Clay City, Kentucky
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Clay City is a home rule-class city in Powell 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 ...
, United States. The population was 1,193 at the 2020 census.


History

The first European settlement in the vicinity of present-day Clay City was in 1786, by Stephen Collins and his brother, after their discovery of
pyrite The mineral pyrite ( ), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue ...
deposits. Shortly afterwards, the brothers set up the first iron forge west of the
Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range ( ) — also spelled Alleghany or Allegany, less formally the Alleghenies — is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada. Historically it represented a significant barr ...
and established Collins Forge. The Collins brother sold their forge to Clark and Smith in 1805, the forerunner company of the Red River Iron Works. For much of the 19th century, the settlement was known by the same name as the forge. By the 1880s, the
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
was moved across the river and was renamed Waltersville for the local family carrying the same
surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
. Retrieved on 2009-06-21 By 1883 the settlement was named Clay City, possibly for the local
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
deposits. It is believed that the name was officially changed from Waltersville on August 13, 1883, when the post office was renamed Clay City. The settlement was incorporated as a fifth-class city on April 19, 1890.


Geography

Clay City is located at (37.863203, -83.928281). 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 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), all land. The city is located in a low-lying area in the Red River Valley. With such proximity to the Red River, it floods quite frequently when a large storm/thunderstorm moves through the area.


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 1,303 people, 543 households, and 367 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 588 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.08%
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 ...
, 0.23%
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 ...
, 0.15% Native American, and 0.54% 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 0.84% of the population. There were 543 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% 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, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $18,750, and the median income for a family was $23,571. Males had a median income of $26,696 versus $16,964 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 $10,745. About 28.5% of families and 32.3% 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 42.4% of those under age 18 and 27.1% of those age 65 or over.


Police department

The Clay City Police Department (CCPD) is located at the Clay City Municipal Building which also houses the city government. Being under the second class city rank, Clay City is patrolled by two full-time officers and assisted by the Powell County Sheriffs Office, Stanton Police Department, and the Kentucky State Police. CCPD is a fully functioning police department that manages narcotics, roadway patrol, warrant service, and other activities.


Attractions

* Furnace Mountain -
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
n
Zen Buddhist Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...
temple. * Meadows Public Golf Course * Beechfork Public Golf Course
Red River Museum

Meadowgreen Music Hall

Mountain Park Dragway


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, Clay City 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.Climate Summary for Clay City, Kentucky
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References


External links

{{authority control Cities in Kentucky Cities in Powell County, Kentucky Populated places established in 1890