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Hickman County, Kentucky

Coordinates: 36°41′N 88°59′W / 36.68°N 88.98°W / 36.68; -88.98
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Not to be confused with Hickman, Kentucky.

Hickman County
County
Hickman County Courthouse in Clinton
Hickman County Courthouse in Clinton
Map of Kentucky highlighting Hickman County
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Map of the United States highlighting Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°41′N 88°59′W / 36.68°N 88.98°W / 36.68; -88.98
Country United States
State Kentucky
Founded1821
Named forPaschal Hickman
SeatClinton
Largest cityClinton
Area
 • Total253 sq mi (660 km2)
 • Land242 sq mi (630 km2)
 • Water11 sq mi (30 km2)  4.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total4,521
 • Estimate 
(2023)
4,447 Decrease
 • Density18/sq mi (6.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitehickmancounty.ky.gov

Hickman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,521,[1] making it the third-least populous county in Kentucky. Its county seat is Clinton.[2] The county was formed in 1821.[3] It is the least densely populated county in the state and is a prohibition or dry county.

History

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Founded in 1821, Hickman County was the seventy-first in order of formation. It was named for Captain Paschal Hickman of the 1st Rifle Regiment, Kentucky Militia.[4][5] A resident of Franklin County, Kentucky, Hickman was wounded and captured at the Battle of Frenchtown in January 1813 and was killed by Indians in the Massacre of the River Raisin.

Columbus, Kentucky, in the northwest of the county and located on the Mississippi River, was the original county seat. A log structure built in 1823 served as the courthouse. In 1830, the county seat was moved to the more centrally located Clinton. Since 1845 when Fulton County, Kentucky was partitioned, Hickman County has maintained its current borders.

In 1861, early in the American Civil War, the Confederate Army established Fort de Russey on the strategically located bluffs at Columbus across the river from Belmont, Missouri. Confederate General Leonidas Polk knew it was important to control the river, and wanted to extend a massive chain across the Mississippi to block Union forces from going downstream. (This was never achieved.) The fort was garrisoned with several thousand troops and a six-gun battery was installed; a smaller force was based at a Confederate camp in Belmont.

Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant moved troops from his base at Cairo, Illinois, and attacked Belmont in November 1861, his first battle of the war. He was ultimately defeated by Confederate troops sent from Columbus across the river to reinforce the Confederate defense; they were led by Polk.[6][7] The former site of the Confederate fortifications near Columbus, Kentucky is now the Columbus-Belmont State Park, commemorating all the actions of the day that led to Union defeat here.[8]

Geography

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The Mississippi River, viewed from Columbus-Belmont State Park

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 253 square miles (660 km2), of which 242 square miles (630 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (4.3%) is water.[9] The elevation in the county ranges from 276 to 510 feet (84 to 155 m) above sea level. The county's western border is formed by the Mississippi River, nearly a mile wide here, with the state of Missouri on the other side. Some portions of the county are landlocked to Missouri west of the Mississippi.

Adjacent counties

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18305,198—
18408,96872.5%
18504,791−46.6%
18607,00846.3%
18708,45320.6%
188010,65126.0%
189011,6379.3%
190011,7450.9%
191011,7500.0%
192010,244−12.8%
19308,725−14.8%
19409,1424.8%
19507,778−14.9%
19606,747−13.3%
19706,264−7.2%
19806,065−3.2%
19905,566−8.2%
20005,262−5.5%
20104,902−6.8%
20204,521−7.8%
2023 (est.)4,447[10]−1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
1990-2000[14] 2010-2021[15]

As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 5,262 people, 2,188 households, and 1,542 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 per square mile (8.5/km2). There were 2,436 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (3.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.35% White, 9.90% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,188 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.10% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,615, and the median income for a family was $37,049. Males had a median income of $28,438 versus $18,506 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,279. About 14.20% of families and 17.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.70% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

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Cities

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Unincorporated communities

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Notable people

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Politics

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Hickman's voting pattern is typical for a county politically aligned with the Solid South, being quite loyal to the Democrats even during some of their biggest nationwide defeats until 1968. For the remainder of the century, it still largely leaned Democratic, but starting in 2000, has become increasingly Republican in every new election.

United States presidential election results for Hickman County, Kentucky[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 1,656 80.04% 394 19.04% 19 0.92%
2020 1,714 77.94% 458 20.83% 27 1.23%
2016 1,657 76.82% 449 20.82% 51 2.36%
2012 1,431 66.90% 686 32.07% 22 1.03%
2008 1,406 62.49% 812 36.09% 32 1.42%
2004 1,395 59.56% 926 39.54% 21 0.90%
2000 1,151 54.19% 940 44.26% 33 1.55%
1996 695 31.98% 1,220 56.14% 258 11.87%
1992 861 35.04% 1,296 52.75% 300 12.21%
1988 1,142 49.33% 1,158 50.02% 15 0.65%
1984 1,380 56.63% 1,049 43.04% 8 0.33%
1980 1,143 42.84% 1,456 54.57% 69 2.59%
1976 585 21.54% 2,035 74.93% 96 3.53%
1972 1,430 56.66% 976 38.67% 118 4.68%
1968 623 23.19% 880 32.76% 1,183 44.04%
1964 613 22.10% 2,149 77.47% 12 0.43%
1960 968 30.79% 2,176 69.21% 0 0.00%
1956 785 24.82% 2,367 74.83% 11 0.35%
1952 871 30.40% 1,988 69.39% 6 0.21%
1948 326 12.26% 2,143 80.59% 190 7.15%
1944 588 22.60% 2,005 77.06% 9 0.35%
1940 490 15.05% 2,758 84.73% 7 0.22%
1936 385 13.04% 2,548 86.31% 19 0.64%
1932 446 11.77% 3,327 87.81% 16 0.42%
1928 767 26.12% 2,163 73.67% 6 0.20%
1924 618 21.27% 2,270 78.14% 17 0.59%
1920 866 22.01% 3,045 77.40% 23 0.58%
1916 539 21.05% 1,982 77.42% 39 1.52%
1912 365 17.66% 1,540 74.50% 162 7.84%
1908 658 25.44% 1,890 73.09% 38 1.47%
1904 702 28.68% 1,680 68.63% 66 2.70%
1900 862 30.98% 1,876 67.43% 44 1.58%
1896 727 26.53% 1,928 70.36% 85 3.10%
1892 460 24.31% 1,155 61.05% 277 14.64%
1888 383 25.31% 1,053 69.60% 77 5.09%
1884 489 28.36% 1,204 69.84% 31 1.80%
1880 386 26.01% 1,069 72.04% 29 1.95%
1876 381 22.44% 1,317 77.56% 0 0.00%
1872 401 34.04% 777 65.96% 0 0.00%
1868 41 3.99% 987 96.01% 0 0.00%
1864 289 56.45% 223 43.55% 0 0.00%
1860 1 0.10% 66 6.81% 902 93.09%
1856 0 0.00% 631 72.11% 244 27.89%
1852 155 29.03% 379 70.97% 0 0.00%
1848 169 32.38% 353 67.62% 0 0.00%
1844 304 29.12% 740 70.88% 0 0.00%
1840 393 36.49% 684 63.51% 0 0.00%
1836 198 27.54% 521 72.46% 0 0.00%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Hickman County, Kentucky". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Hickman County". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. 2000. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 156.
  5. ^ The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 35.
  6. ^ Hughes, Nathaniel Cheairs, The Battle of Belmont: Grant Strikes South (Univ of North Carolina Press, 1991), p. 184.
  7. ^ McGhee, James E. "The Neophyte General: U.S. Grant and the Belmont Campaign" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Civil War in St. Louis
  8. ^ The Kentucky Encyclopedia.
  9. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  10. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  11. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  12. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  13. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  14. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  15. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  16. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  17. ^ "Montana Governor Robert Burns Smith". National Governors Association. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 2, 2018.

36°41′N 88°59′W / 36.68°N 88.98°W / 36.68; -88.98

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