Winchester 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 Clark 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 18,368 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located roughly halfway between Louisville and Ashland.

History

It was named after

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

Geography

Winchester is located northwest of the center of Clark County, east of Lexington and west of Mt. Sterling. Kentucky Route 1958 (Bypass Road) is an outer loop around the town.

Kentucky Route 627 Kentucky Route 627 (KY 627) is a north–south state highway in east-central Kentucky. It traverses portions of northern Madison, Clark, and southern Bourbon counties. Route description KY 627 begins in northern Madison County at the concurr ...

(Boonesborough Road) leads towards Richmond, to the south and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

to the north. U.S. Route 60 (Winchester-Lexington Road/Lexington Avenue) runs through downtown Winchester.

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...

passes through the northern part of the city, with access from exits 94 and 96. The

Mountain Parkway The Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, commonly known as the Mountain Parkway, is a freeway in eastern Kentucky. The route runs from Interstate 64 just east of Winchester southeast for 75.627 miles (121.710 km) to a junction with U.S. Route ...

turns off I-64 just northeast of Winchester and leads east to Salyersville. 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 ...

, Winchester has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.67%, 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 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 ...

system, Winchester has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

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 16,724 people, 6,907 households, and 4,620 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 7,400 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.94%

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 ...

, 8.83%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.25%

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 ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.81% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.94% 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 1.60% of the population. There were 6,907 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.5% 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 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,254, and the median income for a family was $36,797. Males had a median income of $31,295 versus $21,747 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 $15,611. About 13.1% of families and 15.5% 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 21.1% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Small business

Ale-8-One Ale-8-One, known colloquially as Ale-8, is a regional ginger- and citrus-flavored soft drink, distributed primarily to brick and mortar retailers in Kentucky. Ale-8 could be described as a ginger Soda with a "kick". It is a ginger and citrus blend, ...

, a Kentucky-specific brand of soft drink, has been bottled in Winchester since 1926.

Arts and culture

Beer Cheese Festival

Winchester is home to the

Beer Cheese Festival The Kentucky Beer Cheese Festival is a celebration of beer cheese, an original and unique Kentucky delicacy. This festival's a one-day summertime event held in downtown Winchester, Kentucky, birthplace of beer cheese. The first Beer Cheese Festi ...

held annually in June. Beer Cheese was developed in Clark County near Winchester in the 1940s.

Historic sites

* Bluegrass Heritage Museum * Clark County Court House * Clark Mansion (Gov. Clark House) *

Indian old field Indian Old Field, or simply Old Field, was a common term used in Colonial American times and up until the early nineteenth century United States, by American explorers, surveyors, cartographers and settlers, in reference to land formerly cleared a ...

s * Kerr Building *

Leeds Theater The Leeds Theatre is a single-screen movie theater in downtown Winchester, Kentucky. One of Winchester's first movie houses, the theater was purchased by S.D. Lee, president of the Winchester Amusement Company on May 12, 1925 and opened with ' ...

Oakwood Estate The Oakwood Estate is a house in Winchester, Kentucky. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as Alpheus Lewis House. It is a one-story home on a raised basement, with Greek Revival details. With . The Oakwood house ...

* Old Providence Church * Winchester Opera House

Education

High school

Winchester students attend George Rogers Clark High School, located southwest of Winchester in Clark County.

Higher education

Winchester has been home to several higher education establishments.

Kentucky Wesleyan College Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. The college is known for its liberal arts programs. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kent ...

was located in the city from 1890 to 1954. When Kentucky Wesleyan left, the local Churches of Christ organized Southeastern Christian College on the former Kentucky Wesleyan campus. After Southeastern Christian College folded in 1979, the campus was preserved as a public park. Today, Clark County is home to the Winchester Campus of

Bluegrass Community and Technical College Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) is a public community college in Lexington, Kentucky. It is one of sixteen two-year, open admission colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). It was formed from th ...

Public library

Winchester has a lending library, the Clark County Public Library.

Transportation

runs east-west through the northern part of Winchester. U.S. Route 60 runs east-west through Winchester.

runs north-south through Winchester.

Blue Grass Airport Blue Grass Airport is a public airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, United States, 6 miles west of downtown Lexington. Located among horse farms and situated directly across from Keeneland Race Course, Blue Grass Airport is the primary airport ...

, 29 miles to the west, in the western part of Lexington, is one of the busiest commercial airports in the state. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad had run trains east-west and north-south through Winchester. The last L&N passenger train was an unnamed

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

remnant of the former Cincinnati -

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbea ...

;'' it was discontinued on March 7, 1968.

Notable people

* Armstead M. Alexander (1834–1892), congressman from

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

* Chilton Allan (1786–1858), congressman from Kentucky *

Yeremiah Bell Yeremiah Neavius Bell (born March 3, 1978) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Kentucky and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 200 ...

, safety for the New York Jets NFL team *

Rex Burkhead Rex Burkhead (born July 2, 1990) is an American football running back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2013 ...

, running back for the Houston Texans NFL Team *

George French Ecton George French Ecton (1846 – September 19, 1929) was a civil rights activist and the second African American state legislator in Illinois. He was born a slave in Winchester, Kentucky, in 1846 to Antonio Ecton and Martha George. In June 1865, a ...

, second African-American state legislator in Illinois * John E. Fryer, psychiatrist whose speech in 1972 as "Dr. Henry Anonymous" helped to get homosexuality removed as a mental disease from the

American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 37,000 members are involv ...

's ''

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (DSM; latest edition: DSM-5-TR, published in March 2022) is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a common langua ...

'' *

Matt Ginter Matthew Shane Ginter (born December 24, 1977) is a former American professional baseball pitcher. After playing collegiately at Mississippi State, he started made his MLB debut in 2000 with the Chicago White Sox. He was signed by the Boston Red ...

, Professional Baseball 1999–2010 (11 years) * William Harrow (1822–1871),

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

general in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

* Joel Tanner Hart (1810–1877), sculptor *

Joseph Jackson (screenwriter) Joseph Ashurst Jackson (June 8, 1894 – May 26, 1932) was an American screenwriter, playwright and publicist who was nominated for the now dead category of Best Story at the 4th Academy Awards. He was nominated alongside Lucien Hubbard. They w ...

, film representative and most successful writers for Hollywood talking films. entered films in 1918 as publicity representative. * Preston Knowles, basketball player for the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...

* Homer Ledford (1927–2006), instrument maker and bluegrass musician *

Matt Long Matthew Clayton Long (born May 18, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Ezekiel Landon in the NBC/Netflix sci fi drama ''Manifest'' (2019–Present), and his roles in the television series ''Jack & Bobby'' (2004–2005), and ...

, TV's "Jack & Bobby", "Mad Men", "Helix". * Captain John Strode (1729-1805), founder of Strode Station, the first station in Clark County established in 1779 *

Claude Sullivan Claude Howard Sullivan (December 29, 1924 – December 6, 1967) was an American sports broadcaster. Born in Winchester, Kentucky, he did the play-by-play broadcasts of the University of Kentucky football and basketball games for nearly 20 years. ...

, sports broadcaster * Allen Tate (1899–1979), poet associated with the Agrarianism, Agrarians, a group of Southern poets, and most noted for "Ode to the Confederate Dead" * Helen Thomas, White House press correspondent * Nettie George Speedy (1878-1957), journalist of The Chicago Defender, Chicago Defender, founder of Chicago Women's Golf Club, the first woman to sit on the trustee board of Lane College, and the Pioneer of African American golf.

In popular culture

A 2018 episode of ''List of The Dead Files episodes#Season 10 (2018), The Dead Files'' was filmed in Winchester.

Sister cities

Winchester has two Town twinning, sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: * Ibarra, Ecuador, Ibarra, Imbabura Province, Imbabura, Ecuador * Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India

References

External links

* * * {{authority control Winchester, Kentucky, Cities in Clark County, Kentucky Cities in Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Lexington–Fayette metropolitan area