Stanford is a home rule-class city in Lincoln County, Kentucky, United States. It is one of the oldest settlements in Kentucky, having been founded in 1775. Its population was 3,487 at the 2010 census and an estimated 3,702 in 2024. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. Stanford is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

thumb|left|250px|Lincoln County Courthouse

Stanford was founded in 1775 by Benjamin Logan as "St. Asaph"; the early settlement was also known simply as "Logan's Fort". The site of the fort is about one mile west of the courthouse at the center of town. The name "Fort Logan" is still used to this day by local businesses, including the Fort Logan Hospital and Standing Fort Collectibles. The main street was built on what was originally a buffalo trail.

The name "Stanford" may have come from "Standing Fort", a name given to Fort Logan because it survived multiple attacks by British-led Native Americans during the American Revolution. Alternately, it may have been named for Stamford, England.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Stanford had a population of 3,640. The median age was 43.2 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.0 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 1,525 households in Stanford, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.2% were married-couple households, 15.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older., there were 3,430 people, 1,417 households, and 919 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,522 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.97% White, 8.10% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.37% of the population.

There were 1,417 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.85.

22.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,087, and the median income for a family was $32,550. Males had a median income of $28,583 versus $20,975 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,811. About 15.9% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 27.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Stanford has a lending library, the Lincoln County Public Library.

Notable people

  • Marv Foley, baseball player
  • Anthony Gale, commandant of the United States Marine Corps
  • Basil Hayden, All-American athlete and collegiate basketball coach
  • Harvey Helm, congressman and statesman
  • Laura Kirkpatrick, the runner-up of the thirteenth cycle of America's Next Top Model
  • California Joe Milner, miner and frontier scout
  • Lovell Rousseau, Union Army Major General of Volunteers, congressman
  • Richard C. Saufley, naval aviation pioneer
  • William Lewis Sublette, fur trapper, pioneer, and mountain man, who along with his five brothers after 1823 became agents of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company (and later one of its owners)
  • William Whitley, early pioneer
  • Thomas J. Wright, artist and filmmaker, known for his work on the television series Night Gallery

References

  • Stanford official website
  • Official History of Stanford
  • Lincoln County website – History of Stanford