Russell, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Location of Russell in Greenup County, Kentucky. | |
| Coordinates:38°31′5″N82°41′52″W / 38.51806°N 82.69778°W /38.51806; -82.69778 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Greenup |
| Incorporated | February 23, 1874 |
| Named after | John Russell, a local landowner |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Simp Simpson IV |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.42 sq mi (8.87 km2) |
| • Land | 3.41 sq mi (8.84 km2) |
| • Water | 0.015 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 646 ft (197 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,744 |
• Estimate (2024)[2] | 3,638 |
| • Density | 1,097.4/sq mi (423.69/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 41169 (part in 41101) |
| Area code | 606 |
| FIPS code | 21-67458 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0502497 |
| Website | www |
Russell is ahome rule-class city[3] on the south bank of theOhio River inGreenup County,Kentucky, United States. The population was 3,380 as of the2010 census,[4] down from 3,645 in2000. Russell is a suburb ofAshland and part of theHuntington-Ashland-Ironton metropolitan area. It has close economic affiliations with its neighbors, Ashland andFlatwoods in Kentucky andIronton,Ohio.
The hilly site near the confluence of White Oak Creek and the Ohio was chosen by pioneerJeff Moore in 1823 in order to provide protection for his camp against attacks by localAmerican Indian tribes.[5][dubious –discuss] In 1829, James E. McDowell, William Lindsay Poage, and his brother erected aniron furnace; they named the foundry and the community that grew up around it "Amanda Furnace" after William's infant daughter. The furnace ceased operation in 1861.[6]
John Russell and hisMeans and Russell Iron Company purchased the land of the present city beside Amanda Hill from the Poage brothers.[7] They laid out and established the town of Riverview in 1869[8] in expectation of an expansion of theChesapeake and Ohio Railroad westward fromHuntington, West Virginia, toCincinnati, Ohio. Ferry service to Ohio began in 1870,[9] local landowners agreed to rename the community after its founder in 1873,[7] and the city was formally incorporated under the name "Russell" in 1874.[8] The expected C&O spur did not arrive until 1889 but, when it did, it constructed a railyard, roundhouse, and shops and the city grew quickly. The city celebrates this influence with the annual "Russell Railroad Days" each August.[9]
Numerous disasters limited the city's growth. The Ohio River flooded the city in 1884,smallpox struck in 1901, and a fire consumed downtown and the city hall in 1903. In 1905, it was still the largest city inGreenup County, but the Ohio flooded again in 1913 and 1937. The 1937 flood affected all but 30 homes, and over 500 people were forced to shelter in C&O boxcars and cabooses until the waters receded. Despite the completion of a bridge to Ironton in 1922 and afloodwall in 1950, Russell was no longer the county's largest municipality by the mid-1950s.[9]
TheFortune 500 companyAshland Oil relocated its headquarters to Russell in 1974,[9] but moved to theCincinnati suburb ofCovington in 1999.
Russell is located in the eastern corner of Greenup County at38°31′5″N82°41′52″W / 38.51806°N 82.69778°W /38.51806; -82.69778 (38.518176, -82.697680),[10] directly across theOhio River fromIronton, Ohio.[7] It is bordered to the northwest by the city ofWorthington, to the west by the city ofFlatwoods, and to the south by the city ofBellefonte. The southeast border of Russell is theBoyd County line, separating Russell from the unincorporated community ofWestwood. DowntownAshland is 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Russell viaU.S. Route 23.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city of Russell has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2), of which 0.02 square miles (0.04 km2), or 0.48%, is water.[4]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 175 | — | |
| 1890 | 323 | 84.6% | |
| 1900 | 743 | 130.0% | |
| 1910 | 1,038 | 39.7% | |
| 1920 | 1,756 | 69.2% | |
| 1930 | 2,084 | 18.7% | |
| 1940 | 1,844 | −11.5% | |
| 1950 | 1,681 | −8.8% | |
| 1960 | 1,458 | −13.3% | |
| 1970 | 2,925 | 100.6% | |
| 1980 | 3,824 | 30.7% | |
| 1990 | 4,014 | 5.0% | |
| 2000 | 3,645 | −9.2% | |
| 2010 | 3,380 | −7.3% | |
| 2020 | 3,744 | 10.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 3,638 | [11] | −2.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] | |||
As of thecensus[13] of 2000, there were 3,645 people, 1,428 households, and 1,106 families residing in the city. The population density was 910.5 inhabitants per square mile (351.5/km2). There were 1,584 housing units at an average density of 395.7 per square mile (152.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.49%White, 0.71%African American, 0.03%Native American, 2.14%Asian, 0.22% fromother races, and 0.41% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 1,428 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% weremarried couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $53,869, and the median income for a family was $62,018. Males had a median income of $50,306 versus $30,494 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $29,453. About 4.1% of families and 6.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.
Part ofAK Steel's Ashland Works is located in Russell. Russell was also once home to the headquarters ofAshland Global, a diversified chemical company. The two-building headquarters was located onKentucky Route 1725 (Ashland Drive), with another facility onKY 693 (Diederich Boulevard). The company has since relocated toCovington. One of the buildings was purchased byOur Lady of Bellefonte Hospital and was known asBellefonte Pavilion during the hospital's ownership. That building is now owned by Ashland-basedKing's Daughters Medical Center, has been renamedKing's Daughters Pavilion and houses many of the hospital's business offices.[14][15] The other building, which was namedBellefonte Centre, is privately owned and is used as physician and clinic offices along with rental office space.[16]
The city has a large railroadclassification yard, built by theChesapeake and Ohio Railway and now owned and operated byCSX Transportation. The C&O Rail Yard was formerly the largest individually-owned rail yard in the world.
Vehicles may cross the Ohio River via theIronton–Russell Bridge or theBen Williamson Memorial Bridge in Ashland. A new Ironton-Russell Bridge, opened in 2016, connects downtown Ironton withU.S. 23 andKY 244 just south of downtown Russell. The original Ironton-Russell Bridge, which connected downtown Ironton directly with Willow Street in downtown Russell, opened in 1922, closed when the new bridge opened in 2016 and was demolished in late 2016–early 2017.
Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital was a 214-bed not-for-profit acute care hospital located in Russell from 1953 to 2020. The hospital was part of theCatholic-based Bon Secours Health System Inc. Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital employed approximately 1,200 healthcare professionals, making the hospital the largest employer inGreenup County when it was open.[17] Many of the hospital's former outpatient facilities in Russell have been absorbed byUK King's Daughters in Ashland.
Russell's students are served by Russell Independent Schools, which it shares with its neighbors,Flatwoods andBellefonte. The main campus, which includesRussell High School, Russell Middle School, Russell Primary School and the Russell Area Technology Center, sits on the Russell/Flatwoods city line (all of the schools' mailing addresses are Russell, but they receive primary police and fire protection fromFlatwoods).
The Russell High School football field is home to a fire-breathing Red Devil, the school's mascot Rudy, who sits atop the scoreboard. Russell High School was the 1978 Kentucky State 3A football champion, as well as the 2005 Kentucky State 2A football champion.[18]
Municipalities and communities ofGreenup County, Kentucky,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Principal cities |  | |
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| Municipalities with population over 5,000 | ||
| Municipalities with population 1,000–5,000 | ||
| Municipalities with population under 1,000 | ||
| West Virginia counties | ||
| Kentucky counties | ||
| Ohio counties | ||
| Counties | |
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| Cities and towns Over 10k | |
| Cities and towns 5k-10k | |
| Cities and towns 1k-5k | |
| Cities and towns under 1k | |
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| See also | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
