Boyd County, Kentucky
Boyd County | |
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County | |
UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional districts | 4th, 5th |
Website | boydcountyky |
Boyd County is a
History
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2007) |
Boyd County was the 107th of 120 counties formed in Kentucky and was established in 1860 from parts of surrounding Greenup, Carter, and Lawrence Counties.[3] It was named for Linn Boyd of Paducah, former U.S. congressman, speaker of the United States House of Representatives, who died in 1859 soon after being elected lieutenant governor of Kentucky.[4]
The earliest evidence of human habitation in Boyd County exists in the forms of numerous earthen mounds containing human skeletons and burial goods, giving evidence that prehistoric Native Americans inhabited the area. A 1973 archeological find revealed a serpent-shaped mound built of rocks dating to 2000 BC and stretching for 900 feet (270 m) along a ridge parallel to the Big Sandy River south of Catlettsburg.[5]
One of the early settlers in what is now Boyd County was Charles ("One-handed Charley") Smith, from Virginia. A veteran of the French and Indian War who had served under Col. George Washington in 1754, Smith received for that service roughly 400 acres (1.6 km2) around Chadwicks Creek, where he built a cabin in 1774.[5] Smith died in 1776, and in 1797, this land passed to Alexander Catlett for whom the town of Catlettsburg is named.
The Poage family arrived from
The first courthouse built in 1861 was replaced in 1912.[7]
Industry
Members of the Poage family built the steam-powered Clinton iron furnace in 1832, the earliest industry in present-day Boyd County. A total of 29 charcoal-fueled iron furnaces operated on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, seven of them in present-day Boyd County.
The Kentucky Iron, Coal and Manufacturing Company was incorporated on March 8, 1854, and it laid out the town of Ashland, then within Greenup County. The company purchased thousands of acres of coal, timber, and ore lands throughout the county. It invested US$210,000 in bonds of the Lexington & Big Sandy River Railroad Company, with the stipulation that the eastern division of that line extend into Ashland instead of ending, as originally planned, in Catlettsburg. The early presence of the railroad in Ashland was largely responsible for this city becoming the dominant municipality of the county.
Ashland furnace was sold to
Calgon Carbon constructed the Big Sandy Plant in 1961 and it has since become the world's largest producer of granular activated carbon. The facility produces in excess of 100 million pounds of granular activated carbon annually.[9]
Alcohol sales
On November 3, 2020, residents voted in favor of allowing full retail sales of alcohol countywide.[10] Prior to November 2020, Boyd County only allowed alcohol sales in restaurants that seated over 100 people and derived at least 70% of their income from food sales.[11] The one exception was three election precincts within the city of Ashland, covering the downtown area, where all retail alcohol sales were permitted.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 162 square miles (420 km2), of which 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) (1.3%) are covered by water.[12]
Adjacent counties
- Greenup County (northwest)
- Lawrence County, Ohio (northeast)
- Wayne County, West Virginia (east)
- Lawrence County (south)
- Carter County (west)
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1870 | 8,573 | — | |
1880 | 12,165 | 41.9% | |
1890 | 14,033 | 15.4% | |
1900 | 18,834 | 34.2% | |
1910 | 23,444 | 24.5% | |
1920 | 29,281 | 24.9% | |
1930 | 43,849 | 49.8% | |
1940 | 45,938 | 4.8% | |
1950 | 49,949 | 8.7% | |
1960 | 52,163 | 4.4% | |
1970 | 52,376 | 0.4% | |
1980 | 55,513 | 6.0% | |
1990 | 51,150 | −7.9% | |
2000 | 49,752 | −2.7% | |
2010 | 49,542 | −0.4% | |
2020 | 48,261 | −2.6% | |
2023 (est.) | 47,826 | [13] | −0.9% |
U.S. Decennial Census[14] 1790-1960[15] 1900-1990[16] 1990-2000[17] 2010-2020[1] |
As of the
Of the 20,010 households, 28.9% had children under 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were not families. About 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38, and the average family size was 2.86.
The age distribution was 21.80% under 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,749, and for a family was $41,125. Males had a median income of $35,728 versus $22,591 for females. The
Infrastructure
The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland in Summit, unincorporated Boyd County,[19][20] 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Ashland.[21]
Kentucky State Police Post 14 is located on U.S. 60 in Summit, next to Armco Park. In addition to Boyd County, troopers from Post 14 serve Carter, Greenup, and Lawrence Counties.[22]
Politics
Similar to many other Eastern Kentucky counties, Boyd County voted primarily for Democratic candidates at the presidential level before shifting hard to the right in the 2000s. However, local Democratic support remains strong, as Democrat Andy Beshear won the county by about 6 points over incumbent Republican Matt Bevin in the 2019 gubernatorial election.
Current Elected Officials Boyd County Judge Executive (since 2019): Eric Chaney Sheriff Jamie Reihs County Clerk Kevin Johnston County Attorney Curtis Dotson County Coroner Mark Hammond Current Boyd County Commissioners: District #1 David Salisbury District #2 Jeremy Holbrook District #3 Randy Stapleton
Voter registration
Boyd County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of February 17, 2020[23] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Political Party | Total Voters | Percentage | |||
Democratic | 20,542 | 50.85% | |||
Republican | 16,144 | 39.96% | |||
Independent | 2,031 | 5.03% | |||
Others | 1,529 | 3.78% | |||
Libertarian | 128 | 0.32% | |||
Green
|
17 | 0.04% | |||
Constitution | 8 | 0.02% | |||
Total | 40,399 | 100% |
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 14,295 | 65.72% | 7,083 | 32.56% | 373 | 1.71% |
2016 | 13,591 | 66.45% | 6,021 | 29.44% | 842 | 4.12% |
2012 | 10,884 | 57.14% | 7,776 | 40.82% | 389 | 2.04% |
2008 | 11,430 | 55.30% | 8,886 | 42.99% | 354 | 1.71% |
2004 | 11,501 | 52.81% | 10,132 | 46.53% | 144 | 0.66% |
2000 | 9,247 | 48.21% | 9,541 | 49.74% | 394 | 2.05% |
1996 | 7,054 | 37.34% | 9,668 | 51.17% | 2,171 | 11.49% |
1992 | 7,387 | 34.93% | 10,496 | 49.63% | 3,264 | 15.43% |
1988 | 9,379 | 49.39% | 9,552 | 50.31% | 57 | 0.30% |
1984 | 10,925 | 52.98% | 9,601 | 46.56% | 95 | 0.46% |
1980 | 10,367 | 47.79% | 10,702 | 49.33% | 626 | 2.89% |
1976 | 9,106 | 44.51% | 11,150 | 54.50% | 203 | 0.99% |
1972 | 12,812 | 65.92% | 6,434 | 33.10% | 191 | 0.98% |
1968 | 8,632 | 45.43% | 7,914 | 41.65% | 2,455 | 12.92% |
1964 | 6,941 | 37.65% | 11,436 | 62.03% | 60 | 0.33% |
1960 | 11,305 | 55.42% | 9,094 | 44.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 11,502 | 57.28% | 8,546 | 42.56% | 34 | 0.17% |
1952 | 10,426 | 50.32% | 10,245 | 49.44% | 49 | 0.24% |
1948 | 6,707 | 41.98% | 9,006 | 56.38% | 262 | 1.64% |
1944 | 6,868 | 45.66% | 8,130 | 54.06% | 42 | 0.28% |
1940 | 7,322 | 42.41% | 9,868 | 57.16% | 75 | 0.43% |
1936 | 6,650 | 40.32% | 9,762 | 59.19% | 80 | 0.49% |
1932 | 6,853 | 44.67% | 8,315 | 54.19% | 175 | 1.14% |
1928 | 9,118 | 66.38% | 4,611 | 33.57% | 7 | 0.05% |
1924 | 6,062 | 55.55% | 4,079 | 37.38% | 772 | 7.07% |
1920 | 6,334 | 54.78% | 5,103 | 44.13% | 126 | 1.09% |
1916 | 2,883 | 50.20% | 2,738 | 47.68% | 122 | 2.12% |
1912 | 1,271 | 28.11% | 1,772 | 39.19% | 1,478 | 32.69% |
Education
Colleges
Ashland Community and Technical College, in Ashland, is one of 16 two-year, open-admissions colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Morehead State University also has a satellite campus located in Ashland.
Public school districts
The county has these school districts:[25]
- Boyd County Public School District serves the city of Catlettsburg and the surrounding county communities outside the city of Ashland and Westwood census-designated place, as well as portions of Ashland and portions of Westwood.
- Ashland Independent School Districtserves most of the city of Ashland and some unincorporated areas.
- Fairview Independent School District serves most of the census-designated place of Westwood and a portion of Ashland.
Private schools
- Holy Family School is affiliated with the Holy Family Catholic Church and currently offers K-12 education.
- Rose Hill Christian is affiliated with the Rose Hill Baptist Church and also offers K-12 education.
- Calvary Christian School was housed at Grassland Community Church until it closed in August 2012. A group of parents and teachers continued the school immediately following the closure, formed a new board, and renamed it Faith Christian Academy, which continued for an additional three school years in grades K4 - 8 and was affiliated with the Holy Family Collegiate High School for grades 9 - 12. It formally closed in fall 2016.
Other schools
Communities
Cities
- Ashland
- Catlettsburg (county seat)
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
- Winslow
See also
- Ashland Commercial Historic District
- Catlett House
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Boyd County, Kentucky
References
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "Boyd County". Kyenc.org. December 21, 1921. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- ^ The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 34.
- ^ a b Thompson, George E. You Live Where?: Interesting and Unusual Facts about where We Live, p. 150. iUniverse (New York), 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
- ^ A history of Ashland, Kentucky, 1854–2004. Ashland Bicentennial Committee. 2004. August 11, 2014.
- ISBN 9780916489496. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
- ISBN 0813128838.
- ^ Calgon Carbon Big Sandy Plant Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 21, 2014.
- ^ "Election 2020 — Boyd thirsty for growth: Voters make county go wet".
- ^ "All precincts but one vote yes". Ashland Independent. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "FCI Ashland Contact Information." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on February 1, 2011. "FCI ASHLAND FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION ST. ROUTE 716 ASHLAND, KY 41105."
- ^ "Admissions & Orientation (A&O) Handbook." Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland. 1 (1/51). Retrieved on February 1, 2011. "The Federal Correctional Institution of Ashland, Kentucky, is located five miles southwest of Ashland in Summit, Kentucky."
- ^ "FCI Ashland." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on February 1, 2011.
- ^ "Kentucky State Police: Home Page for Post 14 - Ashland". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022. - Text list - For more detailed boundaries of the independent school districts see: "Appendix B: Maps Of Independent School Districts In Operation In FY 2014-FY 2015 Using 2005 Tax District Boundaries – Ashland ISD / Fairview ISD"(PDF). Research Report No. 415 – Kentucky's Independent School Districts: A Primer. Frankfort, KY: Office of Education Accountability, Legislative Research Commission. September 15, 2015. pp. 87 (Ashland) and 108 (Fairview) (PDF p. 101, 122/174).