Danville

Danville, Kentucky
—  City  —
Downtown Danville
Nickname(s): "The City of Firsts," "Birthplace of the Bluegrass"
Coordinates: 37°38′44″N 84°46′11″W / 37.64556°N 84.76972°W / 37.64556; -84.76972Coordinates: 37°38′44″N 84°46′11″W / 37.64556°N 84.76972°W / 37.64556; -84.76972
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Boyle
Settled	1783
Incorporated	1787
Government
- Mayor	Hugh Coomer
- City Manager	Paul Stansbury
- Commissioner	Kevin Caudill Terry Crowley Jamey Gay Janet Hamner[1]
Area
- Total	15.8 sq mi (40.9 km2)
- Land	15.65 sq mi (40.5 km2)
- Water	0.15 sq mi (0.4 km2)  .06%
Elevation	984 ft (300 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	15,477
- Density	980.4/sq mi (378.5/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	40422-40423
Area code(s)	859
FIPS code	21-19882
GNIS feature ID	0490584
Website	http://www.danvilleky.org/

Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States.^{[2][page needed]} The population was 15,477 at the 2000 census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties.

In 2001, Danville received a Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.^[3]

History

Danville is called the "City of Firsts".

• It housed the first Courthouse in Kentucky
• It had the first U.S. Post Office west of the Allegheny Mountains
• It hosts the first state-supported school for the deaf.
• In it, Ephraim McDowell became the first physician in the world to successfully remove an ovarian tumor.
• It is home to the oldest college administration building and campus west of the Allegheny Mountains at Centre College.

Boyle County Courthouse in Danville

Danville was part of the Great Settlement Area around Harrod's Fort (now Harrodsburg), which was first settled in 1774. Walker Daniel, Kentucky's first District Attorney, bought 76 acres (310,000 m²) from settler John Crow on the Wilderness Road and had it surveyed for a town in 1783-1784. The city was probably named for Daniel.^[4] The Virginia Legislature officially established Danville on December 4, 1787.

Between 1784 and 1792, ten conventions were held in Danville to petition for better governance and ultimately to secure independence from Virginia. In 1786 the Danville Political Club was organized. It met each Saturday night at Grayson’s Tavern to discuss the political, economic, and social concerns. After a state constitution was adopted and separation was confirmed in 1792, the town ceased to be of statewide importance and its leading citizens moved to elsewhere.^[5]

Transylvania University was founded in Danville in 1783. It moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 1789. Center College was founded in 1819. Danville Theological Seminary was founded in 1853; in 1901 it became part of the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The Caldwell Institute for Young Ladies was founded in 1860. It became Caldwell Female College in 1876, Caldwell College in 1904, Kentucky College for Women in 1913, and merged into Centre College in 1926.^[6]

In November 1806, Meriwether Lewis, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, visited Danville while traveling the Wilderness Road to Washington DC to report on the expedition. In December 1806, William Clark visited his nephews in school in Danville before following Lewis to Washington.^[7]

In 1842, Boyle County was formed from southern Mercer County and northern Lincoln County. Danville became its county seat.

In 1850, Danville and Boyle County backed construction of the Lexington and Danville Railroad . Money ran out when the railroad reached Nicholasville, Kentucky and John A. Roebling had built towers for a suspension bridge over the Kentucky River (Roebling lived in Danville during the construction). Despite the lack of a railroad to Danville, the county still owed $150,000; it completed payment on time in 1884. ^[5][8]

In 1860, a fire devastated the city, destroying 64 buildings and causing over $300,000 in damages. Boyle County's courthouse was among the destroyed buildings; its replacement was completed in 1862.^[6] After the Battle of Perryville in the American Civil War on October 8, 1862, the courthouse was appropriated by Union forces for use as a hospital. On October 11, a Union force drove Confederate forces from the county fairgrounds through Danville.^[7]

In 1775, Archibald McNeill planted Kentucky's first recorded hemp crop at Clark's Run Creek near Danville. Boyle County became one of ten Kentucky counties which together produced over 90% of the US yield in 1889. It was the state's largest cash crop until 1915 when it lost its market to imported jute.^[7]

On October 5 2000, Dick Cheney and Senator Joe Lieberman, candidates for Vice President of the United States, debated at Centre College during the 2000 presidential election.

Geography

Danville is located at 37°38′44″N 84°46′11″W / 37.6456°N 84.7698°W / 37.6456; -84.7698.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.8 sq mi (40.9 km²), of which, 15.65 sq mi (40.5 km²) of it is land.

Transportation

Bus

• A bus service connects points inside Danville.^[9] Another connects Danville to Lexington.^[10]

Road

• U.S. Route 127 bisects Danville northwest (Harrodsburg) to south (Liberty).
• U.S. Route 150 bisects Danville west (Perryville, Springfield) to southeast (Stanford).
• U.S. Route 127 and U.S. Route 150 also bypass Danville on the west and south.
• Kentucky Route 33 enters Danville from north (Burgin, Versailles).
• Kentucky Route 34 connects Danville northeast to U.S. Route 27 and on to Lexington.
• Kentucky Route 52 connects Danville east to Lancaster.

Air

• Blue Grass Airport (LEX) in Lexington, Kentucky (35 miles (56 km))
• Louisville International Airport (SFD) in Louisville, Kentucky (82 miles (132 km)
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) near Cincinnati, Ohio (127 miles (204 km))
• Stuart Powell Field (DVK) a general aviation airport (3 miles (4.8 km))

Rail

• Norfolk Southern Railway operates a freight rail yard in Danville. Its Louisville-Chattanooga line meets its Cincinnati-Chattanooga line in Danville.

Climate

Demographics

As of the census^{[13][page needed]} of 2000, there were 15,477 people, 6,223 households, and 4,013 families residing in the city. The population density was 378.4 /km² (980.1 /sq mi). There were 6,734 housing units at an average density of 164.7 /km² (426.6 /sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 83.67% White, 13.02% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population.

Of the 6,223 households, 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.82.

22.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.

The median income for a household was US $32,938, and the median income for a family was $40,528. Males had a median income of $35,327 versus $24,542 for females. The per capita income was $18,906. About 9.4% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Centre College

Public Schools

Danville is served by two school districts:

Danville Schools serves the city of Danville.^[14]

• Mary G. Hogsett Elementary (279 students)
• Jennie Rogers Elementary (264 students)
• Edna L. Toliver Elementary (262 students)
• Bate Middle School (414 students)
• Danville High School (551 students)

Boyle County School District serves areas of Danville and the remainder of Boyle County.^[15]

• Junction City Elementary (315 students)
• Perryville Elementary (259 students)
• Woodlawn Elementary (570 students)
• Boyle County Middle School (704 students)
• Boyle County High School (862 students)

Kentucky School for the Deaf

Private Schools

• Danville Christian Academy
• Danville Montessori School

Colleges and Universities

• Bluegrass Community and Technical College Danville campus
• Centre College
• Eastern Kentucky University Danville campus
• Midway College Danville campus
• National College Danville campus

Culture

Places of Interest

• Centre College, a top liberal arts college and host to the 2000 Vice Presidential debates.
• Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge
• Community Arts Center, an historic Beaux Arts building and a hub for local artist activity
• Confederate Monument, a statue dedicated to Kentucky's Civil War veterans
• Constitution Square, where the first Kentucky constitution was written and signed
• Crow-Barbee House, the oldest stone structure west of the Allegheny Mountains
• Jones Visual Arts Center, a gallery and primary studio for internationally known glass artist Stephen Rolfe Powell
• Danville National Cemetery, where dead from the Battle of Perryville are buried
• Ephraim McDowell House Museum, where the groundbreaking ovariotomy took place
• Great American Dollhouse Museum, a 6,000 square feet (560 m²) social history museum in miniature
• Norton Center for the Arts, host of numerous performing and visual arts events throughout the year
• Perryville Battlefield, where a significant Civil War battle took place
• Pioneer Playhouse, the oldest outdoor theater in Kentucky.
• West T. Hill Community Theatre

Annual Events

• Great American Balloon Race - June
• Great American Brass Band Festival - June
• Boyle County Fair - June
• Constitution Square Festival - September
• Forkland Heritage Festival - October
• Perryville Battle Reenactment - October

Media

• The Advocate-Messenger, a daily (except Saturday) newspaper serving Danville and surrounding counties.
• WDFB-AM (1170 AM)
• WDFB-FM (88.1 FM)
• WHBN (1420 AM)
• WHIR (1230 AM)
• WLAI (107.1 FM)
• WRNZ (105.1 FM)

Films Shot in Danville

• Raintree County (1957)
• Operation Raintree (1957) - Promotional short film for Raintree County
• Treasure Of Matecumbe (1976)
• Child of Glass (1978) (TV)

Notable Residents

• William Clayton Anderson (U.S. Congressman)
• Joshua Fry Bell (Politician) Namesake of Bell County, Kentucky
• James G. Birney (Presidential Candidate, Abolitionist) He drew enough votes in New York to cost Henry Clay the Presidency in 1844
• John Boyle (U.S. Congressman) Namesake of Boyle County, Kentucky
• John C. Breckinridge (U.S. Vice President, Presidential Candidate, Confederate general and Secretary of War)
• John Brown (Delegate to Continental Congress, U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator)
• Rev. Samuel D. Burchard (Clergyman) His "Rum, Romanism and rebellion" speech may have cost James G. Blaine the 1884 presidential election
• Michael Burns (Historian, actor)
• Rick Dees (Radio Personality) Maintains a farm near Danville, complete with radio studio from which he would sometimes broadcast his Los Angeles morning show.
• Todd Duncan (Opera Singer and Actor)
• John Marshall Harlan (U.S. Supreme Court Justice) "The Great Dissenter"
• Larnelle Harris (Gospel Singer)
• Harvey Helm (U.S. Congressman)
• John Kincaid (Politician)
• Robert P. Letcher (Politician) 15th governor of Kentucky
• Ephraim McDowell (Surgeon) Performed the world's first ovariotomy.
• Samuel McDowell (War hero and politician) Instrumental in forming Kentucky
• Eddie Montgomery (Musician) One half of the country music duo Montgomery Gentry
• John Norvell (Newspaper editor and U.S. Senator)
• Theodore O'Hara (Poet)
• William Owsley (Politician, Jurist)
• Stephen Rolfe Powell (Glass artist)
• Hugh L. Scott (Army general)
• Albert G. Talbott (Politician)
• Jacob Tamme (Professional Athlete)

Major Employers

Major employers in Danville include^[16]

Sister Cities

Danville has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International.

• Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom^[17]

References

External links

Kentucky portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Danville, Kentucky

• City of Danville, KY
• Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Danville, Boyle County Chamber of Commerce
• Danville/Boyle County Economic Development Partnership

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Boyle County, Kentucky County seat: Danville Cities Danville | Junction City | Perryville Unincorporated communities Forkland | Mitchellsburg | Parksville

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