Adair County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,903. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and only municipality is Columbia. The county was founded in 1801 and named for John Adair, then Speaker of the House in Kentucky and later

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

(1820 – 1824). Adair County has some of the few surviving American Chestnut trees in the United States.

History

Adair County was formed on December 11, 1801, from sections of Green County. Columbia was chosen as the county seat the following year and the first courthouse was built in 1806. The county was named in honor of John Adair, a veteran of the Revolutionary War and Northwest Indian War. Later he commanded Kentucky troops in the Battle of New Orleans. He served as the eighth

. This was the 44th of Kentucky's 120 counties to be organized. After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, a gang of five men, believed to include Frank and

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...

from Missouri, robbed the Bank of Columbia of $600 on April 29, 1872. They killed the cashier, R.A.C. Martin, in the course of the robbery. The courthouse on the Columbia town square, completed in 1884, replaced the original 1806 courthouse.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water. It is part of the Pennyroyal Plateau region of Kentucky and is part of western

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

.Kleber, p. 2 Over 40% of the county's land is covered with timber. The Green River is the county's major waterway but is not commercially navigable. The river was impounded to form Green River Lake, the major feature of Green River Lake State Park, which lies in Adair and Taylor counties.

Adjacent counties

* Taylor County – north (EST) * Casey County – northeast (EST) * Russell County – east * Cumberland County – south * Metcalfe County – southwest * Green County – northwest

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 17,244 people, 6,747 households, and 4,803 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 7,792 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.00%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.55%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.19% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 6,747 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.93. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.50% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $24,055, and the median income for a family was $29,779. Males had a median income of $23,183 versus $17,009 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $14,931. About 18.20% of families and 24.00% 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 ...

, including 29.60% of those under age 18 and 21.70% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Adair County's agrarian economy produces livestock, dairy products, corn, and tobacco. The county experienced a minor oil boom in the 1960s. Lack of adequate transportation infrastructure hindered the county's prosperity well into the 20th century. The completion of the east–west Cumberland Parkway in 1973 significantly ameliorated this problem, but since then the county has sought improved road access to the north.

Education

The county is served b
Adair County Schools
Its schools are:
Adair County Primary Center
(Principal: Patty R. Jones; Asst. Principal: Laura H. Murrell)

(Principal: Steve Burton; Assistant Principal: Sommer Brown)

(Principal: Alma Rich; Assistant Principal: Donna Young) * Adair County High School (Principal: Troy Young; Assistant Principal: Doug Holmes).

Politics

Elected officials

Voter registration

Statewide elections

Communities

City

* Columbia

Unincorporated communities

Below is partial listing of known unincorporated communities within Adair County. A more complete listing is available here. * Breeding * Crocus (partially in Russell County) * Glens Fork * Gradyville * Knifley * Neatsville * Pellyton * Sparksville * Cane Valley *

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

* Holmes Bend * Kellyville

Notable residents

* Thomas E. Bramlette,

* Robert Porter Caldwell (1821–1885), United States Congressman, was born in Adair County. * E. A. Diddle, men's basketball coach for Western Kentucky University * Janice Holt Giles (1909–1979), a writer noted particularly for her regional novels and nonfiction, lived in Adair County from 1949 until her death in 1979. * James R. Hindman, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky * Sergeant Dakota Meyer (b. 1988), born and initially educated in Adair County, received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

in 2011 for his actions in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2009 * Pinkney H. Walker, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, was born in Adair County.'Prominent Men Dead-Judge Pinkney H. Walker,' ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', February 9, 1885, pg. 1 * Evelyn West, burlesque actress * Frank Lane Wolford, U.S. Representative from Kentucky

References

Bibliography

External links

Columbia & Adair Chamber of Commerce

Columbia Magazine

Burtons of Adair County
{{authority control 1801 establishments in Kentucky Kentucky counties Populated places established in 1801