Raceland is a home rule-class city in

Greenup County Greenup County is a county located along the Ohio River in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,962. The county was founded in 1803 and named in honor of Christopher Greenup. Its co ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, United States, in the Ohio River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,424. Raceland is a part of the Huntington- Ashland, WV- KY- OH

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

(MSA). As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 287,702.

History

The city of Raceland and the land surrounding it were part of a Revolutionary War grant to Abraham Buford. His son, Charles Buford, divided up the land and sold it in tracts. Eventually, one of the tracts was bequeathed to Benjamen Chinn, who sold his tract in town lots. He gave the town the name "Chinnville". Its first

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

was established on March 7, 1910. It became an incorporated city on July 31, 1915. In 1924, Jack O. Keene (who later established

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for i ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

), opened Raceland Race Course near the city. Due to this, the town was renamed Raceland on April 1, 1925. The racetrack was eventually abandoned and the city was once again named Chinnville, but on April 1, 1930, the city was again named Raceland.

Geography

Raceland is located in eastern Greenup County at (38.537003, -82.731137). It is bordered to the north by the city of

Worthington Worthington may refer to: People * Worthington (surname) * Worthington family, a British noble family Businesses * Worthington Brewery, also known as Worthington's * Worthington Corporation, founded as a pump manufacturer in 1845, later a di ...

, to the southeast by the city of Flatwoods, and at its far northwest corner by the city of Wurtland. U.S. Route 23 (Seaton Avenue) is the main highway through Raceland, leading southeast to Ashland and northwest to

Portsmouth, Ohio Portsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Scioto County, Ohio, United States. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky, just east of the mouth of the Scioto River. ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, Raceland has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 2,355 people, 935 households, and 707 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,002 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.07%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.47%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.04% Native American, 0.04% Asian, and 0.38% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population. There were 935 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,500, and the median income for a family was $37,955. Males had a median income of $38,906 versus $19,189 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $15,537. About 10.6% of families and 13.6% 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 18.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Transportation

Raceland is home to the Raceland Car Shop. When it was built in the 1920s, it was one of the largest

railway car A railroad car, railcar ( American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is ...

repair shops in the United States. The shop was built by and operated for many years by the

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond ...

and its successor company

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

and is located adjacent to CSX's Russell Classification Yard. The facility is currently owned by Progress Rail.W&H MAIN YARDS: Guide to Appalachian Coal Hauling Railroads
Retrieved on 2010-04-21

Education

The city sits within the

Raceland-Worthington Independent School District Raceland-Worthington Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Raceland, Kentucky; it serves Raceland and Worthington Worthington may refer to: People * Worthington (surname) * Worthington family, a British noble family ...

, which also includes the neighboring city of

. Three schools, Campbell Elementary School (K-3), Raceland-Worthington Middle School (4-7),and Raceland-Worthington High School (9-12), are located in the city.

References

External links

Ashland Alliance
regional chamber of commerce
Greenup County Tourism Commission

Raceland-Worthington Independent School District
{{authority control Cities in Greenup County, Kentucky Kentucky populated places on the Ohio River Populated places established in 1915 Cities in Kentucky