Richmond

Richmond, Kentucky
Madison County courthouse in Richmond
Nickname(s): Home Of Kentucky's Finest
Motto: "The City That Works"
Location of Richmond, Kentucky
Coordinates: 37°44′41″N 84°17′37″W / 37.74472°N 84.29361°W / 37.74472; -84.29361
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Madison
Government
- Mayor	Connie Lawson
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.

Richmond is a principal city of the Richmond–Berea Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Madison and Rockcastle counties.

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. This same year, the county seat was moved from Milford to Richmond, which was the area owned by the Colonel at the time.

This caused numerous fights between residents of Milford, and the county and residents of Richmond who adamantly opposed the move. This resulted in a duel between Dave Kennedy and William Kearly (represented Richmond).^{[citation needed]}

These fights' results were never recorded, but based on the fact that the county seat was changed to Richmond, it can be assumed that Richmond did in fact win. The name was officially given to the community in 1798 in honor of Miller's birthplace, Richmond, Virginia.

Geography

Richmond is located at 37°44′41″N 84°17′37″W / 37.74472°N 84.29361°W / 37.74472; -84.29361 (37.744720, -84.293562)^[2].

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) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.73%) is water.

Education

Elementary schools

• Daniel Boone
• Glenn Marshall
• Kirksville
• Kit Carson
• Mayfield
• White Hall
• Model Laboratory School

Middle schools

• B. Michael Caudill Middle School (opening in Fall 2009)
• Clark-Moores Middle School
• Madison Middle School
• Model Laboratory School

High schools

• Madison Central High School
• Model Laboratory School

Post-Secondary Education

• Eastern Kentucky University
• National College

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.

Connie Lawson is the Mayor of Richmond.

On November 4, 2008, all of the City Commission seats were up for election. Rita Smart took one of the seats, while Robert Blythe, Bill Strong, and Mike Brewer kept their seats.

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.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] 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.

Notable Residents

• Kit Carson, born near Richmond in Madison County, Kentucky, but raised in Franklin, Missouri
• 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)

References

External links

• City of Richmond
• CityofRichmondKentucky.org

• Richmond, Kentucky is at coordinates 37°44′41″N 84°17′37″W / 37.74472°N 84.293562°W / 37.74472; -84.293562 (Richmond, Kentucky)Coordinates: 37°44′41″N 84°17′37″W / 37.74472°N 84.293562°W / 37.74472; -84.293562 (Richmond, Kentucky)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Madison County, Kentucky County seat: Richmond Cities Berea | Richmond Unincorporated communities Bighill | Boonesborough | Bybee | Kirksville | Round Hill | Waco | Valley View

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