Columbia, Kentucky

History

The area was settled c. 1802 by Daniel Trabue. The post office was opened on April 1, 1806, by John Field, who also ran the local store.

Geography

Columbia is located at 37°6′2″N 85°18′22″W (37.100652, -85.306056).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.9 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,014 people, 1,554 households, and 893 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,167.9 per square mile (450.9/km²). There were 1,789 housing units at an average density of 520.5 per square mile (201.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.38% White, 7.37% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.

There were 1,554 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 40.3% of all households were made up of individuals living alone and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city, the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 19.1% from 20 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,861, and the median income for a family was $31,344. Males had a median income of $23,906 versus $21,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,836. About 19.9% of families and 26.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.4% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

Events

Events held in Columbia, Kentucky:

Public schools

Columbia Public Schools are part of the Adair County Schools School District. Schools in the district include:

Colleges and universities

Lindsey Wilson College, a private four-year college.

Media

Media in Columbia include:

Infrastructure

The Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway runs through Columbia as it extends from Bowling Green to Somerset. This parkway is a future corridor of Interstate 66. The addition of an interchange with a 2006 reconstruction of Highway 61 South, Columbia now has two exits on the Parkway.

Exit 49, the original exit on the parkway, merges onto Highway 55 South (also known as Jamestown Street) bringing drivers through the middle of Columbia.

Exit 47, the new exit, merges onto Highway 61 South (also known as Burkesville Street/Road) and drivers can choose to go north or go to Burkesville to the south.

The Highway 55 Bypass was officially opened on October 7, 2008, for more information see below.

Columbia Bypass

After years of promises by various governors and other Kentucky officials, construction began early in May 2007, which culminated in an official ground-breaking ceremony by the former Governor himself on May 15, 2007 near the front of the newly constructed Adair County Elementary School, which faces the direction of the bypass.

The Columbia Bypass was opened to the public on October 7, 2008 featuring a traffic light at the intersection of the bypass and North 55 as well as a traffic light at the intersection of South 61. The bypass has relieved a majority of the downtown traffic.

Notable people

Popular culture

Columbia, Kentucky was depicted in the film Resurrection Mary starring Wilford Brimley in 2002. The film was directed by another Columbia native, Matthew Eric Arnold as part of the USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate thesis program and won awards at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival. The filming was featured on local news stations and in USA Today.