This area was long occupied by various cultures of indigenous peoples. European-American settlement of this area did not begin until decades after theAmerican Revolutionary War. James Mills built the first cabin on the site in 1819. The community of Mills Point was large enough to receive a post office in 1830. Around 1834, G. Marr purchased much of the surrounding area and laid out more streets.[6]
The community was renamed Hickman in 1837 after the maiden name of Marr's wife. The city was formally incorporated by thestate assembly on February 18, 1841.[7] In 1845, the city became the county seat.[6]
Two floods devastated Hickman, the first in 1912 and the second in 1913.[10] The flood of 1912 began when a levee located near Hickman broke. Within a few hours the water had risen to the roofs of houses. The flood of 1913 began when a levee near West Hickman broke on April 4. Baseball pitcherRube Waddell was among the many who helped save the city during both floods. Waddell came down withpneumonia after each flood; he died oftuberculosis.[11]
Another flood in August 2023 impacted Hickman, with mudslides impacting the downtown area and leading to road closures.[12]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2), of which 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) is land and 0.28% is water.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Hickman has ahumid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[13]
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 2,560 people, 1,015 households, and 665 families residing in the city. The population density was 718.1 inhabitants per square mile (277.3/km2). There were 1,177 housing units at an average density of 330.2 per square mile (127.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 64.06%White, 34.96%African American, 0.08%Native American, 0.04% fromother races, and 0.86% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.51% of the population.
There were 1,015 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% weremarried couples living together, 22.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,655, and the median income for a family was $27,384. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $18,264 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $11,573. About 24.8% of families and 27.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 35.0% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.
^Connelley, William Elsey; Coulter, Ellis Merton (1912).History of Kentucky. American Historical Society. p. 398.ISBN978-0-598-57298-1. RetrievedNovember 18, 2024.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.