Livingston is a home rule-class city in Rockcastle 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 226 during the 2010 U.S. census. It is part of the Richmond-Berea micropolitan area.

History

The first post office at the site was known as Fish Point and opened in 1840. The L&N reached the settlement in 1870 and named its station after James Livingston, a local landowner. The post office was renamed Livingston Station in 1879 and, following the city's 1880 incorporation, Livingston in 1882.Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names''
p. 176
University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 1 August 2013.

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. Livingston is located along U.S. Route 25 southeast of Mt. Vernon and northwest of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The city's municipal area extends southward to the

Rockcastle River The Rockcastle River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 8, 2011 river primarily in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, United States. It is a tributary of the Cumberland ...

. The

Daniel Boone National Forest The Daniel Boone National Forest (originally the Cumberland National Forest) is a national forest in Kentucky, United States. Established in 1937, it includes of federally owned land within a proclamation boundary. The name of the forest was ...

surrounds Livingston, and the Sheltowee Trace Trail passes through the city.

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 228 people, 104 households, and 63 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 122 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.05%

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 3.95% Native American.

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 3.51% of the population. There were 104 households, out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% 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, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $17,500, and the median income for a family was $35,972. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $20,313 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 $11,734. About 19.0% of families and 26.6% 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 14.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 48.7% of those sixty-five or over.

Current events

Livingston is a community steeped in a tradition of country, bluegrass and spiritual music. On weekends, area residents gather to events downtown that celebrate their music and heritage. In August 2021, State Governor

Andy Beshear Andrew Graham Beshear ( ; born November 29, 1977) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 63rd governor of Kentucky since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 50th attorney gen ...

appointed Donna Montgomery-Durham as Livingston City Commissioner. In November 2023, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, a

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

freight train derailed in Livingston, with some tanker cars spilling molten sulfur and catching fire. With the potential for a potentially harmful

sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is r ...

release, the area was evacuated for Thanksgiving Day As Gov. Beshear declared a state of emergency and activated the Emergency Operations Center, the small town's emergency made national news. The fire was extinguished on Thanksgiving Day and folks were allowed to return home.

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, Livingston 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 Livingston, Kentucky
/ref>

Notable people

* Private First Class David Monroe Smith (1926–1950), Medal of Honor recipient for his service during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

References

External links

{{authority control Cities in Kentucky Cities in Rockcastle County, Kentucky Richmond–Berea micropolitan area