Winchester, Kentucky

Coordinates: 37°59′41″N 84°11′3″W / 37.99472°N 84.18417°W / 37.99472; -84.18417
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Winchester, Kentucky
Main Street
Main Street
Motto: 
Rich in History & Ready for the Future
Location of Winchester in Clark County, Kentucky.
Location of Winchester in Clark County, Kentucky.
Coordinates: 37°59′41″N 84°11′3″W / 37.99472°N 84.18417°W / 37.99472; -84.18417
CountryUnited States
StateKentucky
CountyClark
Area
 • Total9.25 sq mi (23.97 km2)
 • Land9.15 sq mi (23.70 km2)
 • Water0.10 sq mi (0.27 km2)
Elevation
994 ft (303 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total19,134
 • Estimate 
(2022)[2]
19,142
 • Density2,090.92/sq mi (807.31/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
40391-40392
Area code859
FIPS code21-83676
GNIS feature ID0506924
Websitewinchesterky.com

Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States.[3] The population was 18,368 at the 2010 census.[4] It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located roughly halfway between Lexington and Mt. Sterling.

History[edit]

It was named after Winchester, Virginia.[5]

Geography[edit]

Winchester is located northwest of the center of Clark County, 18 miles (29 km) east of Lexington and 15 miles (24 km) west of Mt. Sterling. Kentucky Route 1958 (Bypass Road) is an outer loop around the town. Kentucky Route 627 (Boonesborough Road) leads towards Richmond, 21 miles (34 km) to the south and Paris to the north. U.S. Route 60 (Winchester-Lexington Road/Lexington Avenue) runs through downtown Winchester. Interstate 64 passes through the northern part of the city, with access from exits 94 and 96. The Mountain Parkway turns off I-64 just northeast of Winchester and leads 75 miles (121 km) east to Salyersville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Winchester has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.4 km2), of which 7.8 square miles (20.3 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.67%, is water.[4]

Climate[edit]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Winchester has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[6]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1800130
1810538313.8%
1830620
18401,04768.9%
18601,142
18701,61641.5%
18802,27740.9%
18904,51998.5%
19005,96432.0%
19107,15620.0%
19208,33316.4%
19308,233−1.2%
19408,5944.4%
19509,2267.4%
196010,18710.4%
197013,40231.6%
198015,21613.5%
199015,7993.8%
200016,7245.9%
201018,3689.8%
202019,1344.2%
2022 (est.)19,142[7]0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 16,724 people, 6,907 households, and 4,620 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,187.6 per square mile (844.6/km2). There were 7,400 housing units at an average density of 968.0 per square mile (373.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.94% White, 8.83% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population.

There were 6,907 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,254, and the median income for a family was $36,797. Males had a median income of $31,295 versus $21,747 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,611. About 13.1% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy[edit]

Winchester's top 10 employers in manufacturing, service, and technology (2016)[10]
Employer Number of employees Year established
in Winchester
Fayette Electrical Service, Inc. 105 2019
Catalent Pharma 400 1992
East Kentucky Power Cooperative 300 1941
General Dynamics Information Technology 208 2014
Infiltrator Water Technologies 182 1986
Leggett & Platt 250 1910
Save-A-Lot Distribution Center 210 1998
The Freeman Corporation 223 1913
Walle Corporation 140 1991
Winchester Farms Dairy 183 1982

Small business[edit]

Ale-8-One, a Kentucky-specific brand of soft drink, has been bottled in Winchester since 1926.[11]

Arts and culture[edit]

Beer Cheese Festival[edit]

Winchester is home to the Beer Cheese Festival held annually in June. Beer Cheese was developed in Clark County near Winchester in the 1940s.[12]

Historic sites[edit]

Education[edit]

Oliver High School was in Winchester. Berea graduate G. A. Benton was principal.[13]

High school[edit]

Winchester students attend George Rogers Clark High School, located southwest of Winchester in Clark County.[14]

Higher education[edit]

Winchester has been home to several higher education establishments. Kentucky Wesleyan College was located in the city from 1890 to 1954. When Kentucky Wesleyan left, the local Churches of Christ organized Southeastern Christian College on the former Kentucky Wesleyan campus. After Southeastern Christian College folded in 1979, the campus was preserved as a public park. Today, Clark County is home to the Winchester Campus of Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

Public library[edit]

Winchester has a lending library, the Clark County Public Library.[15]

Transportation[edit]

Interstate 64 runs east–west through the northern part of Winchester. U.S. Route 60 runs east–west through Winchester. Kentucky Route 627 runs north–south through Winchester.

Blue Grass Airport, 29 miles to the west, in the western part of Lexington, is one of the busiest commercial airports in the state.

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad had run trains east–west and north–south through Winchester. The last L&N passenger train was an unnamed Cincinnati - Atlanta remnant of the former Cincinnati - Jacksonville Flamingo; it was discontinued on March 7, 1968.[16][17]

Notable people[edit]

In popular culture[edit]

A 2018 episode of The Dead Files was filmed in Winchester.[25]

Sister cities[edit]

Winchester has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Winchester city, Kentucky". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  5. ^ Collins, Lewis (1877). History of Kentucky. Library Reprints, Incorporated. p. 130. ISBN 9780722249208.
  6. ^ "Winchester, Kentucky Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.
  7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  8. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. ^ "Business & Industry". Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. September 16, 2016.
  11. ^ Walton, Riley Rogers (1992). "Ale-8-One". In Kleber, John E. (ed.). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. p. 11. ISBN 9780813159010.
  12. ^ Young-Brown, Fiona (April 2014). A Culinary History of Kentucky: Burgoo, Beer Cheese and Goetta. Arcadia. ISBN 9781625847478.
  13. ^ "Vacant school in Kentucky".
  14. ^ Google (September 10, 2018). "Winchester, Kentucky" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  15. ^ "Kentucky Public Library Directory". Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  16. ^ "Louisville Railroad, Table 11". Official Guide of the Railways. 100 (5). National Railway Publication Company. October 1967.
  17. ^ "The Flamingo". American Rails. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  18. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
  19. ^ Smith, Gerald L., Karen Cotton McDaniel, and John A. Hardin, eds. The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky, 2015. p161
  20. ^ The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky Friday, May 27, 1932 - Page 22
  21. ^ "The Parsons weekly blade (newspaper) · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  22. ^ Past, Present, and Future: The Direction of African American Golf
  23. ^ Lewis, Edward M. (June 10, 1941). "Frank Long Winn". Seventy-Second Annual Report of the Association of the Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Newburgh, New York: The Moore Printing Company, Inc. pp. 155–159. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  24. ^ E.M.L. (June 10, 1940). "Obituary, John Sheridan Winn". Seventy-first Annual Report of the Association of the Graduates of the United States Military Academy. Newburgh, New York: Moore Printing Company. p. 165 – via West Point Digital Library.
  25. ^ "Damaged - Winchester, Kentucky". Travel Channel. Retrieved September 10, 2018.

External links[edit]

Media related to Winchester, Kentucky at Wikimedia Commons