Barbourville is a home rule-class city in

Knox County, Kentucky Knox County is a county located in Appalachia near the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,193. Its county seat is Barbourville. The county is named for General Henry Knox. It is one ...

, in the United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2010 census, down from 3,589 at the 2000 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Knox County. The city was formally established by the state assembly in 1812. It was incorporated in 1854 and then reincorporated in 1856. Union Commonwealth University and the Appalachian Children's Home are located in Barbourville.

Geography

Barbourville is in the center of Knox County, in the valley of the

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

where it is joined by Richland Creek. U.S. Route 25E passes through the east side of the city, leading northwest to Corbin and southeast the same distance to Pineville. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.35%, are water.

Climate

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,165 people, 1,211 households, and 662 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,646 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.40%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.23%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.56% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population. There were 1,211 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 15.7% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $13,297, and the median income for a family was $20,762. Males had a median income of $31,775 versus $18,102 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $11,485. About 32.6% of families and 38.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 43.4% of those under age 18 and 30.5% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Each year in early October, Barbourville hosts the

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

Festival, commemorating the pioneer who explored the area in 1775. The festival features open-air concerts, carnival attractions, a beauty pageant, a parade, and other events. Starting in 2005, the Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association began sponsoring the Springtime Redbud Festival. The first celebration was at Pine Mountain State Resort Park, south of Barbourville, but the celebration is now held on the campus of Union College (Kentucky). The Redbud Festival in April first featured a quilting workshop and now includes other traditions and crafts, including storytelling, art shows, dulcimer workshops, and a cooking school. Voters in Barbourville in 2015 approved alcohol sales in the city after 82 years of prohibition established by local law in 1933. The measure won in a special election in December 2015, by a little more than 60 votes. This approval came three and a half years after voters rejected alcohol sales in another special election. The measure will allow alcohol sales in both stores and restaurants.

Education

Public schools

Public schools are administered by Knox County Public Schools. Schools in Barbourville include: * Central Elementary School * G. R. Hampton Elementary School * Jesse D. Lay Elementary School * Knox County Middle School * Knox Central High School * Dewitt Elementary * Girdler Elementary * Flat Lick Elementary * Lynn Camp Schools

Independent schools

The Barbourville Independent School District administers Barbourville Elementary School and Barbourville High School.

Knox Appalachian School

The Knox Appalachian School is a public school serving the needs of the children committed to the Appalachian Children's Home.

Public library

Barbourville has a

lending library A lending library is a library from which books and other media are lent out. The major classifications are endowed libraries, institutional libraries (the most diverse), public libraries, and subscription libraries. It may also refer to a librar ...

, the Knox County Public Library.

Higher Education

* Union Commonwealth University

Notable people

* Green Adams (1812–1884), United States congressman * George Madison Adams (December 20, 1837 – April 6, 1920), U.S. congressman (1867–1875),

Clerk of the United States House of Representatives The clerk of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the United States House of Representatives, whose primary duty is to act as the chief record-keeper for the House. Along with the other House officers, the clerk is elect ...

in the 44th, 45th, and 46th Congresses (1875–1881), Secretary of State of Kentucky (1887–1891) * James D. Black (1849–1938), Kentucky governor (1919) * James S. Golden, U.S. representative, 1949–1955 *

Samuel Freeman Miller Samuel Freeman Miller (April 5, 1816 – October 13, 1890) was an American lawyer and physician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Supreme ...

, U.S. Supreme Court justice * John M. Robsion Jr., U.S. representative 1953–1959 * Flem D. Sampson, Kentucky governor (1927–1931) * William A. Stanfill (1892–1971), U.S. senator (1945–1946) * Kenneth H. Tuggle, Lt. Governor of Kentucky (1943–1947) * Silas Woodson, Missouri governor

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Kentucky Cities in Knox County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky