Elizabethtown, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Hardin County Old Courthouse in downtown Elizabethtown | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: E-town or E'town | |
 Location of Elizabethtown in Hardin County, Kentucky. | |
  Elizabethtown  Elizabethtown | |
| Coordinates:37°42′N85°52′W / 37.700°N 85.867°W /37.700; -85.867 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Hardin |
| Area | |
• Total | 27.99 sq mi (72.49 km2) |
| • Land | 27.50 sq mi (71.22 km2) |
| • Water | 0.49 sq mi (1.27 km2) |
| Elevation | 725 ft (221 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 31,394 |
• Estimate (2022)[2] | 31,892 |
| • Density | 1,141.7/sq mi (440.81/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 42701–42702 |
| Area codes | 270 & 364 |
| FIPS code | 21-24274 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0491640 |
| Website | elizabethtownky |
Elizabethtown is ahome rule-class city inHardin County, Kentucky, United States, and itscounty seat.[3] The population was 31,394 at the2020 census, making it theninth-most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of theElizabethtown metropolitan area, which is included in theLouisville/Jefferson County–Elizabethtown–Madison, Kentucky-Indianacombined statistical area. The Elizabethtown metropolitan area had a population of 125,569 in 2020.
Established in 1793, Hardin County was named for ColonelJohn Hardin, an Indian fighter who worked with tribes in the local area. In a few years, professional men and tradesmen came to live in the area. In 1793, ColonelAndrew Hynes had 30 acres (12 ha) (until then known as the "Severn's Valley Settlement"[4]) surveyed and laid off into lots and streets to establish Elizabethtown. Named in honor of his wife, Elizabethtown was legally established in 1797.[5][6]
Thomas Lincoln helped Samuel Haycraft build amillrace at Haycraft's mill on Valley Creek. After Lincoln marriedNancy Hanks in 1806, they lived in a log cabin built in Elizabethtown. Their daughter,Sarah, was born there in 1807. Soon after, they moved to the Sinking Spring Farm, whereAbraham Lincoln was born in 1809. Thomas Lincoln took his family toIndiana in 1816. After his wife died in 1818, he returned to Elizabethtown and marriedSarah Bush Johnston, widowed since 1816. She and her three children accompanied Thomas back to Indiana, where Sarah was stepmother to Thomas' two children.[citation needed]
On March 5, 1850, the Commonwealth of Kentucky granted a charter to theLouisville and Nashville Railroad Company authorizing it to raise funds and built a railroad from Louisville to theTennessee state line in the direction ofNashville.John L. Helm, the grandson of Capt. Thomas Helm, became the president of the railroad in October 1854; he directed construction of the main stem of the rail line through Elizabethtown. The rail line was completed to Elizabethtown in 1858, with the first train arriving on June 15, 1858. The opening of the railroad brought economic growth to Elizabethtown, which became an important trade center along the railroad and a strategic point during theCivil War.[citation needed]
On December 27, 1862,Confederate GeneralJohn Hunt Morgan and his 3,000-man cavalry attacked Elizabethtown. During the battle, more than 100 cannonballs were fired into the town. Although he successfully captured Elizabethtown, Morgan's chief goal was to disrupt the railroad and northern transportation. He proceeded north along the railroad, burning trestles and destroying sections of the track. After the battle, one cannonball was found lodged in the side of a building on the public square. After the building burned in 1887 and was rebuilt, the cannonball was replaced in the side wall, as close to its original site as possible, where it remains in the present day. It is located in the Joey Lee building, which is located on the historic town square. The building is currently owned and houses the office of attorney Roger T. Rigney, it also features a plaquard noting the cannonball and the history behind it out front.[citation needed]
From 1871 to 1873 during theReconstruction Era, theSeventh Cavalry and a battalion of the Fourth Infantry, led by GeneralGeorge Armstrong Custer, were stationed in Elizabethtown. The military were assigned to suppress the localKu Klux Klan under theEnforcement Acts, as their members had been attackingfreedmen and other Republicans. They also broke up illegal distilleries, which began to flourish in the South after the Civil War. General Custer and his wifeElizabeth lived in a small cottage behind Aunt Beck Hill's boarding house, now known as the Brown-Pusey House.[citation needed]
Elizabethtown is in east-central Hardin County, about 15 miles (24 km) south ofFort Knox.Interstate 65 passes through the southeast side of the city, leading north-northeast 30 miles (48 km) toLouisville and southwest 80 miles (130 km) toBowling Green. TheWestern Kentucky Parkway starts atI-65 in Elizabethtown and leads west 138 miles (222 km) toEddyville. To the east, theBluegrass Parkway leads 105 miles (169 km) toLexington.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Elizabethtown has a total area of 25.8 square miles (67 km2), of which 25.4 square miles (66 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1 km2) (1.77%) is water.[7]
The Elizabethtown–Fort Knox metropolitan area consists of Hardin,Meade, andLarue counties, and includesRadcliff, a city about three-fourths the size of Elizabethtown; the housing areas of theFort Knox Military Installation; the unincorporated town ofRineyville; and other communities such asVine Grove,Glendale,Sonora,West Point, andUpton.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Elizabethtown has ahumid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 181 | — | |
| 1830 | 601 | — | |
| 1840 | 979 | 62.9% | |
| 1860 | 556 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,743 | 213.5% | |
| 1880 | 2,526 | 44.9% | |
| 1890 | 2,260 | −10.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,861 | −17.7% | |
| 1910 | 1,970 | 5.9% | |
| 1920 | 2,530 | 28.4% | |
| 1930 | 2,590 | 2.4% | |
| 1940 | 3,667 | 41.6% | |
| 1950 | 5,807 | 58.4% | |
| 1960 | 9,641 | 66.0% | |
| 1970 | 11,748 | 21.9% | |
| 1980 | 15,380 | 30.9% | |
| 1990 | 18,167 | 18.1% | |
| 2000 | 22,542 | 24.1% | |
| 2010 | 28,531 | 26.6% | |
| 2020 | 31,394 | 10.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 34,565 | [2] | 10.1% |
| [9] | |||
As of the census of 2010,[10] there were 28,531 people, 15,711 households, and 9,345 families residing in the city. The population density was 936.6/mi2 (361.6/km2). There were 12,664 housing units at an average density of 490.5/mi2 (189.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 80.4%White (78.1%non-Hispanic), 19.6%African American, 0.34% Native American orAlaska Native, 2.6%Asian, 0.18%Pacific Islander, 1.3% fromother races, and 3.4% fromtwo or more races.Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.3% of the population.
There were 15,711 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% 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 2.94.
The age distribution was 25.1% under 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
Full economic data for Kentucky locations from the 2010 Census has not yet been released.[needs update?] As of the 2010 Census, median income for a household in the city was $40,720, and the median income for a family was $54,699. Full-time male workers had a median income of $43,406 versus $30,310 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,627. As of the 2000 Census,[11] about 8.5% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
In 2000, Kentucky countiesHardin andLaRue were defined as theElizabethtown, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area by the Bureau of the Census; the name of the region was changed in 2013 toElizabethtown–Fort Knox, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is part of theLouisville–Elizabethtown–Bardstown, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area.
The firstBaptist settlement west of theAllegheny Mountains was in Elizabethtown atSeverns Valley Baptist Church, named after the original name of Elizabethtown. Catholics came west fromNelson County and settled at Colesburg at St. Clare Parish before coming to St. James Parish in Elizabethtown. Lucinda Helm helped bringUnited Methodists into Elizabethtown, and they immortalized her in naming the Helm Memorial United Methodist Church, today simply called MUMC. More than 12 denominations are represented by over 100 churches in Elizabethtown.[citation needed]
The town is regionally referred to as "E-town" (sometimes with an apostrophe in place of the dash). It is one of two larger towns (the other beingBowling Green, Kentucky) along I-65 betweenLouisville andNashville.
The movieElizabethtown (2005) was named after the town; most of the footage was filmed inVersailles andLouisville because Elizabethtown has lost much of its historic architecture in recent years due to commercial development.[citation needed]
Elizabethtown is officially classified by the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) as being in a "moist county". Under ABC terminology, "moist" indicates that at least one city within a county has approved packaged alcohol sales. In popular usage, the term "moist" more often refers to the city's former status as allowing by-the-drink sales in restaurants, but not package sales.[citation needed]
Despite the county being adry county, alcoholic drink sales have long been allowed in restaurants seating at least 100 diners and deriving at least 70% of their total sales from food. Beer, wine and spirits can be purchased at licensed liquor stores, drug stores and grocery outlets, beer can be purchased at most convenience stores . The locals classify this as a "damp" or"moist" county. In 2011, the residents of Elizabethtown,Radcliff, andVine Grove voted to allow properly licensed businesses to sell package liquor, wine, and beer.[12]
The city is served by theElizabethtown Regional Airport (EKX), and the Elizabethtown Airport Board was as of 2013 exploring options to bring commercial services to the city.[13]
Elizabethtown Independent Schools operates:
TheHardin County Schools (HCS) are another district that encompasses some of the city limits.
Here are the schools located within the city limits:
Although New Highland Elementary, Bluegrass Middle School, andJohn Hardin High School have an Elizabethtown mailing address, and some Elizabethtown residents are zoned into those schools, they are actually within the city limits of neighboringRadcliff.[14] Similarly, the HCS headquarters is located in Radcliff but served by the Elizabethtown post office.[15] Conversely, Central Hardin High is within the city limits of Elizabethtown but has a mailing address ofCecilia.[citation needed]
Elizabethtown is home toElizabethtown Community and Technical College, a member of theKentucky Community and Technical College System, as well as Empire Beauty School formerly the Hair Design School on Westport Road. Also,Western Kentucky University has a regional campus located on post at Fort Knox and in a building that is shared with ECTC in Elizabethtown.[citation needed]
The Elizabethtown Japanese School (エリザベスタウン日本人補習校Erizabesutaun Nihonjin Hoshūkō), aweekend Japanese program, holds its classes at theElizabethtown Community and Technical College.[16][17]
Elizabethtown has alending library, a branch of the Hardin County Public Library.[18]
Elizabethtown has onesister city, as designated bySister Cities International:
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Municipalities and communities ofHardin County, Kentucky,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
