Mayfield

Mayfield, Kentucky
—  City  —
Graves County Courthouse in Mayfield, Kentucky
Location of Mayfield, Kentucky
Coordinates: 36°44′16″N 88°38′24″W / 36.73778°N 88.64°W / 36.73778; -88.64
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Graves
Area
- Total	6.7 sq mi (17.3 km2)
- Land	6.7 sq mi (17.3 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	476 ft (145 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	10,349
- Density	1,549.8/sq mi (598.4/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	42066
Area code(s)	270
FIPS code	21-50898
GNIS feature ID	0497715

Mayfield is a city in Graves County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,349 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Graves County^[1].

Despite being in a dry county (Graves), sales by the drink in restaurants of the city limits of Mayfield seating at least 100 diners and at the Mayfield Golf & Country Club are allowed. There are no Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages permitted, except at Mayfield Golf and Country Club.

History

During the Civil War, the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky, including Mayfield, was the area of strongest support for the Confederate cause. On May 29, 1861, a group of Southern sympathizers from Kentucky and Tennessee met at the Graves County Courthouse to discuss the possibility of aligning the Purchase with West Tennessee. Most records of the event were lost, possibly in an 1887 fire that destroyed the courthouse. In 1907, Fulton County judge Herbert Carr declared in a speech that the Mayfield Convention adopted a resolution for secession, and a historical marker in front of the courthouse also proclaims this as fact. However, the surviving records of the meeting, authored by a Union sympathizer, make no mention of this resolution, and historian Berry Craig opines that the convention believed the whole of Kentucky would eventually secede and make a resolution for the Purchase to break away unnecessary. Records do show that the convention adopted resolutions condemning President Lincoln for "waging a bloody and cruel war" against the South, urging Governor Beriah Magoffin to resist Union forces and praising him for refusing to answer Lincoln's call for soldiers, and condemning the provision of "Lincoln guns" to Union sympathizers in Kentucky. The convention also nominated Henry Burnett to represent Kentucky's First District in Congress. The Mayfield Convention was a precursor to the later Russellville Convention, which formed the provisional Confederate government of Kentucky.^[2]

Geography

Mayfield is located at 36°44′16″N 88°38′24″W / 36.73778°N 88.64°W / 36.73778; -88.64 (36.737693, -88.640122)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 10,349 people, 4,358 households, and 2,667 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.8 people per square mile (598.2/km²). There were 4,907 housing units at an average density of 734.8/sq mi (283.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.57% White, 13.31% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 3.48% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.86% of the population. Recent years have seen a large influx of Amish residents nearby.

There were 4,358 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,400, and the median income for a family was $27,463. Males had a median income of $29,324 versus $18,575 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,327. About 23.4% of families and 27.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.4% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Local media in Mayfield includes the Mayfield Messenger, a five-day (Monday through Friday) daily newspaper. Radio stations WLLE-FM, WNGO-AM, and WYMC-AM are licensed to Mayfield.

Sports teams

Mayfield was home to the Class D "Kitty League" Mayfield Pantsmakers, Mayfield Clothiers, and Browns from the 1920s to the 1950s.[1]

In 2009, Mayfield will be the home of the new KIT League team, West Kentucky Mavericks. Despite being based in Mayfield, the team will not play any home games and will play all of its games as "away" games.

Mayfield High School has won seven Kentucky High School Athletic Association championships in classes A and AA in a total of 13 appearances, with historical winning competition against larger schools, including arch rival Paducah Tilghman, Franklin-Simpson, Murray and Hopkinsville. Both consolidation and population loss have altered Kentucky high school competition classes, but many traditional rivalries continue.

Public high schools

Mayfield High School- nickname "Cardinals"
Graves County High School- nickname "Eagles"

Mid-Continent College is also located just north of Mayfield off U.S. Route 45.

Notable Residents

• Bobbie Ann Mason^[5] - Author
• Noble Jones Gregory^[6][7] - Former United States representative
• William Voris Gregory^[6] - Former United States representative
• Andrew Boone^[8] - Former United States representative
• Lucien Anderson^[6][9] - Former United States Representative
• Kent Robbins^[10] - Songwriter
• Chuck Taylor (pro wrestling) - Professional Wrestler
• Ellis Wilson - Artist
• Kevin Skinner - Musician & America's Got Talent Season 4 winner
• William H. Neely - Attorney
• Shannon Reed - Local Sports Legend
• Edward Marcus Nunnelee III - Educator
• Roth ("Pootsie") Stratton - Disc Jockey
• Glenn ("Buzz") Mitchell - Insurance Executive
• Spencer Byrn - Investment Advisor and Drug Counselor

References

• Craig, Berry F. (Autumn 2001). "The Jackson Purchase Considers Secession: The 1861 Mayfield Convention". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 99 (4): pp. 339–361. 

External links

• Mayfield, Kentucky is at coordinates 36°44′16″N 88°38′24″W / 36.737693°N 88.640122°W / 36.737693; -88.640122 (Mayfield, Kentucky)Coordinates: 36°44′16″N 88°38′24″W / 36.737693°N 88.640122°W / 36.737693; -88.640122 (Mayfield, Kentucky)
• Graves County Schools
• Mayfield and Graves County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism
• KHSAA Past Football Champions
• Graves County Cluster of United Methodist Churches

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