Vanceburg is a
home rule-class city in
Lewis 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, along the
Ohio River
The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
. The population was 1,428 at the
2020 census.
It is 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 Lewis County.
Vanceburg is part of the
Maysville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Vanceburg is located in northern Lewis County on the south bank of the Ohio River.
Kentucky Route 9/
10, the
AA Highway
The AA Highway is a State highway (US), state highway maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The mainline route parallels the Ohio River from Interstate 275 (Ohio–Indiana–Kentucky), Interstate ...
, runs through the southern part of the city, leading west to
Tollesboro. To the east KY 10 and the Greenup spur of the AA Highway lead east to the Ohio River at the
Jesse Stuart Memorial Bridge near
Lloyd, while KY 9 and the Grayson spur of the AA Highway lead southeast to
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...
at
Grayson.
Kentucky Route 8
Kentucky Route 8 is a east–west state highway divided into two distinct segments across northern Kentucky. The western terminus of the route is at KY 237 near Francisville, Kentucky, Francisville. The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 2 ...
also runs through Vanceburg, closer to the center of town. It leads northwest (downstream) along the Ohio River to
Concord and east (upstream) to
Garrison
A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters.
A garrison is usually in a city ...
.
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 ...
, Vanceburg has a total area of , of which , or 3.45%, 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, Vanceburg 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.
History
Founded in 1797, Vanceburg is named for a cofounder of the city, William Vance. Joseph Baird and William Vance received land rights and divided the area into parcels for sale. While Baird was the header of the project, the two agreed that a coin toss would settle who the town would be named after. Baird won the toss and the name “Bairdstown” was decided upon. However, the two soon decided that “Bairdstown” too closely resembled the already established city of
Bardstown, Kentucky
Bardstown is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 13,567 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the list of counties in Kentucky, county seat of Nelson Count ...
. After reaching this conclusion the pair settled on the name "Vanceburg". The city and surrounding area originally thrived on salt productions and mines located along and in Salt Lick Creek, which flows through the city and inland through much of the heart of the county.
Vanceburg was once a thriving production city, with a small train station and a bustling downtown area. In 1937 the city was flooded, as were many cities along the river, which crested at . A crest mark could once be found marked on the old Lock and Dam building west of Vanceburg on KY 8 but is no longer visible. During the flood all of downtown Vanceburg was under water. As a result, 1st Street of Vanceburg was washed into the river. The section of bank on which the homes and businesses once sat slid into the raging stream. Now, one will notice that there is no "1st Street" in the city, only "Front Street". The city streets were renamed according to their order back from Front Street. Front Street now is the nearest street to the river and sits nearly directly on the river bank.
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 1,731 people, 672 households, and 411 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 752 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.38%
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 ...
, 0.64%
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 ...
, 0.17%
Native American, 0.06%
Asian, 0.06% from
other races, and 0.69% 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 0.17% of the population.
There were 672 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% 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, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $15,938, and the median income for a family was $20,000. Males had a median income of $18,409 versus $18,750 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 $9,275. About 32.9% of families and 37.6% 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 50.4% of those under age 18 and 27.8% of those age 65 or over.
In 2010, Vanceburg had the
23rd-lowest median household income of all places in the United States with a population over 1,000.
Education
The residents of Lewis County are served by the
Lewis County Schools. The main complex is located west of Vanceburg on
KY 10. There are four elementary schools still in operation within the county. They are Lewis County Central Elementary, located in Vanceburg, Garrison Elementary, located east of Vanceburg in the town of Garrison, Tollesboro Elementary, located west of Vanceburg in the town of Tollesboro, and Laurel Elementary, located south east of Vanceburg in the Laurel area of Lewis County. Upon entering 7th grade all 7th grade students attend Lewis County Middle School located west of Vanceburg on KY 10. LCMS hosts two grade levels, 7th and 8th. Up until the 2019 school year the school also hosted 6th grade from students in Vanceburg. However, 6th grade will be moving to the newly completed Lewis County Central Elementary building on the same grounds as the original building. Upon completing 8th grade students attend
Lewis County High School, which sets adjacent to the middle school. LCHS hosts grades 9-12 and was a nationally distinguished school in 2015, 2016, and 2018.
Vanceburg 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 ...
, the Lewis County Public Library.
Notable people
*
James Baird, University of Michigan Quarterback and prominent engineer.
*
Ralph Davis, basketball player
*
Faith Esham, performer (opera) and recitalist
*
Thomas Massie,
congressman
A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
*
Thomas H. Paynter, U.S. senator, 1907–1913
See also
*
List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
*
Union Monument in Vanceburg
References
External links
''The Lewis County Herald''in the ''Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer''
{{authority control
Cities in Lewis County, Kentucky
Cities in Kentucky
County seats in Kentucky
Maysville, Kentucky micropolitan area
Kentucky populated places on the Ohio River