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Henderson County, Kentucky facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Henderson, Kentucky.
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Henderson County
U.S. county
Henderson County courthouse in Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson County courthouse in Henderson, Kentucky
Map of Kentucky highlighting Henderson 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 Richard Henderson
Seat Henderson
Largest city Henderson
Area
 • Total 466 sq mi (1,210 km2)
 • Land 437 sq mi (1,130 km2)
 • Water 30 sq mi (80 km2)  6.4%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 44,793
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 44,119 Decrease
 • Density 96.12/sq mi (37.11/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Henderson County is a county in the state of Kentucky, USA. It is located in western Kentucky, right on the Ohio River. Across the river is Evansville, Indiana.

In 2020, about 44,793 people lived here. The main city and county seat is Henderson.

The county was started in 1798. It was named after Richard Henderson. He bought a huge amount of land, about 17 million acres, from the Cherokee people. Part of that land later became Henderson County.

Henderson County is also known for its coal. It is part of the West Kentucky Coal Field area. It's also part of the larger Evansville, Indiana-Kentucky city area.

History of Henderson County

Henderson County was officially formed in 1798. It was created from a part of Christian County.

There's a special area called "Green River Island." It's on the Indiana side of the Ohio River, but it's actually part of Kentucky! This was decided in a big court case in 1820. The Ellis Park Race Course, a horse racing track, is located there.

Long ago, parts of the Cherokee Nation lived here. In 1893, the Southern Cherokee were welcomed to Kentucky. The governor at the time, John Young Brown, recognized them as an Indian tribe. Some Southern Cherokee people still live in Henderson County today.

Geography and Neighbors

The U.S. Census Bureau says that Henderson County covers about 466 square miles. Most of this is land, about 437 square miles. The rest, about 30 square miles, is water.

The northern edge of the county is the Ohio River. This river forms the border with Indiana.

Counties Nearby

Henderson County shares borders with these other counties:

Population Over Time

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1800 1,468 —
1810 4,703 220.4%
1820 5,714 21.5%
1830 6,659 16.5%
1840 9,548 43.4%
1850 12,171 27.5%
1860 14,262 17.2%
1870 18,457 29.4%
1880 24,515 32.8%
1890 29,536 20.5%
1900 32,907 11.4%
1910 29,352 −10.8%
1920 27,609 −5.9%
1930 26,295 −4.8%
1940 27,020 2.8%
1950 30,715 13.7%
1960 33,519 9.1%
1970 36,031 7.5%
1980 40,849 13.4%
1990 43,044 5.4%
2000 44,829 4.1%
2010 46,250 3.2%
2020 44,793 −3.2%
2023 (est.) 44,119 −4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020

In 2000, there were 44,829 people living in Henderson County. The county had about 18,095 households. Most people were White (91.16%), and about 7.10% were Black or African American.

The average household had about 2.43 people. The average family had about 2.93 people.

Towns and Places

Henderson County has several towns and communities.

Cities

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities.

Other Small Communities

These are smaller, unincorporated places:

Famous People from Henderson County

Many interesting people have connections to Henderson County:

  • John James Audubon: A famous bird expert, painter, and naturalist. He lived in Henderson from 1810 to 1819.
  • LaVerne Butler: A Kentucky clergyman and university president. He was born in Henderson County in 1926.
  • Happy Chandler: He was the governor of Kentucky twice! He was born in Corydon, Kentucky, in 1898.
  • Ewing Galloway: A journalist and lawyer. He was born in Little Dixie, Kentucky in 1880.
  • W. C. Handy: A musician and composer known as the "father of the blues." He lived in Henderson in the 1890s.
  • Grandpa Jones: A country music entertainer. He was born in Niagara, Kentucky, in 1913.
  • Gary L. Littrell: A Command Sergeant Major in the military. He was born in Henderson in 1944.
  • Luther Skaggs Jr.: A Marine corporal. He was born in Henderson, Kentucky, in 1923.

Images for kids

See also

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

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