The B.G.M.U. Water Tower atop Reservoir Hill is a local landmark visible from many parts of Bowling Green.The Warren County Justice Center is the center of the local court system.(also the unofficial town hall)
Present-day Bowling Green developed from homesteads erected by Robert[8] and George Moore and General Elijah Covington, not the namesake ofthe town near Cincinnati.
Some controversy exists over the source of the town's name. The city refers to the first county commissioners' meeting (1798), which named the town "Bolin Green" after theBowling Green in New York City, where patriots had pulled down a statue ofKingGeorge III and used the lead to make bullets during theAmerican Revolution.[8] According to theEncyclopedia of Kentucky, the name was derived fromBowling Green, Virginia, whence early migrants had come, or the personal "ball alley game" of founder Robert Moore.[9]
By 1810, Bowling Green had 154 residents. Growth insteamboat commerce and the proximity of the Barren River increased Bowling Green's prominence. In 1821, theKentucky Legislature built a toll road between the town andCloverport on theOhio River.[10]Canal locks and dams on the Barren River made it much more navigable. In 1832, the firstportage railway connected the river to the location of the current countycourthouse. Mules pulled freight and passengers to and from the city on the tracks.
Despite rapid urbanization of the Bowling Green area in the 1830s, agriculture remained an important part of local life. A visitor to Bowling Green noted the boasting of a tavern proprietor named Benjamin Vance:
[Vance] says that he has seen a turnip this fall that measures thirty-two inches around, and has a beet that weighs sixteen pounds and a half;... that corn in this country grows so fast that if you look at it the next, it has grown a foot higher; that the "little hickory twigs" growing in the barrens have roots as large as his legs...
Bowling Green declared itself neutral in an attempt to escape the Civil War. Because of its prime location and resources, however, both theUnion andConfederacy sought control of the city. The majority of its residents rejected both the Confederacy and theLincoln administration. On September 18, 1861, around 1,300 Confederate soldiers arrived from Tennessee to occupy the city, placed under command of Kentucky nativeGeneral Simon Bolivar Buckner. The city's pro-Union feelings surprised the Confederate occupiers.[11] The Confederates fortified surrounding hills to secure possible military approaches to the valuable river and railroad assets. In November 1861, the provisionalConfederate government of Kentucky chose Bowling Green as its capital.[12]
On February 14, 1862, after receiving reports thatFort Henry on theTennessee River andFort Donelson on theCumberland River had both been captured by Union forces underUlysses S. Grant, the Confederates began to withdraw from Bowling Green. They destroyed bridges across the Barren River, the railroad depot, and other important buildings that could be used by the enemy. The city was subject to disruptions and raids throughout the remainder of the war. During the summer of 1864, Union GeneralStephen G. Burbridge arrested 22 civilians in and around Bowling Green on a charge oftreason. This incident and other harsh treatment by federal authorities led to bitterness toward the Union among Bowling Green residents and increased sympathies with theConfederacy.
After the Civil War, Bowling Green's business district grew considerably. Previously, agriculture had dominated the city's economy. During the 1870s, many of the historic business structures seen today were erected. One of the most important businesses in Bowling Green of this era was Carie Burnam Taylor's dress-making company. By 1906, Taylor employed more than 200 women.
In 1868, the city constructed its firstwaterworks system. The fourth county courthouse was completed in 1868. The first three were completed in 1798, 1805, and 1813. In 1889, the firstmule-drawn streetcars appeared in the city. The first electric streetcars began to replace them by 1895.
TheSisters of Charity of Nazareth founded St. Columbia's Academy in 1862, succeeded by St. Joseph's School in 1911.[13] In 1884, the SouthernNormal School, which had been founded in 1875, moved to Bowling Green from the town ofGlasgow, Kentucky. Pleasant J. Potter founded a women's college in Bowling Green in 1889. It closed in 1909 and its property was sold to the Western Kentucky State Normal School (see below, now known asWestern Kentucky University). Other important schools in this era were Methodist Warren College,Ogden College (which also became a part of Western Kentucky University), and Green River Female College, a boarding school.
In 1906, Henry Hardin Cherry, the president and owner of Southern Normal School, donated the school to the state as the basis of the Western State Normal School. The school trained teachers for the expanding educational needs of the state. This institution is now known asWestern Kentucky University and is the second-largest public university in the state, having recently surpassed theUniversity of Louisville.
In 1906, DoctorsLillian H. South, J. N. McCormack, and A.T. McCormack opened St. Joseph Hospital to provide medical and nursing care to the residents and students in the area.[14][15]
In 1925, the third and lastLouisville and Nashville Railroad Station was opened. About 27 trains arrived daily at the depot. Intercity bus lines were also a popular form of travel. By the 1960s, railroad travel had dramatically declined in the face of competition from airlines and automobiles. The station has been adapted for use as a museum.
In 1940, aUnion Underwear factory built in Bowling Green bolstered the city's economy significantly. During the 1960s, the city's population began to surpass that ofAshland,Paducah, andNewport.
Downtown streets became a bottleneck for traffic. In 1949, theU.S. Route 31W Bypass was opened to alleviate traffic problems, but it also drew off business from downtown. The bypass grew to become a business hotspot in Bowling Green. A 1954 advertisement exclaimed, "Your business can grow in the direction Bowling Green is growing – to the 31-W By-Pass".
By the 1960s, the face of shopping was changing completely from the downtown retail square to suburban shopping centers. Between May and November 1967, stores in Bowling Green Mall opened for business. Another advertisement said, "One-stop shopping. Just park [free], step out and shop. You'll find everything close at hand." Between September 1979 and September 1980, stores in the largerGreenwood Mall came online. The city's limits began to stretch towardInterstate 65.
By the late 1960s, Interstate 65, which runs just to the east of Bowling Green, was completed. The Green River Parkway (now called theWilliam H. Natcher Parkway and renamedI-165 in April 2019), was completed in the 1970s to connect Bowling Green andOwensboro. These vital transportation arteries attracted many industries to Bowling Green.
The new Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce building was one of the first parts of the Downtown Redevelopment Project to reach completion.
In 2012, the city undertook a feasibility study on ways to revitalize the downtown Bowling Green area. The Downtown Redevelopment Authority was formed to plan redevelopment. Plans for the project incorporated Bowling Green's waterfront assets, as well as its historic center and streetscape around Fountain Square. It also proposed a new building for the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, construction of a Riverwalk Park where downtown borders the Barren River, creation of a new public park called Circus Square, and installation of a new retail area, the Fountain Square Market.[16]
As of spring 2009, the new Chamber of Commerce, Riverwalk Park, and Circus Square have been completed. The Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, a facility for arts and education, broke ground in October 2009 and celebrated its opening night on March 10, 2012, with a concert byVince Gill.[17] Ground was broken for the Fountain Square Market in 2012.
In 2005, an effort was made to incorporate a Whitewater Park into the downtown Bowling Green riverfront at Weldon Peete Park. Due to the recession, the project was not funded.
In 2011, the Bowling Green Riverfront Foundation expanded its efforts to develop land on the opposite side ofBarren River fromMitch McConnell Park (which is located alongside the U.S. 31-W Bypass and the riverbank, between Louisville Road and Old Louisville Road), upriver to Peete Park. The new plans include use of the adjacent river for white-water sports—the stretch of river includes rapids rated on theInternational Scale of River Difficulty between Class II and Class IV—as well as amountain biking trail, a bicyclepump track, and arock climbing area.[18] Some of this facility will be located on a reclaimed landfill, which had served as Bowling Green's garbage dump for many years.
On December 11, 2021,two destructive tornadoes struck Bowling Green. The first was anEF3 tornado that heavily damaged or destroyed several buildings and homes and killed seventeen people.[19] The second tornado formed alongside the Main EF3 and caused additional damage on the southern and eastern parts of the city and was rated EF2.[20]
Bowling Green has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification:Cfa). The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 35.7 °F (2.1 °C) in January to 78.7 °F (25.9 °C) in July. On average, 41 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs occur annually, and 11 days occur each winter when the high fails to rise above freezing. Annual precipitation is 47.51 in, with spring being slightly wetter; snowfall averages 8.4 inches (21.3 cm) per year. Extreme temperatures range from −21 °F (−29 °C) on January 23 and 24, 1963, up to 108 °F (42 °C) on July 28, 1930.
Climate data for Bowling Green, Kentucky (Warren County Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
As of the census[26] of 2020, 72,294 people resided in the city. The population density was 1,808.8 inhabitants per square mile (698.4/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 64.3% White, 13.8% African American, 0.4% Native American, 8.0% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.6% of the population. The town also has the ninth largest Bosnian population in the United States.
Of the 27,504 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46% were not families. About 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34, and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 26.7% from 15 to 24, 27% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 27.6 years. Females made up 51.5% of the population and males made up 48.5%.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,044, and for families was $50,853. Males had a median income of $35,986 versus $28,271 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,302. About 20.9% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.7% of those under age 18.
The Medical Center, an ever-expanding part of Commonwealth Health Corporation, is one of the top employers in Bowling Green.
Western Kentucky University is the largest employer in Bowling Green; according to a 2022 report, WKU employed 3,274 people.[27] A 2011 study estimated that WKU salaries account for approximately 10% of all income earned in Warren County, which includes the city.[28]
Auto supplierHolley Performance Products has manufactured products in Bowling Green since 1952, and has been headquartered in the city since 1994.[33] The Japan-basedKobe Steel Ltd. operates a large assembly plant in Bowling Green, manufacturing aluminum products used incar bumpers andframes for the North American auto sector; construction of the plant began in 2016,[34] and began operation in 2018.[35]Camping World Holdings Inc., an RV company, was founded in Bowling Green in 1966 by David Garvin, the owner of theBeech Bend amusement park; the company maintains Bowling Green as one of three headquarters (the others beingLincolnshire, England andDenver, Colorado).[36] In 2022,AESC, a Japaneseelectric vehicle battery firm, announced plans to establish the Envision AESC plant at Bowling Green, creating an estimated 2,000 jobs in a $2 billion "gigafactory" investment.[37]
Apparel manufacturer Union Underwear Co. LLC,doing business asFruit of the Loom, is headquartered in Bowling Green,[38] employing about 930 people in the city as of 2022.[27] The company shuttered its plant in nearbyJamestown in 2014.[38] ConglomerateHouchens Industries, one of the U.S.'s largest 100%employee-owned enterprises, is based in Bowling Green.[39][40] The Swedish companySCA opened a manufacturing facility in Bowling Green in 1988; as of 2016, the company employed about 160 employees in Bowling Green and 500 employees at a paper mill inHarrodsburg, Kentucky, acquired fromWausau Paper.[41]
Kentucky Museum and Library – Home of rich collections and education exhibits on Kentucky history and heritage. Genealogical materials, published works, manuscripts and folk life information.
National Corvette Museum – Showcase of America's sports car with more than 75 Corvettes on display, including mint classics, one-of-a-kind prototypes, racetrack champions and more.
Historic Railpark and Train Museum – L & N Depot – Train museum in the original train depot of Bowling Green. Opened after the library moved at the end of 2007. Includes 5 restored historic rail cars.
Riverview at Hobson Grove – This historic house museum is a classic example ofItalianate architecture—arched windows, deep eaves with ornamental brackets, and cupola. Painted ceilings. Began late 1850s, Confederate munitions magazine in winter 1861–62, and completed 1872.
E.A. Diddle Arena, located on the campus ofWestern Kentucky University, is a multi-purpose arena with a seating capacity of 7,500 persons. Built in 1963 and renovated in 2004, the arena has hosted college sports such as basketball and volleyball. It also hosted theKHSAAGirls' Sweet Sixteen state championship event in high school basketball from 2001 to 2015, after which it moved toBB&T Arena atNorthern Kentucky University.[43] The arena has also played host to various traveling rodeos and circuses. In 2006, Diddle Arena hosted the firstWWE event to be held in Bowling Green in over ten years.
Bowling Green Ballpark
The city and surrounding area is home to the Warren County Inline Hockey League. It also is home to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers team, which competes in theNCAA, and are part of conference USA
Bowling Green Ballpark is a baseball stadium currently in use in Bowling Green. It is primarily used for baseball, for the High-ABowling Green Hot Rods organization of theSouth Atlantic League. The Hot Rods began play in the spring of 2009 in the South Atlantic League, transferring to theMidwest League for 2010. In 2021 as part ofMinor League Baseball's realignment they began play in the newly formed High-A East, which was renamed back to the South Atlantic League in 2022. They are a farm team for Major League Baseball'sTampa Bay Rays.
The Bowling Green Hornets of theCentral Basketball League are based in Bowling Green, although they play their home games inRussellville. The Hornets are coached by Russellville native Nathan Thompson.
Bowling Green was served for many years by intercity bus carriers, primarilyGreyhound. But with the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic, Greyhound downgraded their existing station to an unstaffed stop, and then eliminated the stop entirely in May 2020. The end of Greyhound service marked the first time the city has been without some form of public intercity transportation since 1858, when theLouisville and Nashville Railroad first reached the city.
Greyhound now serves a stop inFranklin, Kentucky, about 20 miles (32 km) south of Bowling Green.
Tornado Bus Company, based in Mexico to primarily serve the Hispanic market, lists Bowling Green as a destination, but the stop is actually located inSmiths Grove, Kentucky, about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of downtown Bowling Green.
Bowling Green receives rail freight service fromCSX through the formerLouisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) namesake line. TheR.J. Corman Railroad Group operates freight service on the former L&N line to Memphis from Bowling Green toClarksville, Tennessee; the line joins with CSX at Memphis Junction on Bowling Green's southern side.
^Baird, Nancy Disher; Carraco, Carol Crowe (1999).Bowling Green and Warren County: A Bicentennial History. Bowling Green, KY: Liberty Printing. p. 13.ISBN978-0932017048.
^Kleber, John E., ed. (1992). "Confederate State Government".The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Associate editors:Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter.Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky.ISBN0-8131-1772-0.
^"Dr Lillian Herald South".Warren County Medical Society official website. Bowling Green, Kentucky: Warren County Medical Society. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. RetrievedApril 1, 2010.
^Kentucky State Medical Association. (1913). Kentucky Medical Journal. Louisville, Ky: The Kentucky State Medical Association. page 160.Accessed on 31 March 2010.
^National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Louisville, Kentucky (December 22, 2021).NWS Damage Survey for 12/11/2021 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. RetrievedDecember 22, 2021.
^"NWS Damage Survey for 12/11/21 Tornado Event". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Louisville, Kentucky. December 22, 2021. RetrievedDecember 22, 2021.
^"Station: Bowling Green Warren CO AP, KY".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. RetrievedJune 4, 2021.
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