Lake City, Kentucky
October 12, 2022
After spending yesterday morning in the Greenville Library, I took a chance and headed north to Maceo. Alas, there wasn't much there but I did get a photo of the Maceo road sign -- and a mile away visited where Uncle Tom once lived.
I drove through Owensboro to and from Maceo. An old river town with an industrial feel to it. From the parts I saw, I would say the city has seen better days.
Heading from Owensboro toward Paducah I entered miles and miles of corn and soybean fields along with a number of trees. The area was flatter than the Lexington-Louisville region. Definitely rural with a smattering of small communities. Most of the drive was on state roads which while well maintained, had little or no shoulder.
Fun to see combines in the fields harvesting corn. I thought the corn stalks were brown from drought but I believe they are brown as the farmers let the corn stay on the stalk while it dries.
Greenville is a home rule-class city in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 4,312 at the 2010 census.
The town was settled in 1799 on an estate donated by local landowner William Campbell in order to establish a seat of government for a new county. Greenville was not established by the state assembly until 1812, however. It was incorporated as a city in 1848.
The city was probably named for the Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Local lore holds it was named by Campbell's wife after the abundant forests seen from the town's hilltop location.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,398 people, 1,859 households, and 1,217 families residing in the city. The population density was 921.7 people per square mile (356.0/km2). There were 2,047 housing units at an average density of 429.0 per square mile (165.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.88% White, 8.75% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.30% of the population.
There were 1,859 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.75.
The age distribution was 19.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,521, and the median income for a family was $35,571. Males had a median income of $37,454 versus $18,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,708. About 14.2% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The 1987 Encyclopedia of Kentucky refers to Greenville as "the unofficial capital of the Black Belt", a reference to the area's production of coal and dark tobacco.
The Elmer Smith Power Plant was a coal-fired power plant owned and operated by the city of Owensboro, Kentucky. Unit 1 opened in 1964 with Unit 2 opening 10 years later in 1974[2]
The power plant was the main source of power for the city of Owensboro during the years it was active.
In 2010, The Clean Air Task Force conducted a study to identify and quantify deaths and other injuries attributed to fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants[5] and found there to be an estimated 10 deaths annually as a result of fine particle pollution from the Elmer Smith Power Station as well as other negative effects on the health of those affected by the pollutants.
In 2019, the city of Owensboro made the landmark decision to close the plant as part of its economic evolution and effort to attract more tourism. By closing the plant, the city plans on switching primarily to solar power by 2022 by purchasing energy from the Ashwood Solar Station which is set to open in Lyon County, Kentucky
Arrived at this truck stop in Kuttuwa around 7 pm and decided to stop for the night.
UK is definitely more popular than Louisville. I sense that attending UK is not a prerequisite for wearing its swag.
A text exchange with Jack about this region:
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