Burnside, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Burnside is a city in Pulaski County
, Kentucky
, United States
. The population was 637 at the 2000 census. In 2005, Burnside became the only town in Pulaski County or any adjoining county to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages in qualified establishments. Since then, Burnside annexed about eight miles of shoreline along Lake Cumberland in order to include Lee's Ford Marina on Fishing Creek, allowing it to sell alcohol.
On August 28, 2007, Burnside voters again approved the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants that seat at least 100 people and derive at least 70% of the total gross receipts from the sale of food. The vote was 227-104. The petition for the election was started by two Pulaski County clergymen in an attempt to reverse Burnside's "moist" status.
and its South Fork. It was called Point Isabel, allegedly for a woman who jumped off a nearby cliff after breaking off a relationship. In 1890, the town was renamed for American Civil War
General Ambrose Burnside
who established a camp there during the war.
Burnside was a center for shipping by rail and steamboat packet. Its lumber mills sent products around the world. The town boasted retail stores, saloons, a post office, restaurants, churches, a bank, hotels, and even Burnside Academy - the first Wesleyan preparatory school in the state.
In the early 1950s the entire town was relocated to higher ground for the impounding of Lake Cumberland
. The town had once been a thriving community.
American author Harriette Simpson Arnow
was known for her book The Dollmaker
. She lived in Burnside as a child.
Burnside is one of several plaxes that lay claim to be home to the first Boy Scout troop in the United States. In 1908, two years before the Boy Scouts of America
was officially organized, Mrs. Myra Greeno Bass organized a local troop of 15 boys, using official Boy Scout materials she had acquired from England. A sign at the edge of town
declares Burnside "Birthplace of Boy Scouts of America", and an official state historical society marker commemorates the troop.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (18.75%) is water.
of 2000, there were 637 people, 287 households, and 200 families residing in the city. The population density
was 378.3 people per square mile (146.4/km²). There were 348 housing units at an average density of 206.7 per square mile (80.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.37% White, 0.16% Native American, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 287 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples
living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.64.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 37.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,781, and the median income for a family was $34,583. Males had a median income of $25,556 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $20,339. About 11.7% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
Pulaski County, Kentucky
Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 63,063 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Somerset6. The county is named for Count Kazimierz Pułaski. Most of the county is a prohibition or dry county...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 637 at the 2000 census. In 2005, Burnside became the only town in Pulaski County or any adjoining county to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages in qualified establishments. Since then, Burnside annexed about eight miles of shoreline along Lake Cumberland in order to include Lee's Ford Marina on Fishing Creek, allowing it to sell alcohol.
On August 28, 2007, Burnside voters again approved the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants that seat at least 100 people and derive at least 70% of the total gross receipts from the sale of food. The vote was 227-104. The petition for the election was started by two Pulaski County clergymen in an attempt to reverse Burnside's "moist" status.
History
The community was originally settled at the juncture of the Cumberland RiverCumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
and its South Fork. It was called Point Isabel, allegedly for a woman who jumped off a nearby cliff after breaking off a relationship. In 1890, the town was renamed for American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
General Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
who established a camp there during the war.
Burnside was a center for shipping by rail and steamboat packet. Its lumber mills sent products around the world. The town boasted retail stores, saloons, a post office, restaurants, churches, a bank, hotels, and even Burnside Academy - the first Wesleyan preparatory school in the state.
In the early 1950s the entire town was relocated to higher ground for the impounding of Lake Cumberland
Lake Cumberland
Lake Cumberland is a reservoir in Clinton, Laurel, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, and Wayne counties in Kentucky. The primary reasons for its construction were a means for flood control and the production of hydroelectric power. Its shoreline measures 1,255 miles and the lake is spread over at the...
. The town had once been a thriving community.
American author Harriette Simpson Arnow
Harriette Simpson Arnow
Harriette Arnow was an American novelist, who lived in Kentucky and Michigan. Arnow has been called an expert on the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, but she herself loved cities and spent crucial periods of her life in Cincinnati, and Detroit.-Early life and education:She was born...
was known for her book The Dollmaker
The Dollmaker
The Dollmaker is an American made-for-TV movie, starring Jane Fonda. It was first broadcast on ABC in 1984. The movie is based on the novel of the same title, written by Harriette Arnow and originally published in 1954.-Plot summary:...
. She lived in Burnside as a child.
Burnside is one of several plaxes that lay claim to be home to the first Boy Scout troop in the United States. In 1908, two years before the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
was officially organized, Mrs. Myra Greeno Bass organized a local troop of 15 boys, using official Boy Scout materials she had acquired from England. A sign at the edge of town
Scouting memorials
Throughout the world there are many Scouting memorials, monuments and gravesites.-Kenya:*Baden-Powell grave – Wajee Nature Park, Nyeri, Kenya, near Mount Kenya...
declares Burnside "Birthplace of Boy Scouts of America", and an official state historical society marker commemorates the troop.
Geography
Burnside is located at 36°59′24"N 84°36′13"W (36.990039, -84.603486).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The 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...
, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (18.75%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A 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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 637 people, 287 households, and 200 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 378.3 people per square mile (146.4/km²). There were 348 housing units at an average density of 206.7 per square mile (80.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.37% White, 0.16% Native American, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 287 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.64.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 37.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,781, and the median income for a family was $34,583. Males had a median income of $25,556 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $20,339. About 11.7% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.