Edmonson County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Edmonson County Courthouse in Brownsville | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
| Coordinates:37°13′N86°15′W / 37.21°N 86.25°W /37.21; -86.25 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | January 12, 1825 |
| Named after | John Edmonson |
| Seat | Brownsville |
| Largest city | Brownsville |
| Area | |
• Total | 308 sq mi (800 km2) |
| • Land | 303 sq mi (780 km2) |
| • Water | 5.1 sq mi (13 km2) 1.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 12,126 |
• Estimate (2024) | 12,635 |
| • Density | 40.0/sq mi (15.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Edmonson County is acounty located in the south central portion of theU.S. state ofKentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 12,126.[1] Itscounty seat and only municipality isBrownsville.[2] The county was formed in 1825 and named forCaptain John "Jack" Edmonson (1764–1813), who was killed at theBattle of Frenchtown during theWar of 1812.[3][4][5][6] This is adry county where the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Edmonson County is included in theBowling Green metropolitan area.
Edmonson County was established on January 12, 1825, from land given by Grayson, Hart and Warren counties. A courthouse built in 1873 replaced a former structure rendered unfit when its floor collapsed.[7]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 308 square miles (800 km2), of which 303 square miles (780 km2) is land and 5.1 square miles (13 km2) (1.7%) is water.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 2,642 | — | |
| 1840 | 2,914 | 10.3% | |
| 1850 | 4,088 | 40.3% | |
| 1860 | 4,645 | 13.6% | |
| 1870 | 4,459 | −4.0% | |
| 1880 | 7,222 | 62.0% | |
| 1890 | 8,005 | 10.8% | |
| 1900 | 10,080 | 25.9% | |
| 1910 | 10,469 | 3.9% | |
| 1920 | 10,894 | 4.1% | |
| 1930 | 11,475 | 5.3% | |
| 1940 | 11,344 | −1.1% | |
| 1950 | 9,376 | −17.3% | |
| 1960 | 8,085 | −13.8% | |
| 1970 | 8,751 | 8.2% | |
| 1980 | 9,962 | 13.8% | |
| 1990 | 10,357 | 4.0% | |
| 2000 | 11,644 | 12.4% | |
| 2010 | 12,161 | 4.4% | |
| 2020 | 12,126 | −0.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 12,635 | [9] | 4.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12] 1990–2000[13] 2010–2021[14] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 12,126. The median age was 43.0 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.8 males age 18 and over.[15][16]
The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% White, 0.8%Black or African American, 0.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 3.0% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.3% of the population.[16]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[17]
There were 4,885 households in the county, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]
There were 6,358 housing units, of which 23.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.9% were owner-occupied and 21.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%.[15]
As of thecensus[18] of 2000, there were 11,644 people, 4,648 households, and 3,462 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 38 per square mile (15/km2). There were 6,104 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (7.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.39%White, 0.58%Black orAfrican American, 0.44%Native American, 0.07%Asian, 0.06% fromother races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 4,648 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% weremarried couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.50% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 males there were 92.50 females. For every 100 males age 18 and over, there were 89.33 females.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,413, and the median income for a family was $31,843. Males had a median income of $26,770 versus $17,158 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,480. About 14.20% of families and 18.40% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 25.50% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 736 | 35.38% | 799 | 38.41% | 545 | 26.20% |
| 1916 | 1,339 | 58.34% | 935 | 40.74% | 21 | 0.92% |
| 1920 | 2,348 | 66.42% | 1,171 | 33.13% | 16 | 0.45% |
| 1924 | 2,062 | 63.54% | 1,183 | 36.46% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 3,104 | 74.15% | 1,076 | 25.70% | 6 | 0.14% |
| 1932 | 2,690 | 59.79% | 1,796 | 39.92% | 13 | 0.29% |
| 1936 | 2,526 | 65.44% | 1,329 | 34.43% | 5 | 0.13% |
| 1940 | 2,589 | 65.81% | 1,332 | 33.86% | 13 | 0.33% |
| 1944 | 2,433 | 70.36% | 1,016 | 29.38% | 9 | 0.26% |
| 1948 | 1,984 | 64.39% | 1,031 | 33.46% | 66 | 2.14% |
| 1952 | 2,279 | 69.63% | 992 | 30.31% | 2 | 0.06% |
| 1956 | 2,800 | 71.85% | 1,092 | 28.02% | 5 | 0.13% |
| 1960 | 2,884 | 72.83% | 1,076 | 27.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,603 | 60.56% | 1,022 | 38.61% | 22 | 0.83% |
| 1968 | 2,280 | 65.44% | 679 | 19.49% | 525 | 15.07% |
| 1972 | 2,327 | 75.70% | 722 | 23.49% | 25 | 0.81% |
| 1976 | 1,976 | 57.93% | 1,418 | 41.57% | 17 | 0.50% |
| 1980 | 2,913 | 68.82% | 1,252 | 29.58% | 68 | 1.61% |
| 1984 | 3,001 | 71.05% | 1,200 | 28.41% | 23 | 0.54% |
| 1988 | 2,555 | 66.75% | 1,243 | 32.47% | 30 | 0.78% |
| 1992 | 2,486 | 54.22% | 1,653 | 36.05% | 446 | 9.73% |
| 1996 | 2,619 | 57.96% | 1,595 | 35.30% | 305 | 6.75% |
| 2000 | 3,250 | 65.07% | 1,710 | 34.23% | 35 | 0.70% |
| 2004 | 3,595 | 65.59% | 1,856 | 33.86% | 30 | 0.55% |
| 2008 | 3,562 | 67.59% | 1,652 | 31.35% | 56 | 1.06% |
| 2012 | 3,232 | 69.24% | 1,374 | 29.43% | 62 | 1.33% |
| 2016 | 4,135 | 78.85% | 979 | 18.67% | 130 | 2.48% |
| 2020 | 4,828 | 78.73% | 1,227 | 20.01% | 77 | 1.26% |
| 2024 | 5,048 | 80.81% | 1,118 | 17.90% | 81 | 1.30% |
Edmonson is an ancestrallyRepublican stronghold, last votingDemocrat narrowly in1912.
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[20][21] | ||
| U.S. House | Brett Guthrie (R) | KY 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | David P. Givens (R) | 9 |
| Ky. House | Michael Meredith (R) | 19 |
There are currently five public schools operating as part of theEdmonson County School System. They are Kyrock Elementary (in theKyrock community in northern Edmonson County), South Edmonson Elementary (near the Chalybeate community in southern Edmonson County), the Edmonson County Fifth/Sixth Grade Center, Edmonson County Middle School, and Edmonson County High School (all inBrownsville).
There are two main routes that form the major transportation corridors through Edmonson County.
KY 70 is the primary west to east route, traversing the width of the county.
KY 259 enters Edmonson County at the border withGrayson County, near the town ofBee Spring. The highway continues on, bridging theGreen River (the only bridge over the river in Edmonson County), before intersecting withKY 101. KY 259 then branches off in a southeastern direction while KY 101 continues as the main north–south route through the county, exiting intoWarren County just south of the community ofChalybeate.
Additionally,KY 185 is a north–south route connectingBowling Green with locations in the western part of the county and points north into Grayson County.I-65 passes through the southeastern tip of the county, but has no interchanges allowing access to the freeway within the county. I-65 parallels the olderUS 31W, which runs through a small southeastern portion of the county.
The biggest tourist attraction in Edmonson County isMammoth Cave National Park, which usually draws almost 2 million visitors a year.[22] The park includes in its area roughly a fourth of the county.[23]
Located mostly in the northern part of Edmonson County, theNolin Lake area was incorporated as aKentucky State Park in 1996. The lake itself was created following the 1963 impounding of the Nolin River and construction of Nolin Dam. The lake offers fishing and other recreational opportunities.
Edmonson County is served by a weekly newspaper, theEdmonson News. The paper is sometimes referred to by its nickname, "the Gimlet", and carries the slogan"It Bores In". The paper has a circulation number of 3,704.[24]
Edmonson County is part of the Bowling Greenradio andtelevisionmarkets, and is served mainly by that city's radio and TV outlets.Mediacom is the local cable provider serving most of the county. In 2022,Glasgow-based South Central Rural Telephone Cooperative began servicing parts of Edmonson County andWarren County with cable, phone and internet service.
The unincorporated community ofWingfield, in southwestern Edmonson County, is home to the transmission tower utilized by adult hits-formatted radio stationWKLX (100.7 FM, officially licensed in Brownsville) andlow-powered television stationWCZU-LD (channel 39). Both outlets operate outside of Edmonson County.[25]
Additionally, Edmonson County is also served by a digital news outlet, Edmonson Voice.[26] It is a multimedia platform that operates as a combination of an online newspaper, a streaming broadcaster, and video report provider. The company serves as the main media outlet in the county with a weekly readership of over 23,000.[27]
Volunteers have digitized and created a repository of video related to Edmonson County High School onYouTube. The archive contains a variety of media, including graduation ceremonies, proms, and athletic events.[28]
Edmonson County has had national exposure on two occasions. On March 6, 2007,MTV wrote an article titled "Who's Joining The Army"[29] in which they stated Edmonson County has the highest Army enlistment rate of any county in the United States. In January 2017, the Edmonson County Sheriff's Department has been featured onA&E Television'sLive PD in the 14th and 15th episodes of that program'sfirst season.
Edmonson County was one of two main locations where two faith-based films,The Prayer Box andChristmas Manger, were filmed in 2017 and 2018, respectively.[30][31] Edmonson County is one of three other locations where the upcoming thriller filmHorntak is being filmed.[32]
Source:Edmonson County Tourism Commission
Municipalities and communities ofEdmonson County, Kentucky,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Principal city | _Metro.png) | |
|---|---|---|
| Other municipalities | ||
| Counties | ||
37°13′N86°15′W / 37.21°N 86.25°W /37.21; -86.25
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