| Adair County, Kentucky | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Kentucky |
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 Kentucky's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1802 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Columbia |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
412 sq mi (1,067 km²) 407 sq mi (1,054 km²) 5 sq mi (13 km²), 1.31 |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
17,244 42.4/sq mi (16/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.columbia-adaircounty.com | |
| Named for: John Adair, Governor of Kentucky (1820–1824) | |
 Adair County Courthouse in Columbia, Kentucky
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Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1802. As of 2000, the population is 17,244. Its county seat is Columbia, Kentucky[1]. The county is named for John Adair, Governor of Kentucky 1820-24.
It was formed out of Green County in 1801.
Adair County also has one of the few remaining American Chestnut trees in America.
Adair County is a prohibition or completely dry county. It is represented in District 51 in the Kentucky House of Representatives by the Republican, John "Bam" Carney of Campbellsville, the seat of Taylor County. Its previous representatives, all Republicans, included were Russ Mobley, Ricky Lee Cox, Ray H. Altman, and Herman Rattliff. The state senator from District 16 is David L. Williams of Burkesville, the President of the Kentucky Senate. Williams's predecessor, Doug Moseley, who served from 1974-1987, formerly resided in Adair County.
Contents |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 412 square miles (1,067 km2), of which 407 square miles (1,054 km2) is land and 5 square miles (13 km2) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Taylor County north
- Casey County northeast
- Russell County east
- Cumberland County south
- Metcalfe County southwest
- Green County northwest
History
Adair County was formed on December 11, 1801 from sections of Green County. It was named after John Adair, commander of Kentucky troops in the Battle of New Orleans and Governor of Kentucky.
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 6,011 |
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| 1820 | 8,765 | 45.8% | |
| 1830 | 8,217 | −6.3% | |
| 1840 | 8,466 | 3.0% | |
| 1850 | 9,898 | 16.9% | |
| 1860 | 9,509 | −3.9% | |
| 1870 | 11,065 | 16.4% | |
| 1880 | 13,078 | 18.2% | |
| 1890 | 13,721 | 4.9% | |
| 1900 | 14,888 | 8.5% | |
| 1910 | 16,503 | 10.8% | |
| 1920 | 17,289 | 4.8% | |
| 1930 | 16,401 | −5.1% | |
| 1940 | 18,566 | 13.2% | |
| 1950 | 17,603 | −5.2% | |
| 1960 | 14,699 | −16.5% | |
| 1970 | 13,037 | −11.3% | |
| 1980 | 15,233 | 16.8% | |
| 1990 | 15,360 | 0.8% | |
| 2000 | 17,244 | 12.3% | |
| Est. 2006 | 17,650 | 2.4% | |
| http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21001.txt | |||
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 17,244 people, 6,747 households, and 4,803 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 per square mile (16 /km2). There were 7,792 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7.3 /km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.00% White, 2.55% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,747 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,055, and the median income for a family was $29,779. Males had a median income of $23,183 versus $17,009 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,931. About 18.20% of families and 24.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.60% of those under age 18 and 21.70% of those age 65 or over.
Festivals & Events
Events held in Adair County, Kentucky:
- Downtown Days, two-day festival on the streets of downtown Columbia. The event includes a parade, a beauty pageant, reenactment of the James/Younger Bank of Columbia robbery, 5-K run, pet show, train rides for the kids, kids carnival, face painting, inflatables, live entertainment, food, fun, clowns, choirs, and more.
Cities and towns
Other places
- Knifley - Northern Adair County that is across the Green River and meets Taylor County
- Breeding - Area between Columbia and Burkesville on Route 61 near the Cumberland County line. The zip code is 42715.
- Burton Ridge - Area between Columbia and Liberty on 206 centering on Purdy and Christine.
- Pellyton
- Sparksville - Area between Columbia, Kentucky and Burkesville before Breeding
Notable residents
- Robert Porter Caldwell (1821-1885), United States Congressman, was born in Adair County.[3]
- Janice Holt Giles (1909-1979), a writer noted particularly for her regional novels and nonfiction, lived in Adair County from 1949 until her death in 1979.[4]
- William Palmer Jones (1819-1897), born in Adair County, was a noted physician, academic journal editor, college professor, and member of the Tennessee State Senate.[3]
- Rudolph Neat (ca. 1754-ca. 1821), prominent pioneer Adair Countian in whose honor the Neatsville community is named.
See also
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.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
- ^ Janice Holt Giles.
Further Reading
Flowers, Randy; Nancy S. Willis, Beverly England, and Dorothy Gerrick. Adair County, Kentucky: A Pictorial History. Columbia, Kentucky: Adair County Genealogical Society. pp. 152.
External links
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