Cayce, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cayce, Kentucky
Census-designated place
Location within Fulton County and the state of Kentucky
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Fulton
Area
• Total	1.64 sq mi (4.24 km2)
• Land	1.63 sq mi (4.22 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	400 ft (100 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	119
• Density	72.96/sq mi (28.18/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	42041
Area code(s)	270 & 364
FIPS code	21-13600
GNIS feature ID	0489154

Cayce is a small community in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. It is in the very southwestern part of the state. It is known as an "unincorporated community" and a "census-designated place" (CDP). This means it's a specific area that the government counts for population, but it doesn't have its own city government. In 2020, about 119 people lived in Cayce.

About Cayce

Cayce was named after James Hardie Cayce. He was a businessman who opened stores in nearby towns like Moscow and Clinton, as well as in Cayce itself. The community is located right in the middle of Fulton County, which is the westernmost county in Kentucky. The name "Cayce" sounds just like "Casey."

The area of Cayce stretches from Willingham Bottom and Bayou de Chien Creek in the west to Mud Creek in the east. It goes from Moscow in the north down to the Middle Road (Kentucky Route 166) in the south.

The Junction and Casey Jones

A special part of Cayce is called "the junction." This is where two main roads, Route 94 and Route 239, meet. You can find service stations and a cafe there.

At this junction, there's also an old elementary school building, which is now closed. In front of the school, there is a monument. This monument tells everyone that Cayce is the hometown of a famous American railroad engineer named Casey Jones (1863–1900). He grew up in this area.

Casey Jones's Story

Casey Jones, whose real name was John Luther Jones, started working for the Mobile and Ohio Railroad in 1878. By 1890, he became an engineer for the Illinois Central Railroad. He became famous in American stories and songs because of a train crash in 1900. He stayed at the controls of his train to try and slow it down, saving many lives, but he lost his own.

In those days, railroad workers with common last names were often called by the name of their hometown. So, John Luther Jones became known as "Cayce" Jones. Later, the spelling "Casey" became more common for his nickname.

Cayce's Past and Present

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Cayce was a busy town with many businesses. Today, it is mostly a quiet residential area where people live.

2021 Tornado Impact

In 2021, Cayce was hit by a very strong tornado, part of the Western Kentucky tornado outbreak. Many homes in the town were badly damaged, and some were completely destroyed. The tornado was rated as an EF4, which means it was extremely powerful.

This same tornado continued its path across many other counties and cities in Western Kentucky, causing a lot of damage. Sadly, 58 people died across the region. In Cayce itself, one person lost their life due to the tornado.

Demographics

The table above shows the population of Cayce based on the 2020 United States Census.

See also

In Spanish: Cayce (Kentucky) para niños