Edmonson County, Kentucky facts for kids

Edmonson County
Quick facts for kids Edmonson County
	U.S. county
	Edmonson County Courthouse in Brownsville
	Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
	; Kentucky's location within the U.S.;
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	January 12, 1825
Named for	John Edmonson
Seat	Brownsville
Largest city	Brownsville
Area
• Total	308 sq mi (800 km2)
• Land	303 sq mi (780 km2)
• Water	5.1 sq mi (13 km2) 1.7%%
Population (2020)
• Total	12,126
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Edmonson County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,161. Its county seat is Brownsville. The county was formed in 1825 and named for Captain John "Jack" Edmonson (1764–1813), who was killed at the Battle of Frenchtown during the War of 1812. This is a dry county where the sale of alcohol is prohibited.

Edmonson County is included in the Bowling Green, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Edmonson County was established on January 12, 1825 from land given by Grayson, Hart and Warren counties. A courthouse built in 1873 replaced a former structure rendered unfit when its floor collapsed.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 308 square miles (800 km²), of which 303 square miles (780 km²) is land and 5.1 square miles (13 km²) (1.7%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Grayson County (north)
Hart County (east)
Barren County (southeast)
Warren County (southwest)
Butler County (west)

National protected area

Mammoth Cave National Park

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	2,642	—
1840	2,914	10.3%
1850	4,088	40.3%
1860	4,645	13.6%
1870	4,459	−4.0%
1880	7,222	62.0%
1890	8,005	10.8%
1900	10,080	25.9%
1910	10,469	3.9%
1920	10,894	4.1%
1930	11,475	5.3%
1940	11,344	−1.1%
1950	9,376	−17.3%
1960	8,085	−13.8%
1970	8,751	8.2%
1980	9,962	13.8%
1990	10,357	4.0%
2000	11,644	12.4%
2010	12,161	4.4%
2020	12,126	−0.3%
2021 (est.)	12,291	1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2021

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,644 people, 4,648 households, and 3,462 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 per square mile (15/km²). There were 6,104 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (7.7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.39% White, 0.58% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,648 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.50% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 males there were 92.50 females. For every 100 males age 18 and over, there were 89.33 females.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,413, and the median income for a family was $31,843. Males had a median income of $26,770 versus $17,158 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,480. About 14.20% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.50% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

A water tower along KY101 welcomes visitors as they enter southern Edmonson County.

There are two main routes that form the major transportation corridors through Edmonson County.

KY 70 is the primary west to east route, traversing the width of the county.

KY 259 enters Edmonson County at the border with Grayson County, near the town of Bee Spring. The highway continues on, bridging the Green River (the only bridge over the river in Edmonson County), before intersecting with KY 101. KY 259 then branches off in a southeastern direction while KY 101 continues as the main north–south route through the county, exiting into Warren County just south of the community of Chalybeate.

Additionally, KY 185 is a north–south route connecting Bowling Green with points in Grayson County and points north which lie between. I-65 passes through the southeastern tip of the county, but has no interchanges allowing access to the road. I-65 parallels the older US 31W, which runs through a small southeastern portion of the county.

Attractions

Sign marking the boundary of Mammoth Cave National Park, the most popular tourist attraction in Edmonson County.

The biggest tourist attraction in Edmonson County is Mammoth Cave National Park, which usually draws almost 2 million visitors a year.

Located mostly in the northern part of Edmonson County, the Nolin Lake area was incorporated as a Kentucky State Park in 2001 and offers fishing and other recreational opportunities.

Local Events

Edmonson County Lions Club Fair - early September (including a parade that takes place in downtown Brownsville on the second Friday of September), one of the longest-running county fairs in the state.
Nolin Fest (July or August) - at Nolin Lake State Park, organized by the Friends of Nolin Lake.
Annual Saddle Club Horse Show - Edmonson County Fairgrounds
Freedom Fest (late June) at the Chalybeate Sports Complex

Source: Edmonson County Tourism Commission

Communities

Education

The combined Edmonson County High and Middle School complex is located in Brownsville.

There are currently five public schools operating as part of the Edmonson County School System. They are Kyrock Elementary (in the Kyrock community in northern Edmonson County), South Edmonson Elementary (near the Chalybeate community in southern Edmonson County), the Edmonson County Fifth/Sixth Grade Center, Edmonson County Middle School, and Edmonson County High School (all in Brownsville).

Notable residents

Joe Blanton, Major League Baseball pitcher, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, but spent most of his childhood and young adult life in Edmonson County on Otter Gap Road.
Ben Helson, a guitarist for Dierks Bentley, is a native of the Chalybeate community.

Images for kids

Publishing offices of the Edmonson News, the printed newspaper in Edmonson County.