Rowan County, KY
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Rowan County (, ) is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky, in the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,662. Its county seat is Morehead. The county was created in 1856 from parts of Fleming and Morgan counties, and named after
John Rowan John Rowan may refer to: * John Rowan (American football) (1896–1967) * John Rowan (footballer) (1890-1963), Scottish footballer * John Rowan (high sheriff) (1778–1855), Irish high sheriff and militia officer *John Rowan (Kentucky politicia ...
, who represented Kentucky in the House of Representatives and the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. With regard to the sale of
alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...
, it is classified as a moist county in which alcohol sales are prohibited, but unlike a
dry county A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Dozens of dry counties exist across the ...
, it contains a "wet" city, Morehead, where packaged alcohol sales are allowed.


History

It is believed that Rowan County was first explored by those of European descent in 1773 by a party of surveyors from Pennsylvania. The first settlement was established in
Farmers A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...
, a town 10 miles west of Morehead. Its population rapidly increased due its fertile farming land and proximity to water sources. Additional settlers came to Rowan County from Virginia in the late 18th century after being awarded land grants at the end of the American Revolutionary War. Clearfield was the second settlement established in the county, being colonized by a Virginia aristocrat named Dixon Clack in the early 1800s. It accommodated the first sawmill in the county. In 1854, Morehead became the third community to be settled in the area. Colonel John Hargis founded the city after purchasing land in the county, naming it after governor James Morehead. Rowan County came into existence in May 1856, seceding from Morgan County and Fleming County. It was divided into four districts with Morehead being declared the county seat. In 1896, a tax was levied on Morehead, sourcing it with the revenue needed to construct hard surface roads. The road system was extended to Farmers by 1920. In summer 2015, Rowan County attracted national attention when County Clerk Kim Davis refused, on grounds of religion, to follow a court order requiring her to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.


Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.3%) is water. Its highest point is "Limestone Knob" at about above mean sea level.


Adjacent counties

* Lewis County (north) * Carter County (northeast) *
Elliott County Elliott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Sandy Hook. The county was formed in 1869 from parts of Morgan, Lawrence, and Carter counties, and is named for John Lyle Elliott, U.S. Congressman, Conf ...
(east) * Morgan County (south) * Menifee County (southwest) * Bath County (west) * Fleming County (northwest)


National protected area

* Daniel Boone National Forest (part)


Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 23,333 people and 7,956 households residing in the county. The population density was . There were 10,102 housing units at an average density of . The racial make-up was 96.1% White, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.8%
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% Pacific Islander, and 1.0% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were 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. There were 7,956 households, of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% 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, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.20% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was 20.30% under the age of 18, 23.50% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. Both the unusually large portion of the population in the 18-to-24 range and the relatively low median age are mainly because of the presence of Morehead State University. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males. The median household income was $33,081. Males had a median income of $26,777 and females $20,104. The per capita income was $13,888. About 15.90% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.80% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over. In 2014, the county had 14,263 registered voters. Of these, 9,394 were Democrats, 3,929 were Republicans, and 626 listed themselves as members of other parties.


Politics

Rowan County is known as a swing county. It voted Republican in 2000, 2012, 2016, and 2020 and Democratic in 2004 and 2008, but in most of those elections the winning candidate won by small margins. This changed in 2016 when Republican Donald Trump won the county with nearly 59% of the vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton's 37%, the largest margin of victory since Jimmy Carter won the county in 1976. Rowan County was one of four counties in Eastern Kentucky to vote for Barack Obama in 2008. It is the only county in the eastern coalfields where the Republican nominee Donald Trump never won over 60% of the vote.


Legal compliance

In June and July 2015, the Rowan county clerk, Kim Davis, refused several residents their right to marry, a right guaranteed by the ruling of the Supreme Court on June 26, 2015, that same-sex marriages are legal across the entirety of the United States. Privately held religious belief was given as the reason for non-compliance with the Court's ruling and with the state governor's executive order of June 26 instructing all state agencies and clerks to comply with it.


Media

* ''The Morehead News'' – local paper *
WMKY WMKY (90.3 FM) is a National Public Radio-affiliated station in Morehead, Kentucky. It primarily features National Public Radio programming. Its coverage area extends from the Lexington metropolitan area in the west to the Huntington-Ashland met ...
– Morehead State University radio *
W10BM W10BM (channel 10) was a low power television station in Morehead, Kentucky, United States, that later operated unlicensed and was fined as a pirate station by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Licensed broadcast term The FCC granted ...
– TV * ''Rowan Review'' – local online news * ''The Trail Blazer'' – Morehead State University newspaper * ''News Center'' - Morehead State University Television


Communities


Cities

* Lakeview Heights * Morehead (county seat)


Census-designated place

*
Farmers A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...


Other unincorporated communities

* Clearfield * Cranston * Elliottville * Gates * Haldeman * Hayes Crossing *
Hilda Hilda is one of several female given names derived from the name ''Hild'', formed from Old Norse , meaning 'battle'. Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a Valkyrie who conveyed fallen warriors to Valhalla. Warfare was often called Hild's Game. Th ...
* Paragon * Pelfrey * Rodburn *
Sharkey Sharkey ( ga, Ó Searcaigh) is a surname of Irish origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Bill Sharkey (1873–1946), Australian rules footballer * Brendan Sharkey (born 1962), American politician * Catherine Sharkey (born c. 1970), ...
* Smile * Triplett * Wagner Corner


Notable people

* Kim Davis – Rowan County Clerk who was jailed for refusing to comply with a federal court order directing her to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the United States Supreme Court decision in '' Obergefell vs. Hodges''. * Cora Wilson Stewart (1875–1958) - First woman to be elected to the position of the president of the Kentucky Education Association. Opened
Moonlight School Moonlight Schools were a program of educational offerings for illiterate adults in Kentucky in the early 1900s which spread to many other U.S. states. History The first Moonlight School was created in September 1911, in Rowan County, Kentucky by ...
, first in Rowan County, Kentucky, and then across the United States, to educate illiterate adults at night in the schools where children studied during the day.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Rowan County, Kentucky


References

;Specific ;General
Wet Dry map


External links


The Kentucky Highlands Project

Rowan County Sheriff's Department
{{authority control Kentucky counties Counties of Appalachia 1856 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1856