Morgantown, Kentucky

Morgantown is a home rule-class city in, and the seat of Butler County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,471 at the time of the 2020 Census.

History

thumb|Buildings on the western side of the 100 block of N. Main Street in Morgantown

The settlement may have originally been called Funkhouser Hill after Christopher Funkhouser, the local landowner who donated of land to establish a seat for the newly formed Butler County in 1811. The etymology of the city's present name (originally written Morgan Town) is uncertain. It may have been chosen to honor a hunter named Morgan or to honor Daniel Morgan Smith, the first white child born in the town. It was incorporated as Morgantown by the state assembly in 1813, It is situated on the top of a bluff on the west side of the Green River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.49%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Morgantown had a population of 2,505. The median age was 35.1 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 80.6 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,000 households in Morgantown, of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 30.1% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 42.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older., there were 2,544 people, 1,051 households, and 627 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,148 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.52% White, 1.10% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 2.36% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.22% of the population.

There were 1,051 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,912, and the median income for a family was $27,218. Males had a median income of $24,671 versus $18,594 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,100. About 24.9% of families and 27.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.0% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic estimates

In 2010, Morgantown had the 16th-lowest median household income of all places in the United States with a population over 1,000.

Transportation

right|thumb|Morgantown exit on William H. Natcher Parkway (now Interstate 165) in 2014

Prior to 1917, the city's primary channel of transportation was the Green River. However, in 1917, the river froze, leaving the city without supplies for two months. A subsequent period of road-building began, and in 1930, a road connecting Morgantown with Bowling Green provided an alternate conduit for commerce.

Arts and culture

Morgantown's municipal park, Charles Black City Park, is home to the annual Green River Catfish Festival held the week of July 4.