Madisonville, KY
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Madisonville is a home rule-class city in and 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
Hopkins County, Kentucky Hopkins County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,423. Its county seat is Madisonville. Hopkins County was created December 9, 1806, from Henderson County. It wa ...
, United States, located along
Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of eight unconnected segments. The longest segment runs from Evansville, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and includ ...
in the state's
Western Coal Fields The West Kentucky Coal Field, alternatively The North Pennyrile or simply Northwest Kentucky, comprises an area in the west-central and northwestern part of the state, bounded by the Dripping Springs Escarpment and the Pennyroyal Plateau and the O ...
region. The population was 19,591 at the 2010 census. Madisonville is a commercial center of the region and is home to Madisonville Community College.


History

Madisonville was founded in 1807 and named for then- Secretary of State
James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...
. It was named the seat of Hopkins County in 1808 and formally incorporated in 1810. Hopkins County and Madisonville were divided by 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 ...
. Union supporters joined a regiment recruited locally by James Shackleford; Al Fowler recruited
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 ...
troops. The courthouse in Madisonville was burned by Confederates led by Gen. Hylan B. Lyon on December 17, 1864, as they passed through western Kentucky. While Kentucky remained mostly in the Union, half the state had seceded at the Russellville Convention and was controlled by the Confederacy early in the war before being conquered by the Union. Farming was the major occupation in Hopkins County for most of the 1800s, with
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
the leading crop. Around 1837 an outcropping of coal was discovered, and the first coal mine in the county opened in 1869. Mining did not become a major industry until the
Louisville & Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of t ...
pushed its line southward from Henderson through Madisonville and toward
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
in 1870. Madisonville was home to schools for African Americans including Atkinson Literary and Industrial College. From 1892 to 1912 ''The Hustler'', originally ''The Madisonville Hustler'', was a newspaper serving Madisonville. By the early 1900s, Madisonville was a rail hub, coal mining center, and had a large tobacco market. This continued until the 1960s when manufacturing and service industries came to the area.


Storms

On November 15, 2005, a tornado ripped through the city, destroying some parts of it. The tornado began to form around 3:00 PM. The neighborhood near the Madisonville Country Club was greatly affected by the storm. The home of Madisonville resident and former
Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...
star Frank Ramsey was destroyed in the storm. Mayor Karen Cunningham ordered a
curfew A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to remain indoors during the evening and nighttime hours. Such an order is most often issued by public authorit ...
in parts of the city and declared a
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
. In
January 2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joh ...
, a severe
ice storm An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm, is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The National Weather Service, U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulatio ...
hit Madisonville. Hopkins County and much of the rest of state of Kentucky were affected. Madisonville was placed under a curfew for the safety of the citizens. The storm was responsible for widespread power outages and damage to homes as well as trees. Many residents were without power for weeks, and tree limb clean-up took months to complete. Many out-of-state power companies assisted the local power companies to speed up the process of re-powering the town.


Geography

Madisonville is located about south of
Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...
.
Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of eight unconnected segments. The longest segment runs from Evansville, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and includ ...
(formerly the
Pennyrile Parkway The Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway was the designation for a freeway from Henderson to Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The parkway originally began at an interchange with the Audubon Parkway and US 41 near the city of Henderson. It travelled s ...
) passes through the eastern side of the city, with access from exits 111, 114, and 117.
U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miam ...
passes through the center of town as Main Street, running generally parallel to I-69. The highways lead north to Henderson and south to
Hopkinsville Hopkinsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 31,180. History Early years The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 ...
. 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 ...
, Madisonville has a total area of , of which are land and , or 4.42%, are 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, Madisonville 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 19,307 people, 8,077 households, and 5,330 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 8,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.21%
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 ...
, 11.24%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.18% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03%
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 ...
, 0.63% from other races, and 1.20% 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 1.34% of the population. There were 8,077 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% 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, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,097, and the median income for a family was $38,688. Males had a median income of $32,064 versus $20,940 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 $19,381. About 13.0% of families and 16.4% 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 27.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Because of its location near important roadways, Madisonville is a leading manufacturing hub for western Kentucky. Industrial and factory production has revitalized the local post-coal economy.
GE Aviation General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, is an American aircraft engine supplier that is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. It is the legal successor to the original General Electric Company founded in 1892, wh ...
, Jennmar, International Automotive Components Group (IAC), Ahlstrom, Land O' Frost, Carhartt Cutting in Madisonville, Carhartt RCV Distribution in nearby
Hanson, Kentucky Hanson is a home rule-class city in Hopkins County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 742 at the 2010 census, up from 625 at the 2000 census. The Hanson Historic District is located in the city. The companies that supply p ...
and other corporations have operations in the area. During the 1970s, the Regional Medical Center (RMC) and Trover Clinic were built by the Trover Foundation. RMC, now owned by Baptist Healthcare System and operated as Baptist Health Madisonville is a 410-bed hospital that offers services typically found in larger cities (such as life flight,
women's health Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Often treated ...
centers, and a comprehensive cancer center). Madisonville is a wet city in the county of Hopkins County; making it a
moist county In the United States state of Kentucky, a moist county is a county the regulations in force of which are between those of a "dry county" (in which the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited) and a " wet county" (in which alcohol is sold). Th ...
, one of only sixteen in the state.


Government

Madisonville is the county seat of Hopkins County. Government operations for the city are based out of several buildings including a government building on Center Street and the Madisonville City Hall on Main Street.


Education

Madisonville and most of Hopkins County are in the Hopkins County School District. Hopkins County Schools operate eight elementary school, four middle school, and two high school sub-districts. Elementary schools: Grapevine Elementary, West Broadway Elementary, Pride Avenue Elementary, Hanson Elementary, Earlington Elementary, Jesse Stuart Elementary, Southside Elementary, and West Hopkins School. Middle schools: Browning Springs Middle School, South Hopkins Middle School, West Hopkins School, and James Madison Middle School. High schools: Hopkins County Central High School and Madisonville North Hopkins High School. Madisonville is also home to Madisonville Community College, which consolidated with Madisonville Technical College in 2001. The college is a member of the sixteen-college
Kentucky Community and Technical College System The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is the system of public community and technical colleges in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is headquartered in Versailles, Kentucky, and has 16 colleges with over 70 campuses. Programs ...
(KCTCS). The school is also affiliated with
Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky, in the Southern United States. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper-level an ...
,
Lindsey Wilson College Lindsey Wilson College is a private, United Methodist-related college in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 as a training school, the college now offers in-person and online degree programs, offered at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and ...
, 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 ...
, and the
University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...
. Because of these university partnerships, the college offers many associate and bachelor's degrees that are normally found only at the university level. Madisonville 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 ...
, a branch of the Hopkins County-Madisonville Public Library.


Transportation

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of eight unconnected segments. The longest segment runs from Evansville, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and includ ...
is a north–south corridor through the eastern side of the city that connects to I-24 and Henderson. The
Western Kentucky Parkway The Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway is a controlled-access highway, freeway running from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown to near Nortonville, Kentucky. It intersects with Interstate 65 in Kentucky, Interstate 65 (I-65) at its e ...
is south of town. The Western Kentucky Parkway's westbound lanes feed into I-69 southbound; the eastbound lanes feed into the Blue Grass Parkway (via
I-65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south interstate highway in the central United States. As with most primary interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...
northbound) at Elizabethtown. The Western Kentucky Parkway also intersects I-65, which feeds into
Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
to the south and the Natcher Parkway. In addition to trucking routes,
CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a 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 track, it is the lead ...
and Paducah & Louisville Railway run through Madisonville. The Madisonville Municipal Airport has a runway that is .


Sister City

Since 2012, Madisonville has maintained a sister city relationship with Dongying, China.


Notable people

*
Leva Bates Leva Bates ( ,) born May 21, 1983, is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with All Elite Wrestling. She also had a successful tenure on the independent circuit, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also ...
,
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
*
Jeremy Clark Jeremy Terrell Clark (born September 6, 1983) is a former American football defensive end. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at the Alabama. Clark has also been a member o ...
,
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
player *
Odessa Grady Clay Odessa Lee Clay (née O'Grady; February 12, 1917 – August 20, 1994) was the mother of three-time world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and Rahaman Ali, and the paternal grandmother of Laila Ali. She married Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. in ...
, mother of three-time World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali * Sonny Collins, college football and NFL player * Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and president of 9Marks * Gary Dulin, college football and NFL player *
Travis Ford Travis Ford (born December 29, 1969) is an American former college basketball coach. He was head coach at Saint Louis University, Oklahoma State, Massachusetts, Eastern Kentucky and Campbellsville University. Prior to that, he played at the Uni ...
,
college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
player and coach * The
Happy Goodman Family The Happy Goodman Family is a Southern gospel group that was founded in the 1940s by Howard "Happy" Goodman and performed together for several decades. The Happy Goodmans achieved significant popularity in the 1960s. In 1968, they won the firs ...
, Southern gospel family group, including founding members
Vestal Goodman Vestal Goodman (December 13, 1929 – December 27, 2003) was a singer who performed in the Southern gospel genre for more than half a century. She was known for her work as a solo performer and as a member of the Happy Goodman Family—which or ...
, Howard Goodman, Charles "Rusty" Goodman, and Sam Goodman *
Demetrious Johnson Demetrious Khrisna Johnson (born August 13, 1986) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the inaugural and former UFC Flyweight C ...
,
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...
flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...
champion * Polk Laffoon, former U.S. congressman *
Ruby Laffoon Ruby Laffoon (January 15, 1869 – March 1, 1941) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 43rd governor of Kentucky from 1931 to 1935. A Kentucky native, at age 17, Laffoon moved to Washington, D.C., to live with his uncle, U. ...
,
governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...
, 1931–1935 * Tim Maypray, professional football player * Justin Miller, professional football player * Byron Parker, professional football player *
Dottie Rambo Dottie Rambo (March 2, 1934 – May 11, 2008) was an American gospel singer and songwriter. She was a Grammy winning solo artist and multiple Dove Award-winning artist. Along with ex-husband Buck and daughter Reba, she formed the award-winnin ...
, gospel singer/songwriter * Frank Ramsey,
Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
basketball player * Jimmy Roberts, singer with ''
The Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1955 t ...
'', 1954–1982


References


External links


City of Madisonville official website
* {{authority control Populated places established in 1807 Cities in Kentucky Cities in Hopkins County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky