Ballard County, Kentucky

County in the United States

Ballard County, Kentucky
Ballard County Courthouse in Wickliffe
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Founded	1842
Named for	Bland Ballard
Seat	Wickliffe
Largest city	La Center
Area
• Total	274 sq mi (710 km2)
• Land	247 sq mi (640 km2)
• Water	27 sq mi (70 km2), 9.9%
Population
• (2010)	8,249
• Density	33/sq mi (13/km2)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Central: UTC−6/−5
Website	www.ballardcounty.ky.gov

Ballard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,249.^[1] Its county seat is Wickliffe.^[2] The county was created by the Kentucky State Legislature in 1842 and is named for Captain Bland Ballard, a soldier, statesman, and member of the Kentucky General Assembly.^[3] Ballard is now as of late 2017 a wet county

Ballard County is part of the Paducah, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

• 
  1 History
  


• 
  2 Geography
  
  
  
  • 
    2.1 State protected area
    
  
  
  • 
    2.2 Adjacent counties
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  3 Demographics
  


• 
  4 Politics
  
  
  
  • 
    4.1 Voter registration
    
  
  
  • 
    4.2 Statewide elections
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  5 Communities
  
  
  
  • 
    5.1 Cities
    
  
  
  • 
    5.2 Census-designated places
    
  
  
  • 
    5.3 Other unincorporated communities
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  6 Notable people
  


• 
  7 See also
  


• 
  8 References
  

History

Ballard County was formed from portions of Hickman County and McCracken County. It was named for Bland Ballard (1761–1853), a Kentucky pioneer and soldier who served as a scout for General George Rogers Clark during the American Revolutionary War, and later commanded a company during the War of 1812. On February 17, 1880, the courthouse was destroyed by a fire, which also destroyed most of the county's early records.^[4] The county seat was transferred from Blandville to Wickliffe in 1882.^[5]

Geography

Fort Jefferson Memorial Cross at the Confluence in Wickliffe

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 274 square miles (710 km²), of which 247 square miles (640 km²) is land and 27 square miles (70 km²) (9.9%) is water.^[6]

State protected area

Axe Lake Swamp State Nature Preserve is a 458 acres (1.85 km²) nature preserve located in Ballard County, in the Barlow Bottoms. The preserve is part of the 3,000-acre (12 km²) Axe Lake Swamp wetlands complex which supports at least eight rare plant and animal species. The site has been recognized as a priority wetland in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.^[7]

Adjacent counties

• 
  Pulaski County, Illinois (north) – across the Ohio River
  


• 
  McCracken County (east)


• 
  Carlisle County (south)


• 
  Mississippi County, Missouri (southwest) – across the Mississippi River
  


• 
  Alexander County, Illinois (west) – across the Ohio River

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	5,496		—
1860	8,692		58.2%
1870	12,576		44.7%
1880	14,378		14.3%
1890	8,390		−41.6%
1900	10,761		28.3%
1910	12,690		17.9%
1920	12,045		−5.1%
1930	9,910		−17.7%
1940	9,480		−4.3%
1950	8,545		−9.9%
1960	8,291		−3.0%
1970	8,276		−0.2%
1980	8,798		6.3%
1990	7,902		−10.2%
2000	8,286		4.9%
2010	8,249		−0.4%
Est. 2016	8,054	[8]	−2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 8,286 people, 3,395 households, and 2,413 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 per square mile (13/km²). There were 3,837 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (5.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.32% White, 2.87% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

There were 3,395 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.85.

The age distribution was 23.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,130, and the median income for a family was $41,386. Males had a median income of $32,345 versus $20,902 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,035. About 10.70% of families and 13.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.30% of those under age 18 and 15.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter registration

Ballard County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of November 17, 2015[update][14]
Political Party		Total Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	4,671	73.37%
	Republican	1,402	22.02%
	Others	227	3.57%
	Independent	57	0.90%
	Libertarian	5	0.08%
	Green	2	0.03%
Total		6,366	100%

Statewide elections

Presidential elections results

Presidential elections results^[15]

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2016	77.1% 3,161	19.9% 816	3.0% 124
2012	68.0% 2,647	30.5% 1,189	1.5% 59
2008	62.5% 2,537	35.2% 1,427	2.4% 96
2004	57.2% 2,389	42.1% 1,759	0.7% 29
2000	48.4% 1,824	49.9% 1,880	1.8% 66
1996	28.4% 1,064	60.3% 2,255	11.3% 423
1992	28.6% 1,108	58.5% 2,268	13.0% 504
1988	40.2% 1,460	59.6% 2,162	0.2% 7
1984	45.1% 1,663	54.3% 2,002	0.5% 20
1980	31.1% 1,190	67.5% 2,583	1.4% 53
1976	17.6% 649	75.7% 2,794	6.8% 250
1972	49.9% 1,542	45.7% 1,411	4.4% 136
1968	16.4% 564	47.4% 1,632	36.2% 1,248
1964	15.2% 519	84.1% 2,867	0.7% 23
1960	29.0% 1,121	71.0% 2,746	0.0% 0
1956	21.3% 838	78.5% 3,088	0.3% 10
1952	22.6% 851	77.3% 2,910	0.2% 6
1948	14.0% 454	83.6% 2,702	2.4% 78
1944	18.3% 637	81.5% 2,845	0.3% 9
1940	19.1% 758	80.9% 3,212	0.0% 1
1936	18.0% 773	81.9% 3,523	0.2% 7
1932	12.5% 572	87.0% 3,987	0.6% 25
1928	24.5% 940	75.4% 2,896	0.1% 3
1924	19.2% 767	78.2% 3,128	2.6% 104
1920	21.2% 1,107	76.5% 3,987	2.3% 119
1916	23.1% 692	74.0% 2,222	2.9% 88
1912	21.5% 555	66.2% 1,706	12.3% 316

Previous gubernatorial elections results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2015	55.20% 1,312	41.65% 990	3.16% 75
2011	35.80% 773	59.01% 1,274	5.19% 112
2007	34.09% 927	65.91% 1,792	0.00% 0
2003	46.53% 1,433	53.47% 1,647	0.00% 0
1999	6.70% 99	83.28% 1,230	10.02% 148
1995	32.30% 938	67.46% 1,959	0.24% 7

Communities

Cities

• Barlow


• Blandville


• Kevil


• LaCenter


• Wickliffe

Census-designated places

• Bandana


• Lovelaceville

Other unincorporated communities

• Monkey's Eyebrow


• New York

Notable people

• 
  Morris E. Crain, Medal of Honor recipient for his bravery during World War II


• 
  Kenny Rollins, an American basketball player who was a member of the University of Kentucky's "Fab Five" who won the 1948 NCAA Championship, the 1948 Gold Medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team, and the NBA's Chicago Stags and Boston Celtics


• 
  Oscar Turner (1825–1896), State Senator, U. S. Representative and namesake of Oscar, Kentucky
  

See also

• 
  Kentucky portal
  

• Dry counties


• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ballard County, Kentucky

References

1. 
   ^ ^ab "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 5, 2014..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
   


3. 
   ^ E., Kleber, John; Kentucky, University Press of; Policy, Institute for Regional Analysis and Public; Library, Camden-Carroll; University, Morehead State (January 1, 2000). "The Kentucky Encyclopedia". kyenc.org. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
   


4. 
   ^ "Ballard County, Kentucky Genealogy and History". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
   


5. 
   ^ Hogan, Roseann Reinemuth (1992). Kentucky Ancestry: A Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research. Ancestry Publishing. p. 189. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
   


6. 
   ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
   


7. 
   ^ Axe Lake Swamp State Nature Preserve web site Archived September 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine URL accessed on 20 August 2006.
   


8. 
   ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
   


9. 
   ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
   


10. 
    ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
    


11. 
    ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
    


12. 
    ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
    


13. 
    ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
    


14. 
    ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2014.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
    


15. 
    ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
    

v t e Municipalities and communities of Ballard County, Kentucky, United States
County seat: Wickliffe
Cities	Barlow Blandville Kevil LaCenter Wickliffe
CDPs	Bandana Lovelaceville
Unincorporated communities	Ceredo Gage Hinkleville Ingleside Monkey's Eyebrow Needmore New York Oscar Ross Crossing Slater Turner Landing Woodville

v t e  Commonwealth of Kentucky
Frankfort (capital)
Topics	Index Cuisine Environment Geography History Music Media Newspapers Radio TV People Religion Symbols Seal Flag Theater Tourism Tourist attractions Transportation Category Index Portal	Seal of Kentucky
Society	Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Sports
Regions	Allegheny Plateau The Bluegrass Cumberland Mountains Cumberland Plateau Eastern Kentucky Coalfield Highland Rim The Knobs Mississippi Plain Northern Kentucky Pennyroyal Plateau The Purchase Ridge-and-Valley Tennessee Valley Western Coal Fields
25 largest cities	Louisville Lexington Bowling Green Owensboro Covington Richmond Georgetown Florence Hopkinsville Nicholasville Elizabethtown Henderson Independence Frankfort Jeffersontown Paducah Radcliff Ashland Murray Madisonville Erlanger Winchester St. Matthews Danville Fort Thomas
Metropolitan areas	Ashland Bowling Green Clarksville, TN Elizabethtown Evansville Lexington–Fayette Louisville/Jefferson County Northern Kentucky Owensboro
Counties	Adair Allen Anderson Ballard Barren Bath Bell Boone Bourbon Boyd Boyle Bracken Breathitt Breckinridge Bullitt Butler Caldwell Calloway Campbell Carlisle Carroll Carter Casey Christian Clark Clay Clinton Crittenden Cumberland Daviess Edmonson Elliott Estill Fayette Fleming Floyd Franklin Fulton Gallatin Garrard Grant Graves Grayson Green Greenup Hancock Hardin Harlan Harrison Hart Henderson Henry Hickman Hopkins Jackson Jefferson Jessamine Johnson Kenton Knott Knox LaRue Laurel Lawrence Lee Leslie Letcher Lewis Lincoln Livingston Logan Lyon Madison Magoffin Marion Marshall Martin Mason McCracken McCreary McLean Meade Menifee Mercer Metcalfe Monroe Montgomery Morgan Muhlenberg Nelson Nicholas Ohio Oldham Owen Owsley Pendleton Perry Pike Powell Pulaski Robertson Rockcastle Rowan Russell Scott Shelby Simpson Spencer Taylor Todd Trigg Trimble Union Warren Washington Wayne Webster Whitley Wolfe Woodford

Coordinates: 37°04′N 89°00′W / 37.06°N 89.00°W / 37.06; -89.00

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