Greensburg, Kentucky

Geography

Greensburg is located east of the center of Green County at 37°15′35″N 85°29′52″W (37.259665, -85.497863), on the north side of the Green River, a west-flowing tributary of the Ohio River. U.S. Route 68 passes through the city as Main Street; it leads northeast 11 miles (18 km) to Campbellsville and southwest 25 miles (40 km) to Edmonton. Kentucky Route 61 joins US 68 on Main Street through Greensburg; KY 61 leads northwest 40 miles (64 km) to Elizabethtown and southeast 19 miles (31 km) to Columbia.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Greensburg has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²), or 0.59%, is water.

History

The 1780 settlement was originally known as "Glover's Station", for local landowner John Glover, who received 193 acres (0.78 km²) in the area as a military grant after the American Revolution.

Following the establishment of Green County (named for Revolutionary War Maj. General Nathanael Greene) from parts of Lincoln and Nelson counties in 1792, Greensburg was laid out and established two years later as its eponymous seat of government. It was incorporated as a city a year after that. The central Public Square was also laid out in 1795 and has been retained as designed since then, with the only changes being the paving of the square with concrete and the installation of concrete dividers and parking meters in the four quadrants.

The first post office arrived in 1807 and was variously known as "Greensburg" and "Greensburg Court House" during the early 19th century.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,396 people, 1,061 households, and 648 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,255.4 people per square mile (484.3/km²). There were 1,190 housing units at an average density of 623.5 per square mile (240.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.99% White, 4.63% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.

There were 1,061 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.3% 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 2.75.

In the city, the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 25.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 78.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,556, and the median income for a family was $29,818. Males had a median income of $26,065 versus $18,031 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,296. About 21.3% of families and 24.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.8% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Greensburg has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

The highest recorded temperature at Greensburg was 114 °F (46 °C) on July 28, 1930.