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Morgan County, Kentucky
Morgan County, Kentucky courthouse
Morgan County courthouse in West Liberty
Map of Kentucky highlighting Morgan County
Location in the state of Kentucky
Map of the U.S
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded 1822
Named for Daniel Morgan
Seat West Liberty
Largest city West Liberty
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

384 sq mi (995 km²)
381 sq mi (987 km²)
2.7 sq mi (7 km²), 0.7
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

13,726
Congressional district 5th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website http://morgancounty.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,726.[1] Its county seat is West Liberty.[2] The county is among the dry counties, which means that the sale of alcohol is restricted or prohibited.

History[]

Morgan County was formed on December 7, 1822, from portions of Bath County and Floyd County.[3] It was named for Daniel Morgan, a distinguished general in the American Revolutionary War.[4]

During the Civil War, Morgan County was almost solidly pro-confederate, donating dozens of men to the 5th KY Infantry (CSA).

Morgan County was hit by an EF3 tornado on March 2, 2012, which cost the lives of six people and injured many others. Following the tornado, Morgan County's population decreased, but the county seat still has a strong population for a small town.

Morgan County had begun building a new court house in 2011, but the tornado delayed its construction to late 2013.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (990 km2), of which 300 square miles (780 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) (0.7%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties[]

National protected area[]

  • Daniel Boone National Forest (part)

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 2,857
1840 4,603 61.1%
1850 7,620 65.5%
1860 9,237 21.2%
1870 5,975 −35.3%
1880 8,455 41.5%
1890 11,249 33.0%
1900 12,792 13.7%
1910 16,259 27.1%
1920 16,518 1.6%
1930 15,130 −8.4%
1940 16,827 11.2%
1950 13,624 −19.0%
1960 11,056 −18.8%
1970 10,019 −9.4%
1980 12,103 20.8%
1990 11,648 −3.8%
2000 13,948 19.7%
2010 13,923 −0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[10]

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 13,948 people, 4,752 households, and 3,568 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 per square mile (14 /km2). There were 5,487 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4 /km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.59% White, 4.38% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,752 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.40% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.40% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 32.90% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 123.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,869, and the median income for a family was $26,135. Males had a median income of $23,966 versus $18,463 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,657. 27.20% of the population and 23.50% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 33.90% are under the age of 18 and 28.50% are 65 or older.

Politics[]

Morgan County was a strongly Democratic county throughout the 20th century, with the party's candidate winning in every presidential election from 1880 until 2000, when Al Gore became the first Democrat to lose the county . In the 21st century, however, like almost all of Kentucky, the county has flipped to the Republicans in US Presidential elections.

United States presidential election results for Morgan County, Kentucky[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 4,301 77.58% 1,175 21.19% 68 1.23%
2016 3,628 75.98% 1,006 21.07% 141 2.95%
2012 3,021 67.55% 1,369 30.61% 82 1.83%
2008 2,396 54.72% 1,879 42.91% 104 2.37%
2004 2,682 50.87% 2,532 48.03% 58 1.10%
2000 2,295 54.13% 1,875 44.22% 70 1.65%
1996 1,439 38.94% 1,843 49.88% 413 11.18%
1992 1,239 28.09% 2,655 60.19% 517 11.72%
1988 1,452 38.04% 2,329 61.02% 36 0.94%
1984 1,834 42.36% 2,481 57.30% 15 0.35%
1980 1,450 34.53% 2,698 64.25% 51 1.21%
1976 973 24.97% 2,897 74.34% 27 0.69%
1972 1,535 45.56% 1,815 53.87% 19 0.56%
1968 1,341 33.86% 2,222 56.10% 398 10.05%
1964 546 14.05% 3,293 84.72% 48 1.23%
1960 1,718 37.12% 2,910 62.88% 0 0.00%
1956 1,878 37.20% 3,164 62.68% 6 0.12%
1952 1,311 29.29% 3,161 70.62% 4 0.09%
1948 987 21.94% 3,488 77.53% 24 0.53%
1944 1,217 27.26% 3,242 72.63% 5 0.11%
1940 1,509 26.67% 4,148 73.33% 0 0.00%
1936 1,269 28.01% 3,256 71.86% 6 0.13%
1932 1,435 25.70% 4,137 74.09% 12 0.21%
1928 2,025 44.02% 2,575 55.98% 0 0.00%
1924 1,805 35.09% 3,311 64.37% 28 0.54%
1920 1,802 34.88% 3,347 64.79% 17 0.33%
1916 1,123 32.43% 2,319 66.97% 21 0.61%
1912 876 29.94% 1,800 61.52% 250 8.54%
1908 1,400 40.80% 2,013 58.67% 18 0.52%
1904 1,119 37.82% 1,807 61.07% 33 1.12%
1900 1,093 38.51% 1,732 61.03% 13 0.46%
1896 910 35.27% 1,642 63.64% 28 1.09%
1892 620 30.56% 1,125 55.45% 284 14.00%
1888 683 33.56% 1,342 65.95% 10 0.49%
1884 608 31.78% 1,301 68.01% 4 0.21%
1880 443 28.00% 1,139 72.00% 0 0.00%



Communities[]

City[]

  • West Liberty (county seat)

Census-designated place[]

  • Ezel

Other unincorporated places[]

  • Caney
  • Cannel City
  • Cottle
  • Crockett
  • Dingus
  • Elamton
  • Elkfork
  • Grassy Creek
  • Lenox
  • Malone
  • Mima
  • Mize
  • Moon
  • Ophir
  • Relief
  • Stacy Fork
  • White Oak
  • Wrigley
  • Yocum
  • Zag

See also[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Morgan County, Kentucky". United States Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/profile/Morgan_County,_Kentucky?g=0500000US21175. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ "Morgan County". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. 2000. http://www.kyenc.org/entry/m/MORGA05.html. 
  4. ^ The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 36. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_luoxAQAAMAAJ. 
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_21.txt. 
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ky190090.txt. 
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  10. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/21/21175.html. 
  11. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  12. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

Template:Eastern Mountain Coal Fields (Kentucky)

Coordinates: 37°55′N 83°16′W / 37.92, -83.26


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Morgan County, Kentucky. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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