Graves County, Kentucky

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Graves County, Kentucky
Map
Location in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	1824
Seat	Mayfield
Area - Total - Land - Water	556 sq mi (1,441 km²) 556 sq mi (1,439 km²) 1 sq mi (2 km²), 0.16%
Population - (2000) - Density	37,028 67/sq mi (26/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website: www.mayfieldchamber.com
Named for: Major Benjamin F. Graves (1771–1813), killed at the Battle of River Raisin.

Graves County is located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1824. As of 2000, the population was 37,028. Its county seat is Mayfield^[1]. The county is named for Major Benjamin Franklin Graves, soldier in the War of 1812.

Graves County is a “limited” dry county, meaning that sale of alcohol in the county is prohibited except by the drink in restaurants in Mayfield or at the Mayfield Golf & Country Club.

1 History
2 Geography
- 2.1 Adjacent counties
3 Demographics
4 Cities, towns, and communities
5 Notable natives
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

As one of Kentucky's largest counties, Graves's history of legends and leaders includes a US Vice President, four US Congressmen, famous and infamous heroes, singers and songwriters, noted writers and a legacy of historic sites.

The fertile land attracted early settlers from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, who brought with them a degree of education and culture and a fierce determination to succeed on the land. Remarkable in their achievements as craftsmen and farmers they put down roots to blend a political, economic, and social environment unique, perhaps only to Graves County.

Tobacco was very much as part of the local economy over the years and Graves County has a rich history of the dark-fired and dark-air-cured leaf tobacco used in smokeless tobacco farming. A woolen mill, began operation prior to the civil war and continued to grow with the men's clothing market. Several clothing companies were added and the town's minor league baseball team was even called the Mayfield Clothiers.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 556 square miles (1,441 km²), of which, 556 square miles (1,439 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) of it (0.16%) is water.

[edit] Adjacent counties

McCracken County (north)
Marshall County (northeast)
Calloway County & Henry County, Tennessee (southeast)
Weakley County, Tennessee (south)
Hickman County (southwest)
Carlisle County (northwest)

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	2,504	—
1840	7,465	198.1%
1850	11,397	52.7%
1860	16,233	42.4%
1870	19,398	19.5%
1880	24,138	24.4%
1890	28,534	18.2%
1900	33,204	16.4%
1910	33,539	1.0%
1920	32,483	-3.1%
1930	30,778	-5.2%
1940	31,763	3.2%
1950	31,364	-1.3%
1960	30,021	-4.3%
1970	30,939	3.1%
1980	34,049	10.1%
1990	33,550	-1.5%
2000	37,028	10.4%
http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21083.txt

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 37,028 people, 14,841 households, and 10,566 families residing in the county. The population density was 67 people per square mile (26/km²). There were 16,340 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.73% White, 4.44% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 2.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,841 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,874, and the median income for a family was $38,054. Males had a median income of $32,016 versus $20,177 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,834. About 13.10% of families and 16.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.70% of those under age 18 and 14.10% of those age 65 or over.