Mount Vernon, Kentucky

Mount Vernon, Kentucky
City
Downtown Mount Vernon
Location of Mount Vernon, Kentucky
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Rockcastle
Incorporated	1818
Reïncorporated	1866
Named for	Pres. George Washington's Virginia home
Area
• Total	3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2)
• Land	3.2 sq mi (8.2 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
Elevation	1,181 ft (360 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,477
• Density	816.2774.1/sq mi (302.1/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	40456
Area code(s)	606
FIPS code	21-54174
GNIS feature ID	0514113

Mount Vernon is a home rule-class city at the intersection of U.S. Routes 25 and 150 in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 2,477 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census. Mount Vernon is part of the Richmond-Berea micropolitan area.

History

The area was first settled in 1790 around a feature called Spout Springs. Much of the area was originally swampland. The settlement was named for George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. The Wilderness Road arrived in 1792, and the town was the principal settlement when Rockcastle Co. was created in 1810.

In 1883, an L&N spur was built through the town, connecting it by rail to Louisville and Knoxville. The county's first newspaper, the Mount Vernon Signal, began publication in 1887. Although still a largely rural town and county, the construction of I-75 in the 1970s has drawn some industry to the area, and the population has increased about 50% from 1,639 in 1970.

Geography

Mount Vernon is located at (37.367018, -84.337409). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), of which 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) (14.56%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	142		—
1840	209		47.2%
1860	156		—
1870	252		61.5%
1880	90		−64.3%
1900	422		—
1910	930		120.4%
1920	719		−22.7%
1930	939		30.6%
1940	1,100		17.1%
1950	1,106		0.5%
1960	1,177		6.4%
1970	1,639		39.3%
1980	2,334		42.4%
1990	2,654		13.7%
2000	2,592		−2.3%
2010	2,477		−4.4%
Est. 2014	2,482		0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,592 people, 1,126 households, and 681 families residing in the city. The population density was 816.2 people per square mile (314.7/km²). There were 1,241 housing units at an average density of 390.8 per square mile (150.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 100% White.

Mount Vernon City Hall

There were 1,126 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $16,747, and the median income for a family was $23,105. The per capita income for the city was $11,849. About 26.5% of families and 33.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.4% of those under age 18 and 26.8% of those age 65 or over.

See also

• Other places named Mount Vernon
• Rockcastle Regional Hospital and Respiratory Care Center