Casey 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. Commonwealth 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 15,941. 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 ...

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

. The county was formed in 1806 from the western part of Lincoln County and named for

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

William Casey, a pioneer settler who moved his family to Kentucky in 1779. It is the only Kentucky county entirely in the Knobs region. Casey County is home to annual Casey County Apple Festival. It is considered part of the Appalachian region of Kentucky.

History

Casey County was established in 1806 from land given by Lincoln County. The third and present courthouse was built in 1889. In 2015, County Clerk Casey Davis received national press when he announced he would deny

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

licenses, as a show of solidarity with fellow county clerk Kim Davis (no relation), who was criticized and later jailed for doing the same thing in Rowan County, Kentucky.

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 (0.3%) is water. The highest point in Casey County is Green River Knob at .

Adjacent counties

* Boyle County (north) * Lincoln County (east) * Pulaski County (southeast) * Russell County (south/CST Border) * Adair County (southwest/CST Border) * Taylor County (west) * Marion County (northwest)

Major highways

* * * * * * * *

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 15,447 people, 6,260 households, and 4,419 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 7,242 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.30%

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 ...

, 0.33%

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 ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.31% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.28% 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 6,260 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% 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, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.60% 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 2.94. 24.50% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $21,580, and the median income for a family was $27,044. Males had a median income of $22,283 versus $17,885 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 $12,867. About 20.70% of families and 25.50% 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 32.10% of those under age 18 and 29.60% of those age 65 or over. Casey County is the county in the United States with the highest proportion of Midwest Beachy Amish adherents, with 1.11% of the population in 2020 subscribing to the denomination.

Politics

Forming what is traditionally part of the “Unionist South” or “Unionist Appalachia,” Casey County has one of the longest streaks of voting for Republican Party candidates in presidential elections in Kentucky & nationwide, with its candidates gaining the majority of the vote by wide margins in every election from 1916 on. No Democratic presidential candidate has won more than 30% of the county's vote since

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

in 1976.

Elected officials

Education

Casey County Schools operates public schools.

Communities

City

(county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Bethelridge * Clementsville * Creston * Dunnville * Middleburg * Phil * Jacktown * Penetralia * Teddy * Upper Tygart * Walltown * Windsor *

Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...

Notable people

* Silas Adams, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

(1893–1895) * Tim Butler,

The Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler (singer), Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from ...

bass player * Charles T. Wethington Jr., former president of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

* Crystal Wilkinson, author * Wallace G. Wilkinson, governor of Kentucky (1987–1991)

References

External links

The Kentucky Highlands Project
{{authority control 1806 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1806 Kentucky counties