West Point is a city in
Hardin CountyHardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1793. As of 2008, the population was 98,546. Its county seat is at Elizabethtown. Hardin County is part of the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area....
,
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near the edge of
Fort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties, with Hardin county receiving the largest benefit, economically. It currently holds the U.S. Army Armor Center, the U.S...
military reservation on
Dixie HighwayU.S. Highway 31W is the westernmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Highway 31 from Nashville, Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky. U.S. Highway 31W is the westernmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Highway 31 from Nashville, Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky. U.S. Highway 31W is the westernmost of...
. It is located in a former meander bend of the
Ohio RiverThe Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. It is approximately 981 miles long and is located in the eastern United States....
. The population was 1,100 at the 2000 census.
West Point is part of the
Elizabethtown, KentuckyElizabethtown is the 14th largest city in Kentucky, United States and is Hardin County's county seat. Its population was estimated at 25,942 in 2008...
Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Elizabethtown Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Kentucky, anchored by the city of Elizabethtown...
West Point was founded by pioneer James Young, who built a cabin at the site in 1789 and, in 1797, built a brick house and inn that is still standing today. In 1803, Lewis and Clark passed nearby and recruited West Point citizen John Shields to join their Corps of Discovery.
West Point sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Salt Rivers, a strategic position that led Union forces to construct a fort here during the Civil War to protect their supply routes.
West Point is a city in
Hardin CountyHardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1793. As of 2008, the population was 98,546. Its county seat is at Elizabethtown. Hardin County is part of the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area....
,
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near the edge of
Fort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties, with Hardin county receiving the largest benefit, economically. It currently holds the U.S. Army Armor Center, the U.S...
military reservation on
Dixie HighwayU.S. Highway 31W is the westernmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Highway 31 from Nashville, Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky. U.S. Highway 31W is the westernmost of two parallel routes for U.S. Highway 31 from Nashville, Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky. U.S. Highway 31W is the westernmost of...
. It is located in a former meander bend of the
Ohio RiverThe Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. It is approximately 981 miles long and is located in the eastern United States....
. The population was 1,100 at the 2000 census.
West Point is part of the
Elizabethtown, KentuckyElizabethtown is the 14th largest city in Kentucky, United States and is Hardin County's county seat. Its population was estimated at 25,942 in 2008...
Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Elizabethtown Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Kentucky, anchored by the city of Elizabethtown...
History
West Point was founded by pioneer James Young, who built a cabin at the site in 1789 and, in 1797, built a brick house and inn that is still standing today. In 1803, Lewis and Clark passed nearby and recruited West Point citizen John Shields to join their Corps of Discovery.
West Point sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Salt Rivers, a strategic position that led Union forces to construct a fort here during the Civil War to protect their supply routes.
Fort DuffieldFort Duffield is an American Civil War fort located outside West Point, Kentucky. It saw use in 1862, and was abandoned when it appeared that the War would never come near the fort...
is the State's largest and best-preserved earthen fortification from the period.
West Point also retains many of its other historic resources, and a large portion of the community is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district.
One of the newest preservation projects in West Point is the rehabilitation of the West Point Independent Colored School (1926), one of the "Rosenwald Schools" built by philanthropist Julius Rosenwald to educate African-Americans in rural areas. Plans call for using the one-room school as a visitor, educational, and research facility.
West Point also recently commemorated the bicentennial of Lewis and Clark's visit with a heritage festival that both celebrated local history and drew heritage tourists. Year-round, Fort Duffield is an important tourist destination, and the city recently secured a grant to fund walking trails at the site.
West Point was a childhood residence of the late
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
Governor
James A. Noe, Sr.James Albert Noe Sr. of Monroe served for three and a half months as a Democratic Governor of Louisiana after the death of Oscar K. Allen on January 28, 1936....
, a wealthy oilman and landowner.
Geography
West Point is located at (37.991543, -85.954540), at the confluence of the
OhioThe Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. It is approximately 981 miles long and is located in the eastern United States....
and
SaltThe Salt River is a long river in Kentucky that drains 2,920 square miles. It begins near Danville, Kentucky, rising from the north slope of Persimmon Knob south of KY 300 between Alum Springs and Wilsonville, and ends at the Ohio River near West Point, Kentucky...
Rivers.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 1,100 people, 439 households, and 281 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 408.5 people per square mile (157.9/km²). There were 566 housing units at an average density of 210.2/sq mi (81.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.09% White, 0.64% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.09% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 439 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,792, and the median income for a family was $35,139. Males had a median income of $23,611 versus $18,125 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $13,381. About 15.9% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.3% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
External links