Calloway County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,191. Its county seat is Murray. The county was founded in November 1822 and named for Colonel Richard Callaway, one of the founders of Boonesborough.
Calloway County comprises the Murray, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Calloway County is a moist county: the sale of alcohol in the county is prohibited, with the exception of the city of Murray.
History
Calloway County was created in 1822 from land taken from Hickman County. The courthouse was built in 1823. A fire at the courthouse in 1906 caused the almost complete destruction of the county records. Calloway county was named after Richard Callaway.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (6.3%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Marshall County (north)
Trigg County (northeast)
Stewart County, Tennessee (southeast)
Henry County, Tennessee (south)
Graves County (west)
National protected area
Fort Donelson National Battlefield (Fort Heiman part)
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,177 people, 13,862 households, and 8,594 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 16,069 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.48% White, 3.56% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 13,862 households, out of which 25.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.00% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.79.
The age distribution was 18.70% under the age of 18, 19.80% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. The relatively large 18-to-24 population is mostly due to the presence of Murray State University. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,134, and the median income for a family was $39,914. Males had a median income of $31,184 versus $22,046 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,566. About 9.80% of families and 16.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.70% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Communities
Cities
Hazel
Murray
Census-designated place
Dexter
Other unincorporated communities
Almo
Backusburg
Blood
Boatwright
Coldwater
Crossland
Elm Grove
Faxon
Harris Grove
Hico
Kirksey
Lynn Grove
Midway
New Concord
Penny
Protemus
Shiloh
Stella
Wadesboro
Wiswell
Place of interest
Fort Heiman, part of Fort Donelson National Battlefield
Notable people
W. Earl Brown, actor/musician
T.R.M. Howard, surgeon, civil rights leader and entrepreneur
Joe Staton, cartoonist
Frank Stubblefield, politician
Nathan Stubblefield, inventor
Harry Lee Waterfield, politician
Molly Sims, actress/model
Cleanth Brooks, professor, literary critic
Mel Purcell, professional tennis player
Jackie DeShannon, 1960s singer-songwriter
Tim Masthay, NFL Punter, Super Bowl Champion
