LaRue County is a county in the central region of the U.S. state of Kentucky, outside the Bluegrass Region and larger population centers. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,867. Its county seat is Hodgenville, which is best known as the birthplace of United States President Abraham Lincoln. The county was established on March 4, 1843, from the southeast portion of Hardin County. It was named for John P. LaRue, an early settler. LaRue County is included in the Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Louisville/Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Bardstown, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area. It is a dry county.
Geography
The low rolling hills of LaRue County have been largely cleared and devoted to agriculture or urban development, with only the drainages of the eastern portions still wooded. The highest point ( ASL) is a small hill near its border with Taylor County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Nelson County − northeast
- Marion County − east
- Taylor County − southeast
- Green County − south/Central Time Border
- Hart County − southwest/Central Time Border
- Hardin County − northwest
National protected area
- Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site