La Grange is a home rule-class city in Oldham 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 8,082 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census. It is the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of its

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. An unusual feature of La Grange is the

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

street-running A street running train is a train which runs on a track built on public streets. The rails are embedded in the roadway, and the train shares the street with other users, such as pedestrians, cars and cyclists, thus often being referred to as ru ...

mainline track on Main Street.

History

La Grange was founded in 1827 when the Oldham County seat was relocated from Westport at the suggestion of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

William Berry Taylor. The new town was named for

Château de la Grange-Bléneau A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

, the French country estate of Gilbert du Motier, the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

ary hero better known as the Marquis de Lafayette, who had visited the area in 1824. Accessed May 16, 2010. For unknown reasons, the county seat returned to Westport from 1828 to 1838 before settling at La Grange. The city was formally incorporated by the state legislature on January 23, 1840.Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office. "La Grange, Kentucky". Accessed August 1, 2013.

Geography

La Grange is located at (38.406612, -85.379382). 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 has a total area of , of which are land and (1.17%) is covered by water. CSXT LaGrange 1

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, La Grange has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

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 2010, there were 8,082 people, 2,964 households, and 2,087 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,189 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.3%

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 ...

(83.5% non-Hispanic), 4.7%

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 ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.62%

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 ...

, 0.16%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 4.6% 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 2.3% from

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.9% of the population. There were 2,964 households, out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% 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, 15.5% had a single female householder, 5.1% had a single male householder, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.17. The age distribution was 29.8% under 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

Correctional facilities

The

Kentucky Department of Corrections The Kentucky Department of Corrections is a state agency of the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet that operates state-owned adult correctional facilities and provides oversight for and sets standards for county jails. They also provide trai ...

maintains four correctional facilities in La Grange. Construction began on the

Kentucky State Reformatory Kentucky State Reformatory (KSR) is a medium-security prison for adult males. The prison is located in unincorporated Oldham County, Kentucky, near La Grange, and about northeast of Louisville. It opened in 1940 to replace the Kentucky State ...

, the largest prison in the state, in 1937, with the prison opening in 1939.

Roederer Correctional Complex Roederer Correctional Complex is a minimum and medium-security state prison located in Buckner, Oldham County, near La Grange, Kentucky. It is about 30 miles northeast of Louisville. The Kentucky Department of Corrections Assessment and Classif ...

, which houses the Assessment and Classification Center where male inmates not sentenced to death enter the state prison system, was built in 1976. The

Luther Luckett Correctional Complex The Luther Luckett Correctional Complex is a Medium/MINIMUM-security state prison located in Oldham County, near La Grange, Kentucky, about 30 miles northeast of Louisville. It opened in 1981 and had a prison population 1,204 as of 2018. The Ke ...

and Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center, both built in the same facility but technically two separate prisons, opened in 1983. Approximately 4,000 inmates of various security levels are housed at these institutions.

Education

La Grange 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 library ...

, a branch of the Oldham County Public Library.

Arts and culture

The La Grange historic district contains numerous small businesses such as shops, eateries, and art galleries. Discover Downtown La Grange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting business, history, and community in the city. La Grange hosts a Farmers and Artisan Market, a Kentucky Proud Market, where locally made items are sold. The market is open from mid-May through late October.

Notable people

Tom Blankenship Tom Blankenship (born February 7, 1978) is an American indie rock musician. He is the bass guitar-player for the Louisville, Kentucky band My Morning Jacket. Equipment *Fender Precision Bass The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P- ...

(aka Two Tone Tommy), bassist for

My Morning Jacket My Morning Jacket is an American rock band formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Koster. The ba ...

William J. Crowe William James Crowe Jr. (January 2, 1925 – October 18, 2007) was a United States Navy admiral and diplomat who served as the 11th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and as the ambassad ...

, former

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...

Roland Isaacs Roland Isaacs (born January 16, 1957) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He was a part-time fixture in the sport from 2001 to 2005, competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as well as one race in the Busch Serie ...

, former

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

driver *

Robert Mallory Robert Mallory (November 15, 1815 – August 11, 1885) was a nineteenth-century American politician and lawyer from Kentucky. Born in Madison Court House, Virginia, Mallory attended private schools and graduated from the University of Virg ...

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

* Marvin H. McIntyre, secretary to

President Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

Buddy Pepper __NOTOC__ Buddy Pepper (born Jack Retherford Starkey, April 21, 1922 – February 7, 1993) was an American pianist, songwriter, arranger and actor, known as one of three writers of Billboard's top tune of 1953, " Vaya Con Dios," which has been reco ...

, former

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, and actor

References

External links

* {{authority control * Cities in Kentucky Cities in Oldham County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Louisville metropolitan area Populated places established in 1827 1827 establishments in Kentucky