Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the sixth-most populous city in Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originally called Lebanon when founded by Rev. Elijah Craig and was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. Historically, settlers were drawn to Georgetown for its Royal Spring. Georgetown is a home rule-class city under Kentucky state law.
It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts college. Georgetown is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. At one time the city served as the training camp home for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals.
The city's growth began in the mid-1980s, when Toyota built Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, its first wholly owned United States plant, in Georgetown. The plant opened in 1988; it builds the Camry, Lexus ES, and RAV4 models, with the Avalon and Sienna vehicles formerly being built there.
History
thumb|[[Ward Hall (Georgetown, Kentucky)|Ward Hall, a Greek Revival landmark]]
Native peoples have lived along the banks of Elkhorn Creek in what is now Scott County for at least 15,000 years. John McClellan was the first English colonist to settle the area and established McClellan's Station there in 1775, but the compound was abandoned following an Indian attack on December 29, 1776.
In 1782, the Baptist preacher Elijah Craig led his congregation to the site from Orange County, Virginia, and established a new settlement which he called Lebanon. This was incorporated by the Virginia legislature in 1784. At the time, Virginia claimed this territory under its colonial charter.
The city's name was changed to George Town in honor of President George Washington in 1790. When Kentucky became the 15th U.S. state in 1792 and formed Scott County, George Town became the county seat. Its name was formally changed to Georgetown in 1846.
20th century to present
Throughout the 20th century, Georgetown has been in transition from an economy based primarily on agriculture, to one mixing manufacturing, small business, and the family farm. During the 1960s, the construction of Interstate 75 placed the city on one of the nation's busiest highways. The selection of Georgetown as the site of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in 1985 has resulted in the greatest period of growth in the city's history.
The historic Ward Hall, now home to The Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, is located just outside Georgetown. Ward Hall was the summer home of Junius Ward. The home represents the height of the Greek Revival period of architecture in Kentucky and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
The Georgetown business section has a historic district known as the Oxford Historic District. It is also listed on the NRHP.
Geography
Georgetown is located north of Lexington in the Bluegrass region of the state. Major highways that run through the city include Interstate 75 and US Routes 25, 62, and 460. Numerous state highways run through the city. I-75 runs to the east of downtown, with access from exits 125, 126, 127, and 129. Via I-75, downtown Lexington is south, and Cincinnati, Ohio is north. US 25 runs through the center of town, leading south to Lexington and north to Corinth. US 62 runs along the southern and eastern part of the city as a bypass, leading northeast to Cynthiana and southwest to Midway. US 460 runs east−west through the town, leading east to Paris and west to Frankfort, the state capital.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Georgetown has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with warm summers up to and moderately cold winters as low as . Precipitation is relatively well spread (although the late spring and summer months are typically wetter), with an average of .