Marshall County, Kentucky Article Index for
Marshall County
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Marshall
 

Information About

Marshall County, Kentucky







HISTORY

The county was formed in 1842 from part of Calloway County . The first settlement was around 1818, when the area was bought from Native Americans as part of the Jackson Purchase .

From its settlement until the 1930s, the county was nearly completely agricultural.
The creation of Kentucky Lake by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1940s brought tourism and industry to the county with resorts along the lake and chemical and manufacturing plants, mostly in the Calvert City area, attracted by the dam's cheap and plentiful Electricity . The creation of the lake led to the destruction of two Marshall County towns, Birmingham, about six miles north of the present hamlet of Fairdealing, and Gilbertsville, which was at the present dam site. Gilbertsville was rebuilt somewhat to the west of its original location. Birmingham residents were dispersed. Gilbertsville was an incorporated town until the 1970s, when its charter was dissolved by public vote.


GEOGRAPHY

According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 881 Km&2 (340 Mi&2 ). 790 km&2 (305 mi&2) of it is land and 92 km&2 (35 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 10.41% water.


Adjacent counties



ANNUAL EVENTS

On the first Monday of April each year, Benton holds its Tater Day celebration of the sweet potato with a festival and parade.

On the fourth Sunday of each May, The Big Singing, a sing-along program of Southern Harmony Shape Note gospel music is held at the county courthouse. It is the only remaining program of such music.


DEMOGRAPHICS

As of the Census 2 of 2000, there were 30,125 people, 12,412 households, and 8,998 families residing in the county. The Population Density was 38/km&2 (99/mi&2). There were 14,730 housing units at an average density of 19/km&2 (48/mi&2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.57% White , 0.12% Black or African American , 0.17% Native American , 0.15% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.22% from Other Races , and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,412 households out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were Married Couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.80% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,573, and the median income for a family was $43,670. Males had a median income of $36,673 versus $21,941 for females. The Per Capita Income for the county was $18,069. 9.50% of the population and 6.60% of families were below the Poverty Line . 11.60% of those under the age of 18 and 10.90% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.


CITIES AND TOWNS



SEE ALSO



RESOURCES


Books

  • Big Singing Day in Benton, Kentucky: A Study of the History, Ethnic Identity and Musical Style of Southern Harmony Singers, by Deborah Carlton Loftis, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Kentucky, 1987. Review



External links