Pulaski County, Kentucky

Pulaski County is a county in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,034.[1] Its county seat is Somerset.[2] The county was founded in December 1798 from land given by Lincoln and Green Counties and named for Polish patriot Count Casimir Pulaski.[3][4][5] Pulaski County comprises the Somerset, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area. Somerset's population is just over 11,000, but the Micropolitan Area for Somerset/Pulaski County is over 65,000.

Pulaski County
County
Pulaski County Courthouse
Pulaski County Courthouse
Map of Kentucky highlighting Pulaski County
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Map of the United States highlighting Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°06′N 84°35′W
Country United States
State Kentucky
Founded1798
Named forKazimierz Pułaski
SeatSomerset
Largest citySomerset
Area
 • Total677 sq mi (1,750 km2)
 • Land658 sq mi (1,700 km2)
 • Water19 sq mi (50 km2)  2.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total65,034
 • Estimate 
(2022)
65,795 Increase
 • Density96/sq mi (37/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district5th
Websitepcgovt.com

History

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 677 square miles (1,750 km2), of which 658 square miles (1,700 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (2.8%) is water.[6] It is the third-largest county by area in Kentucky.

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18003,161—
18106,897118.2%
18207,59710.1%
18309,50025.0%
18409,6201.3%
185014,19547.6%
186017,20121.2%
187017,6702.7%
188021,31820.6%
189025,73120.7%
190031,29321.6%
191035,98615.0%
192034,010−5.5%
193035,6404.8%
194039,86311.8%
195038,452−3.5%
196034,403−10.5%
197035,2342.4%
198045,80330.0%
199049,4898.0%
200056,21713.6%
201063,06312.2%
202065,0343.1%
2022 (est.)65,795[7]1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 56,217 people, 22,719 households, and 16,334 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 per square mile (33/km2). There were 27,181 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.48% White, 1.07% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 22,719 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,370, and the median income for a family was $32,350. Males had a median income of $27,398 versus $19,236 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,352. About 14.80% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.90% of those under age 18 and 16.60% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

As is typical of the Unionist bloc of south-central Kentucky comprising the eastern Pennyroyal Plateau and the western part of the Eastern Coalfield, Pulaski County has been deep red Republican ever since the Civil War. The solitary Democrat to carry Pulaski County since that time has been Woodrow Wilson in 1912 — and Wilson did so only when the Republican Party was deadlocked between the conservative incumbent Taft and the progressive Theodore Roosevelt— Wilson took just 34.68 percent of the county's vote and won Pulaski only by 195 votes over Roosevelt and 249 over Taft.[13]

With the exception of the cities of Burnside and Somerset, Pulaski County is a dry county.

United States presidential election results for Pulaski County, Kentucky[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 25,442 80.62% 5,666 17.95% 449 1.42%
2016 22,902 81.67% 4,208 15.01% 931 3.32%
2012 20,714 79.66% 4,976 19.14% 313 1.20%
2008 19,862 77.09% 5,590 21.70% 314 1.22%
2004 19,535 76.56% 5,829 22.84% 152 0.60%
2000 15,845 73.56% 5,415 25.14% 281 1.30%
1996 11,945 63.44% 5,340 28.36% 1,544 8.20%
1992 11,423 58.84% 5,465 28.15% 2,526 13.01%
1988 13,482 73.50% 4,788 26.10% 72 0.39%
1984 14,434 76.40% 4,384 23.20% 75 0.40%
1980 12,970 65.11% 6,570 32.98% 379 1.90%
1976 9,226 61.17% 5,752 38.14% 105 0.70%
1972 10,602 76.99% 3,080 22.37% 88 0.64%
1968 8,290 64.26% 2,823 21.88% 1,788 13.86%
1964 7,383 55.60% 5,840 43.98% 55 0.41%
1960 11,899 79.35% 3,097 20.65% 0 0.00%
1956 10,636 72.99% 3,899 26.76% 37 0.25%
1952 9,651 70.41% 4,032 29.42% 24 0.18%
1948 7,549 64.93% 3,844 33.06% 234 2.01%
1944 8,318 67.47% 3,934 31.91% 76 0.62%
1940 8,533 63.36% 4,896 36.35% 39 0.29%
1936 7,570 61.51% 4,711 38.28% 25 0.20%
1932 6,905 58.22% 4,931 41.57% 25 0.21%
1928 9,348 78.84% 2,494 21.03% 15 0.13%
1924 6,435 62.66% 3,158 30.75% 676 6.58%
1920 7,262 65.67% 3,749 33.90% 48 0.43%
1916 4,136 61.35% 2,531 37.54% 75 1.11%
1912 1,731 31.01% 1,980 35.47% 1,871 33.52%

Education

K-12

Three public school districts serve the county:

  • Pulaski County School District
    • The largest of the three districts, it serves the county outside the independent school districts of Somerset and Science Hill, with numerous elementary and middle schools feeding into Pulaski County High School and Southwestern Pulaski County High School.
  • Somerset Independent School District
    • Serves the city of Somerset with an elementary school (Hopkins Elementary), a middle school (Meece Middle) and a high school (Somerset High).
  • Science Hill Independent School District
    • Serves the city of Science Hill, with a single K-8 school. Students graduating from Science Hill can choose to attend either Pulaski County, Southwestern or Somerset High School.

There are also several private schools in the county, including Somerset Christian School.

Colleges and universities

Campbellsville University-Somerset, Noe Education Center is a regional center for Campbellsville University located in Campbellsville, KY. The Somerset Noe Education Center offers a variety of degree and certificate programs. CU-Somerset prides itself on being flexible and affordable for students from across the nation.

Somerset Community College is one of 16 two-year, open-admissions colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. The college offers academic, general education, and technical curricula leading to certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees. The college's Somerset Campus is located on Monticello Street in Somerset, across the street from the Center for Rural Development.

Transportation

Through Pulaski County run U.S. Highway South 27 from north to south and Highway East and West 80. Through the city limits of Somerset, Highway 27 stems into a three-lane road with u-turn and left turn options at each stoplight. Many food chains, local businesses and commerce centers are strewn along the highway, due to accessibility and consistent traffic throughout the area. Outside the Somerset city limits, the highway becomes a four-lane road until it becomes a two-lane highway through downtown Burnside just south of Somerset.

Intersecting these highways are many junctions and bypasses that have been paved in order to allow quick and easy traffic flow through the county, revolving around the circumscribed Kentucky Route 914 around the outskirts of Somerset, in which transporters can enter through or exit from the city from any direction easily. These series of roads mimic the infrastructure of larger cities such as Interstate 465 in Indianapolis, Indiana and New Circle Road in Lexington, Kentucky. Many of these roads were paved in the 2000s. Despite the grand area of the county, the accessibility from one end to the other is smooth and expedited.

Lake Cumberland Regional Airport is located in Pulaski County, on the southern end of Somerset's US 27 business district. The airport is owned by the city of Somerset and Pulaski County. It also serves the area around Lake Cumberland. It is mostly used for general aviation, and from late 2008 until February 2010, was served by one commercial airline, Locair. Currently, the $3 million federally funded passenger terminal is not in use.

The airport was renamed in 2008; it was formerly known as Somerset-Pulaski County Airport or J.T. Wilson Field.[3]

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated places

Notable residents

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. http://www.kyenc.org/entry/p/PULAS01.html
  4. The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. p. 36.
  5. Collins, Lewis (1882). Collins' Historical Sketches of Kentucky: History of Kentucky, Volume 2. Collins & Company. p. 26.
  6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  7. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  13. "Presidential Election of 1912 – Map by Counties (.xlsx file for €15)". Géoelections. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  16. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.

37.06°N 84.35°W / 37.06; -84.35

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