Nortonville, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nortonville, Kentucky
City
Walnut Street in Nortonville
Location of Nortonville in Hopkins County, Kentucky.
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Hopkins
Incorporated	1873
Area
• Total	1.19 sq mi (3.09 km2)
• Land	1.16 sq mi (3.00 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation	404 ft (123 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	977
• Density	842.97/sq mi (325.54/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	42442
Area code(s)	270 & 364
FIPS code	21-56910
GNIS feature ID	0499617

Nortonville is a small city located in Hopkins County, Kentucky, in the United States. In 2010, about 1,204 people lived there. By 2020, the population was 977.

History of Nortonville

Nortonville exists because of the railroad industry. The city is named after Eckstein Norton. He was born in Kentucky and started working in a country store in 1846.

Norton helped create the Elizabethtown and Paducah Railroad in the late 1860s. He then bought about 2,000 acres (8.1 sq km) of land. This area became "Norton Village," which was later called "Nortonville" around 1900.

Eckstein Norton became a shipping agent for the Illinois Central Railroad. This railroad later bought the Elizabethtown & Paducah Railroad. Another railroad, the Evansville, Henderson and Nashville, was finished through Nortonville in 1872. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad bought it in 1879.

Norton became the president of the L&N Railroad in 1886. By this time, Nortonville was an important railroad hub. It was one of only nine towns in the L&N system that could easily unload and move large amounts of freight. The city grew around the meeting point of the IC and L&N Railroads.

Nortonville grew even more after 1902. Investors bought land from Norton's family and opened a coal mine called the Nortonville Coal Company. They also ran an electric power plant.

The city got its first water system in 1936. Its streets were paved in 1956. A modern sewage system was built in the late 1970s, which helped the city continue to grow. Today, the Nortonville City Hall is in the old high school building from the 1930s. This building was built by the WPA.

Geography of Nortonville

Nortonville is in the southeastern part of Hopkins County. You can find it at these coordinates: 37°11′16″N 87°27′22″W.

U.S. Route 41 goes through the eastern and southern parts of the city. This road leads north about 11 miles (18 km) to Madisonville, which is the main city of the county. It also leads south about 24 miles (39 km) to Hopkinsville.

U.S. Route 62 passes through the northern part of Nortonville. This road goes east about 18 miles (29 km) to Greenville. It goes west about 14 miles (23 km) to Dawson Springs.

Two major highways, the Western Kentucky Parkway and the Pennyrile Parkway, meet about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Nortonville. Interstate 69 follows parts of these parkways.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Nortonville covers a total area of about 1.19 square miles (3.09 sq km). A small part of this area, about 0.03 square miles (0.09 sq km), is water.

Population of Nortonville

In the year 2000, there were 1,264 people living in Nortonville. These people lived in 525 households. About 28.2% of these households had children under 18 living there.

The population was spread out by age. About 24.1% of the people were under 18 years old. About 15.1% were 65 years old or older. The average age in the city was 36 years.

Education in Nortonville

Students in Nortonville attend local schools. These include Southside Elementary School and South Hopkins Middle School. Older students go to Hopkins County Central High School.

See also

In Spanish: Nortonville (Kentucky) para niños