Eminence is a
home rule class city in
Henry County,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, in the United States. The population was 2,498 at the
2010 census,
up from 2,231 at the
2000 census. Eminence is the largest city in Henry County. Eminence is home to the loudspeaker manufacturing company, Eminence Speaker.
Geography
Eminence is located in southern Henry County at (38.368127, -85.180449).
It is bordered to the south by
Shelby County.
Kentucky Route 55
Kentucky Route 55 (KY 55) is a state highway in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky.
The route originates at a junction with U.S. Route 127 in Freedom, Russell County. The route continues through Columbia in Adair County to U.S. Route 68 in ...
is Main Street through Eminence. KY 55 leads north to
New Castle, the Henry County seat, and south to
Shelbyville.
U.S. Route 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Caro ...
passes east of Eminence; it leads north to New Castle and southeast to
Frankfort, the state capital.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city of Eminence has a total area of , of which , or 1.70%, is water.
The city is located on high ground, with elevations up to , where several watersheds converge. The source of the
Little Kentucky River, a tributary of the
Kentucky River
The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 13, 2011 in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Kentuc ...
, is just west of Eminence, while Town Creek to the north and Drennon Creek to the east also rise in Eminence and flow north to the Kentucky River. Fox Run rises in the southern part of Eminence and flows south via Bullskin Creek and Brashears Creek to the
Salt River. The Kentucky and the Salt River are both tributaries of the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
.
History
The area post office, established in 1836, was moved to Eminence in 1850, and named for its supposed location at the highest point on the railroad line between
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
and
Lexington. The city was formally incorporated in 1851.
The
Eminence Historic Commercial District
The Eminence Historic Commercial District is a historic district in Eminence, Kentucky which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It included 25 contributing buildings
In the law regulating historic districts in the ...
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
[ With ]
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 2,231 people, 944 households, and 623 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 998 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.59%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 11.65%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.31%
Native American, 0.36%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 2.11% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.97% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 3.81% of the population.
There were 944 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 18.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,323, and the median income for a family was $36,053. Males had a median income of $30,893 versus $21,042 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $15,337. About 14.9% of families and 17.1% 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 t ...
, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 21.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Education in Eminence is administered by the Eminence Independent School District.
Eminence 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 Henry County Public Library.
Arts and culture
The city is home to the Highland Renaissance Festival, which runs from May through July. Eminence also hosts a Celtic Fest in September.
Notable people from Eminence
Anne Braden
Anne McCarty Braden (July 28, 1924 – March 6, 2006) was an American civil rights activist, journalist, and educator dedicated to the cause of racial equality. She and her husband bought a suburban house for an African American couple during Ji ...
(1924-2006), civil rights activist
David Emmanuel Goatley, President
Fuller Seminary, and former Research Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies,
Duke Divinity School
The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is one of ten graduate or professional schools within Duke University. It is also one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 regular ...
James Green, track star, first Black student-athlete to graduate from
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
Sharon Ruble, bass player, member of
Reel World String Band
Lamont Sleets, basketball player, Murray State Racers Hall of Fam
Hollis Summers
Hollis S. Summers Jr. (June 21, 1916 – November 14, 1987) was an American poet, novelist, short story writer and editor.
Background and education
Born on June 21, 1916, in Eminence, Kentucky, Summers earned an Bachelor of Arts, A.B in English f ...
, (1916-1987), poet, novelist, short story writer and editor
References
External links
City of Eminence official websiteEminence Independent School District
{{authority control
Cities in Kentucky
Cities in Henry County, Kentucky
Louisville metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1851
1851 establishments in Kentucky