Nelson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,738. Its county seat is Bardstown. Nelson County comprises the Bardstown, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Louisville/Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Madison, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area.
History
The fourth county created in what is now Kentucky, it was formed from Jefferson County, Kentucky in 1784, shortly after the Revolutionary War. The county was named for Thomas Nelson Jr., the Virginia governor who signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1807, after Kentucky had become a state, a newly created Virginia county was named in his honor.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (1.5%) are covered by water.
Adjacent counties
- Spencer County (north)
- Anderson County (northeast)
- Washington County (east)
- Marion County (southeast)
- LaRue County (south)
- Hardin County (west)
- Bullitt County (northwest)