Worthington is a home rule-class city on the south bank 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 ...

in Greenup 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 1,609 as of the 2010 U.S. census. Worthington is a part of the Huntington-Ashland-Ironton metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 287,702.

History

The site of the present city was once owned by Abraham Buford, who sold the land to the Means and Russell Iron Company. This company sold the land to W. J. Worthington, Accessed 23 April 2010. who was

William O. Bradley William O'Connell Bradley (March 18, 1847May 23, 1914) was a politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He served as the List of governors of Kentucky, 32nd Governor of Kentucky and was later elected by the Kentucky General Assembly, state leg ...

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 1895 to 1899. After his death, the property was given to his daughters, who founded the present town and named it for their father. Worthington was incorporated as a city by the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in the ...

on February 5, 1920.Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office.
Worthington, Kentucky
. Accessed 23 April 2010.

Geography

Worthington is located in eastern Greenup County at (38.550616, -82.734694), on the south bank of the Ohio River. It is bordered to the west by Wurtland, to the south by Raceland, and to the east by Russell. Directly across the river is the village of

Hanging Rock, Ohio Hanging Rock is a village in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 204 at the 2020 census. It is regularly labeled a speed trap; the village earned revenues of $109,186 in mayor's court receipts in 200 ...

, but the closest river crossing is the Oakley C. Collins Memorial Bridge to the southeast, connecting Russell with

Ironton, Ohio Ironton is a city in and the county seat of Lawrence County, Ohio, United States. Located in southernmost Ohio along the Ohio River northwest of Huntington, West Virginia, the city includes the Downtown Ironton Historic District. The populatio ...

. 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 Worthington has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.03%, is water.

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 1,673 people, 663 households, and 519 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 698 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.74%

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 ...

, 0.06%

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 ...

, 0.06%

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 ...

, 0.36% 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 0.78% 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 ...

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 0.78% of the population. There were 663 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% 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, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,875, and the median income for a family was $39,737. Males had a median income of $35,324 versus $19,643 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 $19,239. About 7.8% of families and 9.3% 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 12.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city sits within the

Raceland-Worthington Independent School District Raceland-Worthington Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Raceland, Kentucky Raceland is a home rule-class city in Greenup County, Kentucky, United States, in the Ohio River valley. As of the 2010 census, the popula ...

, which also includes the neighboring city of Raceland. All of the district's schools, including Raceland-Worthington High School, are located at the district's main campus in Raceland.

Ashland Regional Airport

Located in Worthington, and named for nearby Ashland, the Ashland Regional Airport was once used extensively by the oil manufacturing company

Ashland Inc. Ashland Global Specialty Chemicals Inc. is an American chemical company which operates in more than 100 countries. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, the company traces its roots back to the city of Ashland, Kentucky, where it was headquarter ...

before the company's corporate headquarters was moved from Russell to Covington. Currently, the airport serves local charter and private aircraft. Recently, community events, such as car and air shows, have also taken place at the airport.

The current Ohio River backwater called the Gravel Pit was a sand and pea gravel quarry from the 1930s until the construction of the

Greenup Lock and Dam Greenup Lock and Dam is the 11th Lock and dam on the Ohio River, located 341 miles downstream of Pittsburgh. There are 2 locks, one for commercial barge traffic that's 1,200 feet long by 110 feet wide, and the auxiliary lock is 600 feet long by ...

in 1962.

Notable person

* Corporal John W. Collier,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient for his service during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

References

External links

City of Worthington official website

Ashland Alliance
regional Chamber of Commerce
Greenup County Tourism Commission

Ashland Regional Airport
{{authority control Cities in Greenup County, Kentucky Populated places established in 1920 Kentucky populated places on the Ohio River Cities in Kentucky