Calvert City, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Calvert City is a city in Marshall County
, Kentucky
, United States
. The population was 2,701 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 13.9 square miles (36.1 km²), of which, 13.9 square miles (35.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.36%) is water.
Despite being in an otherwise dry county
, sales by the drink in restaurants seating at least 100 diners are allowed after a 2004 local option election.
of 2000, there were 2,701 people, 1,141 households, and 787 families residing in the city. The population density
was 194.5 people per square mile (75.1/km²). There were 1,203 housing units at an average density of 86.6 per square mile (33.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.00% White, 0.26% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.04% from other races
, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.37% of the population.
There were 1,141 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.76.
The age distribution was 21.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,107, and the median income for a family was $48,098. Males had a median income of $43,464 versus $23,403 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,473. About 4.5% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
Calvert City was named for Potilla Calvert. He built his home Oak Hill
in 1860 and gave a portion of his land to a new railroad, specifying that a station be built near his home. That station served as the starting point of the town, which was incorporated on March 18, 1871.
During the Ohio River flood of 1937
, Calvert City's business district and much of the residential area was severely damaged by floodwaters.
In the 1940s, the construction of nearby Kentucky Dam
by the Tennessee Valley Authority
brought plentiful electric power that led to many industrial plants, mostly chemical manufacturers, to locate between the city and the Tennessee River
. Merchant Luther Draffen was instrumental in attracting the dam and industrial plants.
, providing a link to Memphis, Tennessee
. The city is skirted on the south by Interstate 24
, linking Calvert City to Nashville
and St. Louis
, and, via the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway
, Louisville
and Lexington
. The city has rail access through the Paducah and Louisville Railway
main line and is a commercial port on the Tennessee River
.
Marshall County, Kentucky
Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 30,125. The 2007 Census Bureau population estimate was 31,258. Its county seat is Benton. It was a dry county until 2004, when residents of Calvert City voted to allow sales of liquor by the drink in...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,701 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Calvert City is located at 37°1′59"N 88°20′58"W (37.033126, -88.349570).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 13.9 square miles (36.1 km²), of which, 13.9 square miles (35.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.36%) is water.
Government
Calvert City has a mayor-council form of government, as allowed by its standing as a fourth-class city under Kentucky's system of local government classification.| Official | Name |
|---|---|
| Mayor | Lynn B. Jones |
| Council member | Bob Futrell |
| Council member | Gene Colburn |
| Council member | Kevin Stokes |
| Council member | R. Daryl Smith |
| Council member | Rick Cocke |
| Council member | Tim Hawkins |
Despite being in an otherwise dry county
Dry county
A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, almost all of them in the South...
, sales by the drink in restaurants seating at least 100 diners are allowed after a 2004 local option election.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,701 people, 1,141 households, and 787 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 194.5 people per square mile (75.1/km²). There were 1,203 housing units at an average density of 86.6 per square mile (33.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.00% White, 0.26% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.04% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.37% of the population.
There were 1,141 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.76.
The age distribution was 21.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,107, and the median income for a family was $48,098. Males had a median income of $43,464 versus $23,403 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,473. About 4.5% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
Oak Hill (Calvert City, Kentucky)
Oak Hill, built in 1853, is an historic home located at 26 Aspen Street in Calvert City, Kentucky. It was built by Potilla Calvert, the founder of Calvert City and the man for whom the city was named. On December 31, 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places....
in 1860 and gave a portion of his land to a new railroad, specifying that a station be built near his home. That station served as the starting point of the town, which was incorporated on March 18, 1871.
During the Ohio River flood of 1937
Ohio River flood of 1937
The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February 1937. With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois, one million persons were left homeless, with 385 dead and property losses reaching $500 million...
, Calvert City's business district and much of the residential area was severely damaged by floodwaters.
In the 1940s, the construction of nearby Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River on the county line between Livingston County and Marshall County in the U.S. state of Kentucky...
by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
brought plentiful electric power that led to many industrial plants, mostly chemical manufacturers, to locate between the city and the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
. Merchant Luther Draffen was instrumental in attracting the dam and industrial plants.
Industry
Calvert City has 16 industrial plants that are a key source of employment for Western Kentucky. The majority are chemical manufacturers with some steel and metallurgical plants and industrial services firms.| Company | Employees |
|---|---|
| Wacker Chemical Corporation | 380 |
| Arkema Chemicals | 264 |
| Carbide Graphite | 104 |
| B. F. Goodrich Company | 130 |
| Westlake Monomers/CA&O | 295 |
| Westlake PVC Corporation | 77 |
| ISP Chemicals, Inc. | 563 |
| Gerdau Ameristeel, Inc. | 205 |
| CC Metals and Alloys, Inc. | 210 |
| LWD | 225 |
| Estron Chemicals, Inc. | 32 |
| Rail Services | 31 |
| Ibex Industries, Inc. | 65 |
| Jexco | 35 |
| Degussa Corporation International Catalyst Technology | 67 |
| Metal Fab, Inc. | 45 |
Transportation
Calvert City is a hub for surface transportation. The city is the northern terminus of the Julian M. Carroll Purchase ParkwayPurchase Parkway
The Julian M. Carroll Purchase Parkway is a controlled-access highway running from Fulton, Kentucky to Calvert City, Kentucky, near Kentucky Dam, for a length of 52 miles...
, providing a link to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. The city is skirted on the south by Interstate 24
Interstate 24
Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
, linking Calvert City to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, and, via the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway
Western Kentucky Parkway
The Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway is a controlled-access highway running from Elizabethtown, Kentucky to near Eddyville, Kentucky. It intersects with Interstate 65 at its eastern terminus, and Interstate 24 at its western terminus. It is one of nine highways that are part of the...
, Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
and Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. The city has rail access through the Paducah and Louisville Railway
Paducah and Louisville Railway
The Paducah & Louisville Railway is a Class II railroad that operates freight service between Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky.The 270-mile line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August, 1986. The 223-mile main route runs between Paducah and Louisville with a branch line from...
main line and is a commercial port on the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
.
Attractions
Newspaper
- The Lake News, a weekly newspaper is owned and operated by Loyd W. Ford. It was founded in 1985 and is the newspaper of record for the City of Calvert. The Lake News has a circulation of 2800 and is distributed in Marshall and Livingston Counties in Kentucky.
External links
- The Lake News, local newspaper
- Semi-official city site
- Marshall County Board of Education