Christian County, Kentucky

History

The county is named for Colonel William Christian, a native of Augusta County, Virginia, and a veteran of the Revolutionary War. He settled near Louisville, Kentucky, in 1785, and was killed by Native Americans in southern Indiana in 1786.

Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, was born in Fairview, Kentucky (in the small part that is now in Todd County), in 1808. United States Vice President Adlai Stevenson I was born in Christian County in 1835.

The present courthouse, built in 1869, replaced a structure burned by Confederate cavalry in 1864 because the Union Army was using it as their barracks.

In 1955, the town of Hopkinsville located in the county allegedly had a family and their close friends enter a close encounter between several alleged aliens during a dinner now known as the Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter

The United States Supreme Court case Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514 (1972), arose out of a 1958 double-murder in Christian County, Kentucky.

In 2006 and 2008, tornadoes touched down across northern Christian County, damaging homes in the Crofton area.

In 2017, northwestern Christian County was the point of greatest eclipse for the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 that crossed North America. The center was in the Bainbridge/Sinking Fork area of the county, on the Orchardale farm.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 724 sqmi, of which 718 sqmi is land and 6.5 sqmi (0.9%) is water. It is the second-largest county by area in Kentucky and the largest in Western Kentucky.

Adjacent counties

• Hopkins County (north)
• Muhlenberg County (northeast)
• Todd County (east)
• Montgomery County, Tennessee (southeast)
• Stewart County, Tennessee (southwest)
• Trigg County (west)
• Caldwell County (northwest)

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020 2024

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 72,748. The median age was 30.0 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 66.4% White, 21.3% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.1% from some other race, and 7.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.9% of the population.

70.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 29.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 26,435 households in the county, of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 29,206 housing units, of which 9.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 49.9% were owner-occupied and 50.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 72,265 people, 24,857 households, and 18,344 families residing in the county. The population density was 100 /sqmi. There were 27,182 housing units at an average density of 38 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 69.92% White, 23.73% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 2.23% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races. 4.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 24,857 households, out of which 41.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.30% under the age of 18, 15.80% from 18 to 24, 30.10% from 25 to 44, 16.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,177, and the median income for a family was $35,240. Males had a median income of $25,063 versus $20,748 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,611. About 12.10% of families and 15.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.30% of those under age 18 and 13.50% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most residents are zoned to Christian County Public Schools. However residents of Fort Campbell are zoned to Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools.

High schools

• Christian County High School, established 1959
• Hopkinsville High School
• Fort Campbell High School (DoDEA) — physically located in Tennessee, but serving the entire Fort Campbell base, and a member of Kentucky's governing body for high school athletics, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association
• University Heights Academy (private K-12)
• Heritage Christian Academy (private K-12)

Colleges

• Hopkinsville Community College
• Murray State University (regional campuses in Hopkinsville and Ft. Campbell)

Politics

Elected officials

Communities

Cities

• Crofton
• Hopkinsville
• LaFayette
• Oak Grove
• Pembroke

Census-designated places

• Cerulean (mostly in Trigg County)
• Fairview (partially in Todd County)
• Fort Campbell North
• Gracey

Other unincorporated communities

• Apex
• Bainbridge
• Bennettstown
• Bluff Spring
• Casky
• Edgoten
• Empire
• Fearsville
• Fruit Hill
• Garrettsburg
• Hensleytown
• Herndon
• Honey Grove
• Howel
• Julien
• Kelly
• Mannington
• Newstead
• Saint Elmo
• Sinking Fork

Notable people

• Terena Elizabeth Bell, author of Tell Me What You See
• Greg Buckner, former NBA player
• Edgar Cayce (1877–1945), mystic
• Anthony Hickey (born 1992), basketball player for Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Ted Poston (1906–1974), known as the Dean of Black Journalists and a member of President Franklin Roosevelt's Black Cabinet
• Nori Reed, comedian and writer
• Adlai Stevenson I, 23rd Vice President of the United States (1893–1897), was born in Christian County
• Gloria Jean Watkins, feminist author known by her pen name, bell hooks
• Whitney Westerfield, politician
• Chris Whitney, former NBA player

References

References

1. "Christian County, Kentucky".
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. Rennick, Robert M.. (1987). "Kentucky Place Names". University Press of Kentucky.
5. Rennick, Robert M.. (1987). "Kentucky Place Names". University Press of Kentucky.
6. Hogan, Roseann Reinemuth. (1992). "Kentucky Ancestry: A Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research". Ancestry Publishing.
7. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024". United States Census Bureau.
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
15. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
16. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
17. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Christian County, KY". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
18. (September 19, 2022). "High school consolidation in 1959 marked a major change for Christian County students".
19. "Hopkinsville Community College HomePage".
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
21. . ["Senate Members - County"](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/smembers_county.html). *[[Kentucky General Assembly]]*.
22. . ["House Members - County"](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/hmembers_county.html). *[[Kentucky General Assembly]]*.