Powell 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 13,129. 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 ...

is Stanton. The county was formed January 7, 1852, by Kentucky Governor Lazarus W. Powell from parts of Clark, Estill, and Montgomery counties. It is no longer a

dry county In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties n ...

as of 2018. Powell County is home to Natural Bridge State Resort Park and the Red River Gorge Geologic Area, two of Kentucky's most important natural areas and

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

destinations, as well as the Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve.

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 (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Montgomery County (north) * Menifee County (northeast) * Wolfe County (southeast) * Lee County (south) * Estill County (southwest) * Clark County (northwest)

National protected area

* Daniel Boone National Forest (part)

Demographics

2000 census

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 13,237 people, 5,044 households, and 3,783 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 5,526 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.56%

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 ...

, 0.62%

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 ...

, 0.12% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.66% 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 5,044 households, out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% 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, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.00% were non-families. 21.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,515, and the median income for a family was $30,483. Males had a median income of $26,962 versus $18,810 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 $13,060. About 18.90% of families and 23.50% 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 31.00% of those under age 18 and 20.00% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In recent federal elections, Powell County has been reliably Republican.

Elected officials

Natural Bridge State Resort Park

Powell County is home to Natural Bridge State Resort Park. The park is abundant with Native American relics, shelters, and burial grounds. The main attraction is the bridge itself, a natural arch with more than of rock in suspension. It is wide at the top and at the base; one of the more than 70 natural arches located in the area.

Communities

Cities

* Clay City * Stanton (county seat)

Unincorporated community

Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...

References

External links

Powell County School District

Powell County Tourism
{{authority control Kentucky counties 1852 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1852