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Allen County, Kentucky facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Allen, Kentucky.
Quick facts for kids
Allen County
U.S. county
Allen County Courthouse in Scottsville
Allen County Courthouse in Scottsville
Map of Kentucky highlighting Allen County
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Map of the United States highlighting Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Kentucky
Founded 1815
Named for John Allen
Seat Scottsville
Largest city Scottsville
Area
 • Total 352 sq mi (910 km2)
 • Land 344 sq mi (890 km2)
 • Water 7.5 sq mi (19 km2)  2.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 20,588
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 21,788 Increase
 • Density 58.49/sq mi (22.58/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Allen County is a county located in the state of Kentucky in the United States. In 2020, about 20,588 people lived there. The main town, and the only city, is Scottsville.

The county is named after Colonel John Allen. He was a soldier and a state senator who died in a battle during the War of 1812. Allen County was created in 1815 from parts of Barren and Warren counties. It is part of the larger Bowling Green area.

History of Allen County

Allen County was officially started in 1815. It was formed from land that used to be part of Barren and Warren counties. Sadly, a fire at the courthouse in 1902 caused some of the county's old records to be lost.

Geography of Allen County

Allen County covers a total area of about 352 square miles (912 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 344 square miles (891 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 7.5 square miles (19 square kilometers), is water.

Neighboring Counties

Allen County shares its borders with several other counties:

Population and People

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1820 5,327 —
1830 6,485 21.7%
1840 7,329 13.0%
1850 8,742 19.3%
1860 9,187 5.1%
1870 10,296 12.1%
1880 12,089 17.4%
1890 13,692 13.3%
1900 14,657 7.0%
1910 14,882 1.5%
1920 16,761 12.6%
1930 15,180 −9.4%
1940 15,496 2.1%
1950 13,787 −11.0%
1960 12,269 −11.0%
1970 12,598 2.7%
1980 14,128 12.1%
1990 14,628 3.5%
2000 17,800 21.7%
2010 19,956 12.1%
2020 20,588 3.2%
2023 (est.) 21,788 9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

In 2000, there were 17,800 people living in Allen County. The population density was about 51 people per square mile.

Many households in the county were families. About 34% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had about 2.55 people.

The population of Allen County is spread out in terms of age. About 25.8% of the people were under 18 years old. The median age was 36 years. This means half the people were younger than 36, and half were older.

Communities in Allen County

Allen County has one main city and many smaller communities.

City

  • Scottsville (This is the county seat, meaning it's where the county government is located.)

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller places that are not officially cities or towns.

Notable Residents

Some well-known people have connections to Allen County:

  • Mordecai Ham, an evangelist (a religious speaker)
  • Jim McDaniels, a basketball player
  • Charles Napier (actor), an actor
  • Norro Wilson, a country music songwriter and producer
  • R. H. Wilson, a former Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Cal Turner Sr., a businessman who co-founded Dollar General

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Allen (Kentucky) para niños

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