Booneville is a home rule-class city in Owsley 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 168 at 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 Owsley County. It is located at the junction of

Kentucky Route 11 Kentucky Route 11 (KY 11) is an American highway maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet that runs from Maysville to Barbourville. The route from Maysville to Mount Sterling is being upgraded on a new alignment as part of a " ...

and

Kentucky Route 30 Kentucky Route 30 (KY 30) is an east–west state highway in Kentucky managed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. It goes through Laurel, Jackson, Owsley, Breathitt, Magoffin Counties. Route description KY 30 begins at an intersectio ...

on the South Fork of the Kentucky River.

History

The town was originally named Moore's Station after its chief landowner. It was renamed Boone's Station and then Booneville in honor of the American frontiersman,

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

.Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State: Land Office.
Boonesville, Kentucky
". Accessed 22 July 2013. The town, consisting at the time of little more than a temporary log courthouse, became the county seat when Owsley County was formed on May 20, 1844. From this, the settlement was also sometimes known as Owsley Court House around this time. It was formally incorporated as a city by the state assembly on March 1, 1847. 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 ...

, Booneville was a crossroads for various Union and

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

regiments, and was threatened by Confederate guerrillas, but avoided the destruction that befell some other county seats of Kentucky during the war. The Moyers Building in Boonesville was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

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 city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 81 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 100.0% White. 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 111 people, 50 households, and 36 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 56 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.10%

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 ...

, and 0.90% from two or more races. There were 50 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.67. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $15,833, and the median income for a family was $17,500. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $31,250 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 $8,252. There were 40.0% of families and 57.6% of the population living 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 92.7% of under eighteen and 11.8% of those over 64.

Government and politics

Mayor Charles E. Long, in office from 1959 to his death in 2019, was one of the longest-serving mayors in US history.

Education

Booneville has a

lending library A lending library is a library from which books and other media are lent out. The major classifications are endowed libraries, institutional libraries (the most diverse), public libraries, and subscription libraries. It may also refer to a librar ...

, the Owsley County Public Library.

References

External links

City website
{{authority control Cities in Owsley County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Populated places established in 1847 1847 establishments in Kentucky Cities in Kentucky