Mount Sterling, often written as Mt. Sterling, is a home rule-class city in Montgomery County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 7,558 as of the 2020 census,

The area was originally part of the thick wilderness of central Kentucky. Explorers, hunters, and surveyors traveling along a trail called Old Harper's Trace noted a tree-covered mound which they called "the Little Mountain". Later excavations showed it to be a burial site. The site of the mound is now the intersection of Queen and Locust streets in Mt. Sterling.

The first cabin in the area was built in 1779. The first permanent settlement was established around 1790, when Forbes began to sell lots and laid out a road, now Locust Street. In 1796 the town was established as the county seat of newly created Montgomery County. At that time the town consisted of 33 town lots, four retail stores, and three taverns. A courthouse was built, the first of seven to be housed in Mt. Sterling. A jail and a town pump were also installed. A large brick market house where farm produce was bought and sold confirmed the town as the commercial center of the surrounding area. Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist churches were established during the town's first decade.

During the Civil War the town was occupied alternately by Union and Confederate troops on multiple occasions. The Battle of Mount Sterling in June 1864, which ended in a Confederate defeat, was the last of the fighting in Montgomery County. It is east of Lexington and west of Huntington, West Virginia. U.S. Route 60 passes through the city as Main Street, leading northeast to Owingsville and west-southwest to Winchester. U.S. Route 460 crosses US 60 in the center of Mt. Sterling, leading northwest to Paris and southeast to Frenchburg. Kentucky Route 11 joins US 460 through the center of Mt. Sterling but leads north to Flemingsburg and south to Clay City. Interstate 64 passes through the northern part of Mt. Sterling, with access from exits 110 (US 460) and 113 (US 60), and connecting Mt. Sterling with Lexington and Huntington.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Mt. Sterling has a total area of , of which , or 0.49%, are water. Under the Trewartha climate classification system, Mt. Sterling has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dca", bordering very closely on a temperate oceanic climate (abbreviated "Do") with January average temperatures just 0.3 °F (0.2 °C) below freezing, due to the insufficient growing season length to qualify as a subtropical climate under Trewartha.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Mount Sterling had a population of 7,558. The median age was 37.9 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.1 males age 18 and over.

There were 3,142 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.5% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 5,876 people, 2,478 households, and 1,536 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,768 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.09% White, 8.73% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.75% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.68% of the population.

There were 2,478 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,050, and the median income for a family was $54,074. Males had a median income of $30,584 versus $21,081 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,585. About 17.1% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Beginning in the eighteenth century, Court Day quickly became the annual trading day for the area. It remains a big event today, held on the third Monday in October and the weekend prior. Approximately 130,000 people from all parts of the country gather for the four-day event that specializes in many different arts and crafts, food and music.

Mount Sterling is also home to Ruth Hunt Candies, a confectionery store created by Ruth Tharpe Hunt in 1921. Ruth Hunt Candies now sells over 70 different kinds of candy.

The Gateway Regional Arts Center holds classes and exhibitions in the former First United Methodist Church, a historic building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

List of Registered Historical Places

  • Bondurant House
  • Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Passenger and Baggage Depots
  • Church of the Ascension
  • Confederate Monument of Mt. Sterling
  • East Mt. Sterling Historic District
  • Enoch Smith House
  • Gaitskill Mound Archeological Site
  • John Bell Hood House
  • KEAS Tabernacle Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
  • Machpelah Cemetery
  • Methodist Episcopal Church South
  • Miss Emma Hicks Bungalow
  • Monarch Milling Company
  • Mt. Sterling Commercial District
  • Northwest Residential District
  • Ralph Morgan Stone House
  • W. T. Fitzpatrick House
  • William Chiles House
  • Wright-Greene Mound Complex

Education

It is in the Montgomery County School District, and is home to Montgomery County High School.

Mount Sterling has a lending library, a branch of the Montgomery County Public Library.

Notable people

  • Lawrence Chenault (1877–1943), silent film actor
  • Henry Daniel (1786–1873), congressman from Kentucky
  • Amos Davis (1794–1835), congressman from Kentucky
  • Ernie Fletcher (born 1952), governor of Kentucky (2003–2007)
  • Nancy Green (1834–1923), the original Aunt Jemima
  • James Shelton Hathaway (1859–1930) educator, college president, academic administrator, and newspaper publisher
  • Robert E. Payne (born 1941), United States district judge
  • Josephine B. Sneed (1899–1986), commissioner of Cook County, Illinois
  • Samuel J. W. Spurgeon (1861–?), African American minister, publisher, and editor
  • Jeremy Sumpter (born 1989), actor
  • James L. White (1947–2015), screenwriter known for Ray
  • Andrew T. Wood, (1834–1915), lawyer and politician

References