Campton is a home rule-class city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Wolfe 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 ...

, United States. The population was 441 at the 2010 census.

History

Campton was a camp town with a small creek, Swift Creek (named after Jonathan Swift of the legend of Swift's silver mine), running through the town. Swift supposedly buried treasure in the area which has never been recovered.

Geography

Campton is located at . 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 t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (3.57%) 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 in ...

of 2000, there were 424 people, 196 households, and 117 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 229 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.76%

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 o ...

, and 0.24% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 0.71% of the population. There were 196 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $17,778, and the median income for a family was $21,528. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $21,875 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 $11,167. About 31.8% of families and 34.6% 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 47.4% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Campton 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 ...

, the Wolfe County Public Library.

Arts and culture

The annual Swift Silver Mine Festival is held on Labor Day weekend each year. It includes a parade and vendors in the downtown area.

Notable people

*Folk artist Edgar Tolson; Ralph Rinzler of the Smithsonian Institution was impressed by Tolson's figures, and included them in the 1971 Festival of American Folklife. *Folk artist Randy Spencer; Well known folk artist and creator o
Kentucky Walking Sticks
* Tyler Booth, Country singer, grew up near the city Campton, Kentucky, population 424, on a farm where he begin playing guitar and writing songs from an early age. Booth signed a major record deal with

Sony Music Nashville Sony Music Nashville is the country music branch of the Sony Music Group. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Sony Music Nashville includes its three country recording labels Arista Nashville, Columbia Nashville, and RCA Nashville, as well as Ch ...

in early 2020. His voice and song writing talents were discovered while attending college at

Morehead State University Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ...

his freshman year.

References

{{authority control Cities in Wolfe County, Kentucky Cities in Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Populated places established in 1870 1870 establishments in Kentucky