Frenchburg is a home rule-class city in Menifee 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 ...

, in the United States. The population was 486 at the 2010 census. It is the seat and only incorporated city in its rural county. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 460 and

Kentucky Route 36 Kentucky Route 36 (KY 36) is a state highway in Kentucky that runs from US 421 in Milton to US 460 U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, a ...

. Logging is the primary industry. Retrieved on 2010-06-29 Frenchburg is part of the Mount Sterling Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Caudel House on Blythe Branch, in Frenchburg, Kentucky

Frenchburg was laid out in 1869 to be the county seat of newly formed Menifee County and was named for Robert French, a local lawyer and judge. It was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1871. Frenchburg was nearly destroyed on June 27, 1882, when Beaver Creek flooded, sweeping away all but three buildings and killing six people. In 1910 the United Presbyterian Center was established in Frenchburg as the only secondary education for Menifee County by Dr. Edward Owings Guerrant, a physician and preacher. A hospital was built in 1915 and served as the only one between Lexington and Ashland for many years. In 1978 the campus was admitted to the National Register for Historic Places as Frenchburg School Campus for its educational, social, and religious significance.

Geography

Frenchburg is located at (37.953176, -83.627210). 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 , all land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. 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 ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).

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 551 people, 245 households, and 174 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 279 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.64%

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 0.36% 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 1.09% of the population. There were 245 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.66. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 13.2% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,350, and the median income for a family was $28,333. Males had a median income of $25,221 versus $19,286 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 $12,288. About 22.0% of families and 27.5% 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 35.5% of those under age 18 and 24.2% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Frenchburg is a six-class city governed by a mayor-commission form of government. The current mayor is Edward Bryant. The

city commission City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissione ...

is made up of four members: James D. Baker, Della Brown, Steve Peck, and Dwain Benson. Frenchburg is located in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District.

Education

The city is home to Menifee County High School, Menifee County Middle School, and formerly Menifee County Elementary School (now destroyed). Frenchburg 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 Menifee County Public Library.

Media

The area was served by the ''Foothills Courier'' newspaper from June 1996 until January 2007. The newspaper was a private, non-affiliated publication, supported by local individuals and businesses. The business failed to financially sustain itself after the death of its editor on October 18, 2006. The ''Foothills Courier'' was bought out shortly thereafter by the ''Menifee County News'', an affiliated publication from Carlisle, Kentucky.

References

{{authority control Cities in Kentucky Cities in Menifee County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Mount Sterling, Kentucky micropolitan area