Barbourville, Kentucky

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Coordinates: 36°51′40″N 83°52′46″W / 36.86111, -83.87944
Barbourville, Kentucky
Location of Barbourville, Kentucky
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Knox
Area
- Total	3.5 sq mi (9.0 km²)
- Land	3.5 sq mi (9.0 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	981 ft (299 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,589
- Density	1,027.4/sq mi (396.7/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	40906
Area code(s)	606
FIPS code	21-03574
GNIS feature ID	0486329

Barbourville is a city in Knox County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 3,589 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Knox County^[1].

Barbourville is home to Union College and the Appalachian Children's Home.

1 Notable natives
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Culture and local color
5 Sports
6 Further reading
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Notable natives

Green Adams, (1812-1884), born in Barbourville, United States Congressman^[2]
Missouri Governor Silas Woodson
United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Freeman Miller.
Kerri Mitchell, who attended Knox Central High School in Barbourville, was Miss Kentucky 2005.
Dr. Phillip Allen Sharp, who earned the Nobel Prize for work that fundamentally changed scientists' understanding of the structure of genes, received his undergraduate degree at Union College.

[edit] Geography

Barbourville is located at 36°51′40″N, 83°52′46″W (36.861027, -83.879550)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 3,589 people, 1,454 households, and 859 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,027.4 people per square mile (397.1/km²). There were 1,646 housing units at an average density of 471.2/sq mi (182.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.40% White, 3.23% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.

There were 1,454 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 15.7% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $13,297, and the median income for a family was $20,762. Males had a median income of $31,775 versus $18,102 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,485. About 32.6% of families and 38.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.4% of those under age 18 and 30.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Culture and local color

Each year in early October, Barbourville hosts a festival called the Daniel Boone Festival commemorating the American pioneer Daniel Boone who explored the area in 1775. The festival features open-air concerts, carnival attractions, a beauty pageant, a parade, and other events. Starting in 2005, the Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association began sponsoring the Springtime Redbud Festival. The first celebration was at Pine Mountain State Park, near Barbourville, but the celebration is now held on the campus of Union College. The Redbud Festival, in April, began as a quilting workshop and now includes other crafts including storytelling, art shows, dulcimer workshops, and a cooking school.

[edit] Sports

The two local high schools (Barbourville High School and Knox Central High School) have an extremely intense basketball rivalry. Due to the violence that sometimes occurred among spectators, the two schools did not play for many years, but a recent decision to seed their district tournament forces the schools to meet at least once yearly. Local radio station WKKQ has created a trophy for the annual "Battle of the Blue." 2006-Knox Central-59 Barbourville-72 2007-Knox Central-52 Barbourville-62 2008-Knox Central-89 Barbourville-48

Knox Central has one of the most dominant class AA cross-country teams in the state, winning the 13th region title 5 consecutive times(2003-Present). The Knox Central Cross-Country team is coached by Tommy Smith..The girls team is also very competive and very hot! They know how to win and love the sport very much. They have a lot of heart and practice no matter what the weather.

[edit] Further reading

For a depiction of early Barbourville see: Michael A. Ross, “Hill Country Doctor: The Early Life and Career of Supreme Court Justice Samuel F. Miller in Kentucky, 1816-1849,” The Filson History Quarterly, Vol. 71 (October 1997): 430-462.