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Cumberland County, Kentucky facts for kids

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Cumberland County
Cumberland County courthouse in Burkesville
Cumberland County courthouse in Burkesville
Map of Kentucky highlighting Cumberland 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 1798
Named for Cumberland River
Seat Burkesville
Largest city Burkesville
Area
 • Total 311 sq mi (810 km2)
 • Land 305 sq mi (790 km2)
 • Water 5.7 sq mi (15 km2)  1.8%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 5,888 Decrease
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Cumberland County is a county located in the Pennyroyal Plateau region of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,856. Its county seat is Burkesville. The county was formed in 1798 and named for the Cumberland River, which in turn may have been named after the Duke of Cumberland or the English county of Cumberland.

History

Cumberland County was created in 1798 from land given by Green County. In 1829, the first oil well in the United States was dug three miles north of Burkesville. However, it is usually not recognized as such because the drillers were looking for salt brine.

It was the first county in the United States to elect a female sheriff, Pearl Carter Pace.

Burkesville is the first city downstream from Wolf Creek Dam. There has been much recent concern about the dam's stability.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 311 square miles (810 km2), of which 305 square miles (790 km2) is land and 5.7 square miles (15 km2) (1.8%) is water. Major waterways include the Cumberland River and a small branch of Dale Hollow Lake which covers the southern end of the county.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1800 3,284
1810 6,191 88.5%
1820 8,058 30.2%
1830 8,624 7.0%
1840 6,090 −29.4%
1850 7,005 15.0%
1860 7,340 4.8%
1870 7,690 4.8%
1880 8,894 15.7%
1890 8,452 −5.0%
1900 8,962 6.0%
1910 9,846 9.9%
1920 10,648 8.1%
1930 10,204 −4.2%
1940 11,923 16.8%
1950 9,309 −21.9%
1960 7,835 −15.8%
1970 6,850 −12.6%
1980 7,289 6.4%
1990 6,784 −6.9%
2000 7,147 5.4%
2010 6,856 −4.1%
2020 5,888 −14.1%
2021 (est.) 5,879 −14.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2021

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,147 people, 2,976 households, and 2,038 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 per square mile (8.9/km2). There were 3,567 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (4.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.28% White, 3.41% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,976 households, out of which 29.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,572, and the median income for a family was $28,701. Males had a median income of $21,313 versus $16,548 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,643. About 16.40% of families and 23.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.30% of those under age 18 and 33.00% of those age 65 or over.

Ancestry/ethnicity

As of 2017 the largest self-identified ancestry groups/ethnic groups in Cumberland County, Kentucky were:

Largest ancestries (2017) Percent
English 32.8%
"American" 15.7%
Irish 10.2%
German 4.4%
Scots-Irish 1.1%
Italian 1.1%
Scottish 1.1%
French (except Basque) 1.0%
Polish 0.9%

Communities

City

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated places

Notable people

  • William M. Branham, American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post–World War II healing revival.
  • Cumberland County was the birthplace of Joel Cheek who later made Maxwell House coffee.
  • Edwin L. Norris, fifth Governor of Montana
  • David L. Williams, judge of the Kentucky 40th Circuit Court, former President of the Kentucky Senate, 1992 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and the 2011 Republican gubernatorial nominee

See also

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

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