West Liberty is a
home rule-class city in
Morgan 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. 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 Morgan County.
As of the
2020 census, the city population was 3,215.
It is located along the
Licking River at the junction of
Kentucky Route 7 and
U.S. Route 460.
History
By 1816, an early settlement at the town site was called "Wells Mills". When Morgan County was founded in 1823, the settlement was incorporated to become the county seat. It chose the name "West Liberty" in the belief that
Pikeville, Kentucky
Pikeville () is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 7,754 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. Pikeville serves as a regional eco ...
, would be called "Liberty" when it incorporated. West Liberty is actually east of
Liberty, Kentucky.
Three
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 ...
skirmishes were fought near West Liberty, and much of the town was burned during the war, including the courthouse. It was replaced after the war, and a fourth courthouse was built in 1907.
2012 tornado
On March 2, 2012, West Liberty was hit by an
EF-3 tornado which caused extensive damage to the downtown area.
[Storm smashes West Liberty into rubble](_blank)
/ref> This tornado left a swath of damage over a mile wide. Many homes and businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed. Six people were killed and at least 75 people were injured. Preliminary assessments from emergency officials and media indicated a path length of 60 miles (97 km), though a National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
survey concluded the tornado travelled 85 miles from Menifee County to Lincoln County, West Virginia
Lincoln County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,463. Its county seat is Hamlin. The county was created in 1867 and named for Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln County is part of the Huntingt ...
. It had the longest track of any tornado in the United States in 2012.
The old courthouse, built in 1907, as well as the new courthouse which was 60% completed were at first, after the tornado, both deemed as a total loss. However, this determination was in error as both buildings have been restored and finished, respectively.
The tornado had also hit the city of Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
in Menifee County and was just north of the EF3 tornado that hit Salyersville around 7:00 PM Eastern time that evening. The tornadoes were the worst in the history of all three of the towns.
Restoration after tornado
Since the 2012 tornado, much progress has been made in West Liberty. Many of the buildings destroyed in the disaster have been either rebuilt to prior state or have been replaced with much better structures. Planning in West Liberty has been continuous since the disaster.
Geography
West Liberty is located in central Morgan County at (37.916320, -83.261386).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 ...
and the same distance west of the upstream end of Paintsville Lake.
U.S. Route 460 passes through the center of West Liberty, leading west to Frenchburg and southeast to Salyersville. Kentucky Route 7 joins US 460 leading to Salyersville but turns north in the center of West Liberty and leads to Sandy Hook.
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 , of which , or 0.67%, are water.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 ...
at Covington.
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 ...
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 ...
, 18.19% 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 ...
, 0.40% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.06% 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 ...
, 0.21% from other races, and 1.50% 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 1.25% of the population. (Both the large increase in population after 1990 and the current demographic diversity are the result of the opening of the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex).
There were 696 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% 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, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.71.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 10.1% under the age of 18, 14.8% from 18 to 24, 44.2% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 264.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 297.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,429, and the median income for a family was $30,875. Males had a median income of $25,417 versus $19,464 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 $11,215. About 25.7% of families and 28.6% 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 41.6% of those under age 18 and 26.4% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
West Liberty is home to the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex. An extended campus of Morehead State University
Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky, United States. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-yea ...
and 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 ...
's Regional Technology Center are both located within the town.
The area is also home to Rod and Staff Publishing, a Mennonite
Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
Bible literature printing facility, located at Crockett.
Education
Morgan County has four elementary schools. These are Ezel, East Valley, Morgan Central, and Wrigley Elementary. It has one middle school, Morgan County Middle; and one high school, Morgan County High School.
West Liberty 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 Montgomery County Public Library.
Arts and culture
West Liberty celebrates the annual Sorghum
''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...
Festival on the last full weekend of September. The 2015 festival marked the festival's 45th year, with upwards of 50,000 visitors expected. The festival features a large variety of Appalachia
Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...
n crafts, folk art, food, and sundry items for sale and/or show. The entire downtown section is cordoned off with Main Street as the center of activity. The festival is host to two Civil War reenactments, which take place at the soccer field.
The Bluegrass Festival began in 1996, and showcases both local and regional bluegrass acts. It takes place at Old Mill Park, and visitors can enjoy a wide selection of food and local vendor booths.[City of West Liberty](_blank)
Bluegrass Festival, Retrieved 2009-09-21.
References
External links
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Cities in Kentucky
Cities in Morgan County, Kentucky
County seats in Kentucky