Morgantown, KY
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Morgantown is a home rule-class city in, and the seat of Butler County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,471 at the time of the 2020 Census


History

The settlement may have originally been called Funkhouser Hill after Christopher Funkhouser, the local landowner who donated of land to establish a seat for the newly formed Butler County in 1811.Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names''
p. 203
University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 1 August 2013.
The etymology of the city's present name (originally written Morgan Town) is uncertain. It may have been chosen to honor a hunter named Morgan or to honor Daniel Morgan Smith, the first white child born in the town. It was incorporated as Morgantown by the
state assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...
in 1813, although the post office also went by the name Butler Court House during the 19th century. Granville Allen, a member of the 17th Kentucky Infantry, was one of the first Union soldiers to die in the Civil War, in a skirmish on October 29, 1861. A monument was erected by the Granville Allen Post #93 GAR. This first skirmish between the North and South took place on the Daniel Boone Johnson property. The Johnson Cemetery is still there and is directly above the monument, which is a limestone marker cut into the side of the old Logansport road. Morgantown has one of only two monuments in the country dedicated to soldiers of both sides who died in the Civil War. The
Confederate-Union Veterans' Monument in Morgantown The Confederate-Union Veterans' Monument in front of the Butler County Courthouse in Morgantown, Kentucky, was built in the aftermath the Spanish–American War, which helped alleviate the bitterness both sides felt toward the other when it was ...
is located on the grounds of the county courthouse. The city formerly had a sister city in Tatsuruhama,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, but that city is now part of Nanao.


Geography

Morgantown is located near the center of Butler County at (37.219465, -86.692513). It is situated on the top of a bluff on the west side of the
Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada *Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...
. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.49%, is water.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Morgantown 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° ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,544 people, 1,051 households, and 627 families residing in the city. The population density was 754.8 people per square mile (291.5/km2). There were 1,148 housing units at an average density of 340.6 per square mile (131.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.52% White, 1.10% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.31%
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 ...
, 2.36% from other races, and 0.55% 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 ...
of any race were 3.22% of the population. There were 1,051 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% 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, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,912, and the median income for a family was $27,218. Males had a median income of $24,671 versus $18,594 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,100. About 24.9% of families and 27.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.0% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over. In 2010, Morgantown had the 16th-lowest median household income of all places in the United States with a population over 1,000.


Transportation

Prior to 1917, the city's primary channel of transportation was the
Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada *Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...
. However, in 1917, the river froze, leaving the city without supplies for two months. A subsequent period of road-building began, and in 1930, a road connecting Morgantown with Bowling Green provided an alternate conduit for commerce. Morgantown is now served by Interstate 165 and it is along the proposed
Interstate 67 In the United States, future Interstate Highways include proposals to establish new mainline (one- and two-digit) routes to the Interstate Highway System. Excluded from this article are auxiliary Interstate Highways (designated by three-digit nu ...
corridor. Via I-165 it is southeast to Bowling Green and north to Owensboro on 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 ...
. Other major roads serving the city include
U.S. Highway 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north-south United States Numbered Highway System, U.S highway that is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31, US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 in Indiana, US 41 ...
, Kentucky Route 70, and
Kentucky Route 79 Kentucky Route 79 (KY 79) is a north–south state highway that traverses five counties in west-central Kentucky. It can be seen as an extension of U.S. Route 79 (US 79), as they have the same number; KY 79 begins in the same city that ...
.
Kentucky Route 403 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 Vir ...
is a minor artery in and out of town. The city does not have railroad service.


Education

Morgantown is home to these public schools as part of the Butler County Schools District: *Morgantown Elementary *Butler County Middle School *
Butler County High School Butler County High School is a four-year public high school in Morgantown, Kentucky, United States. The principal is Stoye Young. History The school was established in 1952 following the consolidation of the county's rural high schools prior to ...
Morgantown also has a lending library, the Butler County Public Library.


Arts and culture

Morgantown's municipal park, Charles Black City Park, is home to the annual Green River Catfish Festival held the week of July 4. The festival has been held annually since July 1980. In addition to the city park, the catfish festival also includes a catfish tournament on the Green River, where the grand prize is $2,500.


Notable people

* William S. Taylor, 33rd Governor of Kentucky * John Moore, bishop of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...
* Keith Butler, pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals organization * Tyler Reed (swimmer)


References


External links

*
City of Morgantown official website
{{authority control * Cities in Butler County, Kentucky Cities in Kentucky County seats in Kentucky