Hopkinsville, Kentucky Hopkinsville, Kentucky County Christian Hopkinsville is a home rule-class town/city in and the governmental center of county of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The populace at the 2010 census was 31,577. The region of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 by Bartholomew Wood as part of a 1,200-acre (5 km2) grant for his service in the American Revolution.
Following the creation of Christian County the same year, the Woods donated 5 acres (20,000 m2) of territory and a half interest in their Old Rock Spring to form its seat of government in 1797.
The improve tried to rename itself "Elizabeth" after the Woods' eldest daughter, but another town in Hardin County preempted the name, and the Kentucky Assembly established the town in 1804 as "Hopkinsville" after veteran and state representative Samuel Hopkins of Henderson County (later the namesake of Hopkins County as well). Along with the rest of Kentucky, the town was late in establishing no-charge lower education, but natives organized private schools, and the town was the home of South Kentucky College (est.
The Civil War generated primary divisions in Christian County.
Confederate support in Hopkinsville and Christian County was evident in the formation of the "Oak Grove Rangers" and the 28th Kentucky Cavalry.
Christian County was then the place of birth of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, though his place of birth is now part of Todd County, Kentucky.
After Confederate forces retreated to Tennessee, however, Camp Joe Anderson was established by the Union to the northwest of Hopkinsville in 1862.
Men who trained there became members of the 35th Kentucky Cavalry, the 25th Kentucky Infantry, and the 35th Kentucky Infantry.
Lyon captured the town and burned the Christian County courthouse, then being used by the Union army as a barracks.
In 1904, tobacco planters formed the Dark Tobacco District Planters' Protective Association of Kentucky and Tennessee in opposition to a corporate monopoly by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) owned by James B.
They pursued tobacco executives who bought tobacco from farmers who were not members of the Dark Tobacco District Planters' Protective Association and town/city officials who aided them.
On April 2, 2006, an F3 tornado swept through parts of Hopkinsville.
In the storm, 200 homes were damaged and 28 citizens were injured. In addition, structural damage was reported to dozens of other businesses, along with countless trees, power lines, transmission towers and other structures, cutting electricity to the town/city of Hopkinsville.
Hopkinsville is positioned south of the center of Christian County at 36 51 17 N 87 29 20 W (36.854712, -87.488872). Madisonville is 35 miles (56 km) to the north, Russellville is 35 miles (56 km) to the east, and Clarksville, Tennessee, is 26 miles (42 km) to the south.
According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, Hopkinsville has a total region of 30.8 square miles (79.8 km2), of which 30.6 square miles (79.3 km2) is territory and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km2), or 0.44%, is water. As of the census of 2010, there were 31,577 citizens , 12,600 homeholds and 14,318 housing units in the town/city of Hopkinsville.
In the city, the populace was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older.
Hopkinsville is part of the Clarksville, TN KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Prior to 2003, the region was officially known as the Clarksville-Hopkinsville Metropolitan Travel Destination and encompassed only Montgomery and Christian counties. In 2003, Hopkinsville was removed from the official name as it was no longer considered a principal city. That year, Stewart and Trigg counties were also added to the MSA.
A July 1, 2007 estimate placed the populace at 261,816. As of 2007, the Clarksville Metropolitan Travel Destination is the 169th biggest MSA in the United States.
The inpatient populace as of 2004 was 220, from 34 counties in Kentucky.
Statistics released in December 2007, by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, show Christian County continues to be a dominant crop producer.
Christian County ranks: The county is the second biggest in region in Kentucky at 722 square miles (1,870 km2) and has an estimated 1,150 farms with over 300,000 acres (1,200 km2) of farmland, with 230,000 acres (930 km2) in cropland.
Agriculture has turn into a highly technical industry, and Christian County farmers realized the need for closing education and technical training concerning implements, machinery, fertilizers, chemicals, seeds, and overall good farming practice.
Because of this progressive attitude, Christian County continues to be an agricultural prestige and example of good farming practices.
The Hopkinsville Community College has a technical center specializing in agricultural classes.
The Agri-Business Committee promotes small-town agriculture with two affairs annually with a media blitz via newspaper, radio, and television; one in March amid National Agriculture Week and again in July amid Christian County Agriculture Week.
According to Hopkinsville's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the town/city were: Congressional funding allowed for an extension of the Pennyrile Parkway (now I-169) to Interstate 24 in southern Christian County near Fort Campbell.
Hopkinsville is served by the Hopkinsville-Christian County Regional Airport, a general aviation airport with one 5,502-foot (1,700 m) runway.
Railroad service was inaugurated in Hopkinsville on April 8, 1868, by the Evansville, Henderson, & Nashville Railroad.
The Ohio Valley Railroad, purchased by the Illinois Central Railroad (now Illinois Central Gulf) in 1897, was assembled from Gracey to Hopkinsville in 1892 and abandoned in the 1980s.
In 1903, the division of the Tennessee Central Railway entered Christian County at Edgoten (Edge-of-Tennessee), connecting Clarksville and Hopkinsville.
The Kentucky New Era, established in 1869, is the daily journal for the town/city and encircling area.
Hopkinsville no longer has a small-town tv station.
Hopkinsville was a stop along the Trail of Tears, and a park along 9th Street on the Little River memorializes this history.
The Pennyroyal Area Museum, positioned in the old postal service building downtown, has exhibits on the history of Hopkinsville and the Pennyrile region.
The Pennyroyal Area Museum is owned and funded by the town/city of Hopkinsville and was established to perpetuate the tradition of southwestern Kentucky's rich history.
In 1974, the town/city of Hopkinsville acquired the old Post Office building from the U.S.
Exhibits include the evening riders of the Black Patch Tobacco Wars; Edgar Cayce, famed small-town clairvoyant; Jefferson Davis; reconstructionroom settings; a pioneer bedroom; a miniature circus; antique quilts; black history; historic modes of transportation; as well as historical license plates from Kentucky.
All activities take place at Merchant Park in downtown Hopkinsville.
During the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, Hopkinsville will be the closest urbane region to the expected point of greatest eclipse, which will occur about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the town/city center.
The town/city is also known for the Kelly Hopkinsville encounter, "a series of connected incidents of alleged close encounters with supposed extraterrestrial beings." Yvonne Gregory, toured with Glenn Miller Band and art teacher in Hopkinsville schools Doug Moseley, former member of the Kentucky State Senate; youth pastor at First United Methodist Church in Hopkinsville from 1948 to 1949 Whitney Westerfield, current member of Kentucky State Senate representing Christian, Todd, and Logan counties Hopkinsville is part of the Christian County Public School system. There are ten elementary schools serving preschoolers through fifth graders, three middle schools serving sixth through eighth graders, and two high schools serving ninth through twelfth graders positioned inside the Christian County limits as follows: South Christian Elementary School (address: Herndon, KY) Hopkinsville Middle School Christian County Middle School Christian County High School Hopkinsville High School The 2015 2016 school year will see redistricting and school closures due to budgeting issues.
North Drive Middle School will be converted to an elementary school, and Lacy Elementary School; Holiday Elementary School; and Belmont Elementary School will shut their doors.
Pembroke Elementary School will undergo extensive renovations and additions to aid in absorbing students displaced by school closures.
This school year will also see undertaking reconfiguration, with sixth undertaking shifting from middle schools to elementary schools.
There are three private schools in Hopkinsville: Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School, a Catholic school serving students from preschool through eighth grade.
Heritage Christian Academy, a college preliminary Christian school serving students from preschool through twelfth grade.
"Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Hopkinsville city, Kentucky".
"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Population Division. Population Division.
"Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 (CBSA-EST2007-01)". Population Division.
Bigham, Karen, "Western State Hospital," Kentucky New Era, April 5, 2004.
City of Hopkinsville CAFR Archived April 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
"Christian County Public Schools".
"Climate Summary for Hopkinsville, Kentucky".
Been Coming Through Some Hard Times: Race, History, and Memory in Western Kentucky (University of Tennessee Press; 2013) 304 pages; Combines history and ethnography in a study of Hopkinsville City of Hopkinsville official website "Move to Christian County", Christian County Chamber of Commerce Hopkinsville Christian County Economic Development Council Hopkinsville, Kentucky at DMOZ Municipalities and communities of Christian County, Kentucky, United States County seats in Kentucky 50 most crowded cities of Kentucky
Categories:
Cities in Kentucky - Cities in Christian County, Kentucky - County seats in Kentucky - Populated places established in 1796 - Clarksville urbane region - 1804 establishments in Kentucky
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