Albany is a home rule-class city in Clinton County,

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 ...

, in the United States. The population was 1,760 as of the 2020 census. It is the

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 ...

of Clinton County. It is located on U.S. Route 127, about north of the

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

border.

History

The community of Albany grew up around a tavern established by Benjamin Dowell in the early 19th century. In 1837, residents voted to make the location the seat of county government.Bryant, p. 10 It is generally accepted that the town, formally incorporated on January 27, 1838, was named after

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, but a local legend holds that, during the vote to determine the location of the county seat, patrons of Dowell's tavern shouted "All for Benny!", then "all Benny," which led to the town being called Albany. The Albany-Clinton County Chamber of Commerce has an annual dinner on the courthouse square called "All for Benny." During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

, Albany was attacked by Confederate forces, and many buildings, including the courthouse, were burned. The area was also the scene of much guerrilla activity on both sides. A marker in the courthouse square notes that Clinton was the native county of Civil War terrorist Champ Ferguson, hanged after the war for atrocities.

Geography

Albany is located in south-central Clinton County at (36.693280, -85.135286). The city lies at an elevation of at the foot of the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau. Albany Rock, the peak of a western spur of the plateau, rises northeast of the city to an elevation of . 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 city has a total area of , of which , or 0.23%, 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Albany has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

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 2,220 people, 1,018 households, and 561 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,165 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.38%

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 ...

, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.14% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.50%

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 ...

, 0.18% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races.

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 were 3.11% of the population. There were 1,018 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 41.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $14,558, and the median income for a family was $22,652. Males had a median income of $21,389 versus $16,685 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 city was $12,919. About 28.9% of families and 35.9% 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 49.8% of those under age 18 and 36.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Schools

All schools in the city are operated by the Clinton County School District * Early Childhood Center * Albany Elementary School * Clinton County Middle School * Clinton County High School

Libraries

Albany has a lending library, the Clinton County Public Library.

Notable people

* Thomas Bramlette, Union Democratic governor of Kentucky, 1863–1867 * Garlin Murl Conner, a soldier in the United States Army during the Second World War. Assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division and served in North Africa and Europe; he may have been "the greatest soldier of our time." * Sam C. Ford, the 12th governor of

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

* Jeff Hoover, former Speaker of the House, Kentucky House of Representatives. * Preston H. Leslie, Democratic governor of Kentucky and territorial governor of Montana

References

External links

Albany/Clinton County visitors' guide
{{Authority control County seats in Kentucky Populated places established in 1838 Cities in Clinton County, Kentucky 1838 establishments in Kentucky Cities in Kentucky