Muhlenberg County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Muhlenberg County Courthouse in Greenville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°13′N87°09′W / 37.21°N 87.15°W /37.21; -87.15 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1798 |
| Named after | Peter Muhlenberg |
| Seat | Greenville |
| Largest city | Central City |
| Government | |
| • Judge/Executive | William "Mack" McGehee |
| Area | |
• Total | 479 sq mi (1,240 km2) |
| • Land | 467 sq mi (1,210 km2) |
| • Water | 12 sq mi (31 km2) 2.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 30,928 |
• Estimate (2024) | 30,512 |
| • Density | 66.2/sq mi (25.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Muhlenberg County (/ˈmjuːlənbɜːrɡ/) is acounty in the U.S.Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 30,928.[1] Its county seat isGreenville and its largest city isCentral City.[2]
Muhlenberg County was formed in 1798 from the areas known asLogan andChristian counties.[3] Muhlenberg was the 34thcounty to be founded in Kentucky.[4] Muhlenberg was named after GeneralPeter Muhlenberg, who was a colonialgeneral during theAmerican Revolutionary War.[5]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 479 square miles (1,240 km2), of which 467 square miles (1,210 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (2.6%) is water.[6]
.jpg)
The two primary aquatic features of Muhlenberg County are theGreen River andLake Malone. The northern area of the county's geography includes gently rolling hills, river flatlands, and some sizeablebald cypress swamps along Cypress Creek and its tributaries. The southern portion consists of rolling hills with higher relief. The southern part of the county is dotted with deep gorges. This area is known for manysandstone formations. Several north-south-orientedfaults cross the county's midpoint. Coal is found in these faults, across the county's central part. Most remaining deposits reside deep underground; previous near-surface deposits have now been exhausted bystrip mining. In former years, it was common to see machines such as the "Big Brother" Power Shovel (pictured on the right) throughout the county. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Muhlenberg County was the state leader in coal production and sometimes the top coal producer in the United States. Strip mining was criticized in the song "Paradise" byJohn Prine.[7]
Sandstone is the county's most abundant rock type, althoughlimestone becomes more common toward the southern area of the county. Two mines for extractingiron ore have been attempted, atAirdrie on the banks of theGreen River, and at Buckner Furnace south ofGreenville, Kentucky. Both iron ore mines were extant in the late 19th century and early 20th century; neither were successful.
The 300 miles (483 km)-long Green River is a tributary of theOhio River. It provides a commercial outlet for goods (primarilycoal) to be shipped from the county to the major trade centers along theMississippi River.
Lake Malone (788 acres (3.19 km2)) is in southern Muhlenberg County near Dunmor. It, and a portion of the surrounding hardwood forest, formLake Malone State Park, maintained by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. The lake's surface extends into two neighboring counties,Todd andLogan. There aresandstone cliffs and natural sandstone formations along the lake shore including anatural bridge, although the bridge itself is not inside the park boundary.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,293 | — | |
| 1810 | 4,181 | 223.4% | |
| 1820 | 4,979 | 19.1% | |
| 1830 | 5,340 | 7.3% | |
| 1840 | 6,964 | 30.4% | |
| 1850 | 9,809 | 40.9% | |
| 1860 | 10,725 | 9.3% | |
| 1870 | 12,638 | 17.8% | |
| 1880 | 15,098 | 19.5% | |
| 1890 | 17,955 | 18.9% | |
| 1900 | 20,741 | 15.5% | |
| 1910 | 28,598 | 37.9% | |
| 1920 | 33,353 | 16.6% | |
| 1930 | 37,784 | 13.3% | |
| 1940 | 37,554 | −0.6% | |
| 1950 | 32,501 | −13.5% | |
| 1960 | 27,791 | −14.5% | |
| 1970 | 27,537 | −0.9% | |
| 1980 | 32,238 | 17.1% | |
| 1990 | 31,318 | −2.9% | |
| 2000 | 31,839 | 1.7% | |
| 2010 | 31,499 | −1.1% | |
| 2020 | 30,928 | −1.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 30,512 | [8] | −1.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[1] | |||
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 31,499 people, 12,979 households, and 9,057 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 67 per square mile (26/km2). There were 13,675 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.19%White, 4.65%Black orAfrican American, 0.13%Native American, 0.13%Asian, 0.19% fromother races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. The median income for a household in the county was $28,566. 15.50% of families and 19.70% of the population was below thepoverty line, including 26.00% of those under age 18 and 17.00% of those age 65 or over.[13]
Muhlenberg County has been a majorcoal-producing region for the United States for many years; during most of the 1970s, Muhlenberg County annually produced more coal than anywhere else in the country.[14] Although coal mining in the county waned in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as the 21st century began, the coal-mining industry in Muhlenberg and surrounding counties began to expand and has once again provided a significant number of jobs in the region. One reason for this is the willingness of utility operators to installflue gas cleaning systems so that bituminous coal can be burned with fewer airborne contaminants. Another reason is that most coal from the western US has a lower BTU content.
Muhlenberg County held Kentucky's first commercial coal mine, opened in 1820 as the "McLean Drift Bank" along theGreen River in the former village ofParadise. The mine and its impact on the community are referenced in theJohn Prine song "Paradise". Other major employers in Muhlenberg County include:
In January 2006, the Chambers of Commerce fromCentral City andGreenville merged to form the Greater Muhlenberg Chamber of Commerce, representing over 155 local businesses.[16]
Public schools in Muhlenberg County are operated by the Muhlenberg County Board of Education. They include:
These libraries are operated asMuhlenberg County Public Libraries.
Thistle Cottage Genealogy and History Annex in Greenville also operates under the umbrella of Muhlenberg County Public Libraries as a museum and history archive.
At one time the county hosted eight secondary schools. Drakesboro Community closed after the class of 1964 graduated and in 1990, the school board consolidated the middle and high school students into two middle and two high schools. Bremen High School, Central City High School, Graham High School, and half of Muhlenberg Central High School became Muhlenberg North Middle School and Muhlenberg North High School, while the other half of Muhlenberg Central High School, Drakesboro High School, Hughes-Kirkpatrick High School, Greenville High School, and Lake Malone School (which housed some middle school students) became Muhlenberg South Middle School andMuhlenberg South High School. The eight distinct schools continued to house elementary school students.
In 2004, the school board began consolidating the elementary schools, closing Graham Elementary School and transferring students to Longest Elementary Greenville Elementary Schools; closingLake Malone School and transferring students to Hughes-Kirkpatrick Elementary School. In 2005 Drakesboro Elementary School was closed, with students first attending Hughes-Kirkpatrick Elementary and then Muhlenberg South Elementary School (2006). Hughes-Kirkpatrick was later closed.
Muhlenberg North and Muhlenberg South High Schools were merged into a single Muhlenberg County High School in June 2009.
Muhlenberg County is located in the southernmost fringes of theEvansville, Indiana television market, and is primarily served by the television stations in that city. However, a few television stations inBowling Green andNashville are offered on local cable television systems in the county.
Central City Convention Center, Fitness Facility and Outdoor Pool & Spray Park in Central City
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 1,038 | 18.55% | 2,093 | 37.40% | 2,465 | 44.05% |
| 1916 | 3,533 | 53.52% | 2,900 | 43.93% | 168 | 2.55% |
| 1920 | 6,667 | 56.73% | 4,824 | 41.04% | 262 | 2.23% |
| 1924 | 5,210 | 49.76% | 4,379 | 41.82% | 882 | 8.42% |
| 1928 | 6,651 | 56.22% | 5,130 | 43.36% | 49 | 0.41% |
| 1932 | 4,349 | 37.39% | 7,162 | 61.58% | 119 | 1.02% |
| 1936 | 4,168 | 39.22% | 6,385 | 60.08% | 75 | 0.71% |
| 1940 | 5,332 | 50.78% | 5,140 | 48.95% | 28 | 0.27% |
| 1944 | 4,618 | 55.61% | 3,657 | 44.04% | 29 | 0.35% |
| 1948 | 3,478 | 42.63% | 4,426 | 54.25% | 254 | 3.11% |
| 1952 | 4,761 | 48.52% | 5,037 | 51.34% | 14 | 0.14% |
| 1956 | 5,323 | 52.64% | 4,752 | 46.99% | 38 | 0.38% |
| 1960 | 5,968 | 57.41% | 4,427 | 42.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 3,300 | 33.88% | 6,421 | 65.92% | 20 | 0.21% |
| 1968 | 3,853 | 39.52% | 3,688 | 37.83% | 2,209 | 22.66% |
| 1972 | 5,596 | 62.33% | 3,246 | 36.16% | 136 | 1.51% |
| 1976 | 4,292 | 37.49% | 7,058 | 61.65% | 99 | 0.86% |
| 1980 | 4,893 | 41.80% | 6,616 | 56.52% | 197 | 1.68% |
| 1984 | 6,094 | 49.64% | 6,157 | 50.15% | 26 | 0.21% |
| 1988 | 5,369 | 43.57% | 6,912 | 56.09% | 41 | 0.33% |
| 1992 | 3,551 | 27.08% | 7,901 | 60.25% | 1,662 | 12.67% |
| 1996 | 3,569 | 31.35% | 6,564 | 57.65% | 1,253 | 11.00% |
| 2000 | 5,518 | 46.15% | 6,295 | 52.65% | 143 | 1.20% |
| 2004 | 6,749 | 50.07% | 6,636 | 49.23% | 94 | 0.70% |
| 2008 | 6,447 | 50.02% | 6,221 | 48.27% | 221 | 1.71% |
| 2012 | 7,762 | 60.93% | 4,771 | 37.45% | 206 | 1.62% |
| 2016 | 9,393 | 71.92% | 3,272 | 25.05% | 395 | 3.02% |
| 2020 | 10,497 | 73.74% | 3,545 | 24.90% | 193 | 1.36% |
| 2024 | 10,491 | 76.62% | 3,048 | 22.26% | 153 | 1.12% |
Muhlenberg County was a Democratic-leaning county until after 2000, when it, along with the rest of Kentucky, swung hard into the right.Donald Trump's performance in2016 was the best for any Republican in the county's history, when he won nearly 72% of the county's vote. This was surpassed four years later in2020, when Trump carried 73.7% of the vote.
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[19][20] | ||
| U.S. House | Brett Guthrie (R) | KY 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Craig Richardson (R) | 3 |
| Ky. House | Rebecca Raymer (R) | 15 |
Municipalities and communities ofMuhlenberg County, Kentucky,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
