Kentucky's Capitol building at night.
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The interior of the Capitol building
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A floral clock near the Capitol building
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Education
Frankfort is the home of Kentucky State University, a historically black
university situated near the downtown area. Two school districts serve the city, with
two public high schools and one city high school located within the city limits:
- Frankfort Independent Schools:
Frankfort also has several private schools:
- The Frankfort Christian Academy (P-12)
- Capital Day School (P-8)
- Good Shepherd School (K-8)
Sister City
Frankfort has one sister city:
Notable residents
References
- ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's
Who.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Coordinates:
38.197274° N 84.86311°
W
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