Drakesboro is a home rule-class city in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 515 at the 2010 census. Incorporated in 1888, the city was named for early pioneer William Drake.

Geography

Drakesboro is located at (37.217274, -87.050169). The city is situated along

Kentucky Route 176 Kentucky Route 176 (KY 176) is a 12.742-mile (20.506 km) state highway in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky that runs from U.S. Route 62 in Greenville to Rockport-Paradise Road at Paradise via Drakesboro. Route description The highway s ...

(Mose Rager Boulevard) east of Greenville. Its municipal boundaries extend eastward to KY 176's intersection with

U.S. Route 431 U.S. Route 431 (US 431) is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently travels for approximately from US 231/Alabama State Route 210 and US 231 Business (US 231 Bus.) and US 431 Bus. in Dothan, Alabama, to Owensboro, ...

. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 627 people, 247 households, and 171 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,296.1 people per square mile (504.3/km²). There were 281 housing units at an average density of 580.9 per square mile (226.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.47% White, 9.73% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.16%

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 ...

, and 0.32% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 ...

people of any race were 0.48% of the population. There were 247 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% 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, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $17,875, and the median income for a family was $25,417. Males had a median income of $21,094 versus $16,458 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,508. About 28.4% of families and 32.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.4% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

The Four Legends Fountain

Constructed in 1992, the Four Legends Fountain honors four pioneers of the "thumb picking" style of guitar playing often associated with

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ...

: Kennedy Jones,

Ike Everly The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

Mose Rager Moses Rager (April 2, 1911 – May 14, 1986) was a guitar player from Kentucky. He is credited with creating the thumb-picking style of guitar playing - which he taught to Merle Travis. Laverda Rager was the daughter of Mose Rager. She was i ...

, and

Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States. His songs' lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic expl ...

. All four have close ties to Muhlenberg County.

John Prine Highway

The section of Hwy 431 through Drakesboro is named for John Prine.

Notable people

, musician *

, country western songwriter and performer

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places established in 1888 Cities in Kentucky Cities in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky