Adair County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Adair County Courthouse in Columbia | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
| Coordinates:37°07′N85°17′W / 37.11°N 85.28°W /37.11; -85.28 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1801 |
| Named after | John Adair |
| Seat | Columbia |
| Largest city | Columbia |
| Area | |
• Total | 412 sq mi (1,070 km2) |
| • Land | 405 sq mi (1,050 km2) |
| • Water | 7.1 sq mi (18 km2) 1.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 18,903 |
• Estimate (2024) | 19,239 |
| • Density | 46.7/sq mi (18.0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Adair County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofKentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 18,903.[1] Itscounty seat and only municipality isColumbia.[2] The county was founded in 1801 and named forJohn Adair, then Speaker of the House in Kentucky and laterGovernor of Kentucky (1820–1824).[3] Adair County has some of the few survivingAmerican Chestnut trees in the United States.[4][5]
Adair County was formed on December 11, 1801, from sections ofGreen County.[6] Columbia was chosen as the county seat the following year[6] and the first courthouse was built in 1806.
The county was named in honor ofJohn Adair, a veteran of the Revolutionary War and Northwest Indian War. Later he commanded Kentucky troops in theBattle of New Orleans. He served as the eighthGovernor of Kentucky.[6] This was the 44th ofKentucky's 120 counties to be organized.[6]
After theAmerican Civil War, a gang of five men, believed to includeFrank andJesse James from Missouri, robbed the Bank of Columbia of $600 on April 29, 1872. They killed the cashier, R.A.C. Martin, in the course of the robbery.[7]
The courthouse on the Columbia town square, completed in 1884, replaced the original 1806 courthouse.[8]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 412 square miles (1,070 km2), of which 405 square miles (1,050 km2) is land and 7.1 square miles (18 km2) (1.7%) is water.[9] It is part of thePennyroyal Plateau region of Kentucky and is part of westernAppalachia.[6] Over 40% of the county's land is covered with timber.[6]
TheGreen River is the county's major waterway but is not commercially navigable.[6] The river was impounded to formGreen River Lake, the major feature ofGreen River Lake State Park, which lies in Adair andTaylor counties.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 6,011 | — | |
| 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% | |
| 2010 | 18,656 | 8.2% | |
| 2020 | 18,903 | 1.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 19,239 | [10] | 1.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13] 1990-2000[14] 2010-2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 18,903. The median age was 40.6 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.5 males age 18 and over.[15][16]
The racial makeup of the county was 91.6%White, 2.8%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race, and 3.6% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.4% of the population.[16]
26.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 73.5% lived in rural areas.[17]
There were 7,364 households in the county, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present.[15] About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15] There were 8,600 housing units, of which 14.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.5% were owner-occupied and 27.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.2%.[15]
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 17,244 people, 6,747 households, and 4,803 families residing in the county. Thepopulation 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 orAfrican American, 0.22%Native American, 0.26%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.19% fromother races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population wereHispanic orLatino 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. Theper capita income for the county was $14,931. About 18.20% of families and 24.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.60% of those under age 18 and 21.70% of those age 65 or over.
Adair County's agrarian economy produces livestock, dairy products, corn, and tobacco.[6] The county experienced a minor oil boom in the 1960s.[6]
Lack of adequate transportation infrastructure hindered the county's prosperity well into the 20th century.[6] The completion of the east–westCumberland Parkway in 1973 significantly ameliorated this problem, but since then the county has sought improved road access to the north.[6]
The county is served byAdair County Schools.[18]
Its schools are:[19]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 786 | 24.43% | 1,398 | 43.46% | 1,033 | 32.11% |
| 1916 | 1,863 | 52.43% | 1,675 | 47.14% | 15 | 0.42% |
| 1920 | 3,526 | 56.28% | 2,725 | 43.50% | 14 | 0.22% |
| 1924 | 2,757 | 53.40% | 2,368 | 45.86% | 38 | 0.74% |
| 1928 | 3,856 | 69.01% | 1,732 | 30.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 3,084 | 48.59% | 3,251 | 51.22% | 12 | 0.19% |
| 1936 | 3,371 | 55.72% | 2,669 | 44.12% | 10 | 0.17% |
| 1940 | 3,674 | 57.42% | 2,711 | 42.37% | 13 | 0.20% |
| 1944 | 3,414 | 58.39% | 2,411 | 41.23% | 22 | 0.38% |
| 1948 | 2,839 | 55.79% | 2,144 | 42.13% | 106 | 2.08% |
| 1952 | 3,737 | 63.05% | 2,184 | 36.85% | 6 | 0.10% |
| 1956 | 4,157 | 62.50% | 2,491 | 37.45% | 3 | 0.05% |
| 1960 | 4,621 | 67.07% | 2,269 | 32.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 3,052 | 51.49% | 2,854 | 48.15% | 21 | 0.35% |
| 1968 | 3,239 | 59.43% | 1,362 | 24.99% | 849 | 15.58% |
| 1972 | 3,859 | 69.77% | 1,610 | 29.11% | 62 | 1.12% |
| 1976 | 3,201 | 56.82% | 2,366 | 42.00% | 67 | 1.19% |
| 1980 | 4,051 | 63.12% | 2,285 | 35.60% | 82 | 1.28% |
| 1984 | 4,500 | 70.93% | 1,812 | 28.56% | 32 | 0.50% |
| 1988 | 4,346 | 71.09% | 1,723 | 28.19% | 44 | 0.72% |
| 1992 | 3,740 | 58.22% | 2,044 | 31.82% | 640 | 9.96% |
| 1996 | 3,876 | 59.28% | 1,821 | 27.85% | 841 | 12.86% |
| 2000 | 5,460 | 74.51% | 1,779 | 24.28% | 89 | 1.21% |
| 2004 | 5,628 | 75.57% | 1,764 | 23.69% | 55 | 0.74% |
| 2008 | 5,512 | 75.53% | 1,668 | 22.86% | 118 | 1.62% |
| 2012 | 5,841 | 76.86% | 1,660 | 21.84% | 99 | 1.30% |
| 2016 | 6,637 | 80.61% | 1,323 | 16.07% | 273 | 3.32% |
| 2020 | 7,276 | 82.98% | 1,392 | 15.88% | 100 | 1.14% |
| 2024 | 7,643 | 85.17% | 1,257 | 14.01% | 74 | 0.82% |
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[25][26] | ||
| U.S. House | James Comer (R) | KY 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Max Wise (R) | 16 |
| Ky. House | Amy Neighbors (R) | 21 |
| Adair County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of February 17, 2020[update][27] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political Party | Total Voters | Percentage | |||
| Republican | 9,431 | 68.91% | |||
| Democratic | 3,414 | 24.95% | |||
| Others | 433 | 3.16% | |||
| Independent | 368 | 2.69% | |||
| Libertarian | 31 | 0.23% | |||
| Green | 7 | 0.05% | |||
| Constitution | 1 | 0.01% | |||
| Total | 13,685 | 100% | |||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 68.06%3,597 | 31.94%1,688 | 0.00%0 |
| 2019 | 69.53%3,946 | 28.65%1,626 | 1.81%103 |
| 2015 | 66.33%2,727 | 30.84%1,268 | 2.82%116 |
| 2011 | 51.06%1,877 | 43.69%1,606 | 5.25%193 |
| 2007 | 67.75%3,138 | 32.25%1,494 | 0.00%0 |
| 2003 | 66.22%3,085 | 33.78%1,574 | 0.00%0 |
| 1999 | 28.84%663 | 62.68%1,441 | 8.48%195 |
| 1995 | 65.84%2,951 | 34.09%1,528 | 0.07%3 |
Below is partial listing of known unincorporated communities within Adair County. A more complete listing is availablehere.
Census2020DHC was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Municipalities and communities ofAdair County, Kentucky,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |
37°07′N85°17′W / 37.11°N 85.28°W /37.11; -85.28
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