Somerset, Kentucky Somerset, Kentucky Location of Somerset, Kentucky Location of Somerset, Kentucky Somerset is a home rule-class town/city in Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States.
Somerset was first settled in 1798 by Thomas Hansford and received its name from Somerset County, New Jersey, where some of the early pioneer had formerly lived.
Somerset became the Pulaski County seat in 1802, and it was incorporated as a town/city in 1887.
The culmination of Lake Cumberland in 1950 transformed Somerset from a sleepy non-urban improve into one of the biggest recreation centers in Kentucky, drawing more than 1.7 million visitors annually, especially between the Memorial and Labor Day holidays.
Somerset is positioned at 37 4 59 N 84 36 34 W (37.082966, -84.609387), and the downtown (central) part of the town/city is at an altitude of around 750 800 feet above sea level.
The town/city is positioned at the easterly end of Kentucky's Mississippian Plateau (or Pennyroyal Plateau); however, the micropolitan region extends eastward into the Appalachian Plateau (or Eastern Kentucky Coalfield), and northward to Kentucky's Outer Bluegrass region.
Nearby Lake Cumberland is one of the biggest man-made lakes in the world (101 miles in length, with an average depth of 85 feet (26 m) and a normal pool including more than 2 trillion gallons of water).
Somerset is also near Cumberland Falls and the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area; its tourism industries are, in part, due to its scenic and varied landscape. According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 11.3 square miles (29 km2), of which 11.3 square miles (29 km2) is territory and 0.09% is water.
According to the Koppen Climate Classification system, Somerset has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The annual average rain at Somerset is 51.08 inches (1,297 mm).
The primary demographic differences between the town/city and the micropolitan region relate to income, housing composition and age.
The micropolitan area, as compared to the incorporated city, is more suburban in flavor and has a decidedly younger housing stock, a higher income, and contains most of the area's school age population.
Over the last 20 years, momentous housing expansion has occurred along the Fishing Creek tributary of Lake Cumberland, which lies just to the west of the City of Somerset, and along the chief body of Lake Cumberland between the City of Burnside and Fishing Creek.
Much of the Somerset region housing expansion in the last 20 years is decidedly lake-oriented.
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,352 citizens , 4,831 homeholds, and 2,845 families residing inside the City of Somerset (proper).
The populace density for the town/city proper was 1,007.1 persons per square mile (388.9/km ).
A large karst valley is situated in the south-central portion of the city, taking up about 25% of the territory area; this valley is quasi-industrialized and also contains parks and recreational facilities; most of the populace lies to the east and north of this valley in fairly compact and well-kept residentiary neighborhoods that have a real populace density of about 1,800 persons per square mile.
In the town/city proper, 20.6% were under the age of 18, 8.5% were in the age cohort from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older.
Tourism is meaningful to Somerset, due to its adjacency to Lake Cumberland and other affairs.
Lake Cumberland alone generates approximately $150 million in revenue each year, though the trade has been greatly impacted in recent years by the U.S.
Somerset is home to the Somernites Cruise, the biggest monthly car show in the southeastern United States.
Commerce, driven in part by the area's tourism, thrives in Somerset.
It has now turn into one of the biggest monthly classic car affairs in the southeastern United States averaging over 1,100 cars each month.
As a result of this event, the Kentucky State Legislature has titled Somerset as "The Car Cruise Capital of Kentucky." On June 26, 2012 Somerset town/city voters allowed the sale of alcoholic beverages by a margin of 2167 "Wet" votes to 1464 "Dry" votes.
Nearby Somerset, positioned off Highway 461, is the Valley Oak Technology Complex, a key industrialized center in the region. Housed there are such companies as Safe - Auto, Blackboard Student Services and others.
Somerset's locale along Lake Cumberland has caused it to turn into a primary homeboat manufacturing center.
Major employers in the Somerset region include: There are a several schools in the county, served by two chief school systems - Somerset Independent and Pulaski County.
Students living inside the town/city limits typically fall under the Somerset Independent school district.
The Pulaski County School System contains Pulaski County High School (PCHS) and Southwestern High School (SWHS), which was assembled in 1993 to alleviate overcrowding.
There are a several other lesser schools, including Tabernacle Christian Academy,Science Hill Independent, Somerset Christian School, and Saline Christian Academy.
The three chief high schools are Southwestern, Pulaski County, and Somerset.
There is a small-town two-year college, Somerset Community College, part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS).
Somerset Community College offers one of the several Aviation Maintenance Technology programs (Airframe and Powerplant) in Kentucky.
In 2004, Somerset was featured on the tv series City Confidential.
The FX drama Justified mentions Somerset incessantly in Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 5.
Somernites Cruise has been featured on My Classic Car on the Speed Channel, "Horsepower TV" multiple times on the Spike TV network, Car Crazy on the Speed Channel, "Mothers Car Show Series" on ESPN2 and the "Lokar Car Show Series" on Fox Sports.
"Somerset, Kentucky Koppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)".
"Somerset gearing up for alcohol education".
The self-taught composer-writer-painter from Somerset is best known for The Stone Man, an uncategorizeable musical stage work produced by the Kentucky Opera in Louisville that toured throughout the state five years ago.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Somerset, Kentucky.
City of Somerset Website City Guide of Somerset, KY Municipalities and communities of Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States 50 most crowded cities of Kentucky
Categories:
Cities in Kentucky - Cities in Pulaski County, Kentucky - County seats in Kentucky - Populated places established in 1798 - 1798 establishments in Kentucky
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