Columbus, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Columbus is a city in Hickman County
, Kentucky
, United States
. The population was 229 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 229 people, 95 households, and 60 families residing in the city. The population density
was 558.6 people per square mile (215.7/km²). There were 110 housing units at an average density of 268.3 per square mile (103.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.29% White, 17.90% Black or African American
, 2.18% from other races
, and 2.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.80% of the population.
There were 95 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 31.6% 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 2.41 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,313, and the median income for a family was $29,844. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $14,500 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $11,766. About 5.1% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 8.3% of those sixty five or over.
, a fire in Washington, D.C.
prompted Jefferson to propose that the U.S. capital be moved to the more centrally-located city of Columbus. The proposal failed in the Senate
by a single vote.
In 1878, American railroad legend Casey Jones
got his first job with the railroad here, working as a telegrapher for the Mobile and Ohio Railroad
. He was 15.
. A large anchor chain was stretched from one side of the Mississippi River to Belmont. Columbus-Belmont State Park
commemorates the events that ensued. The "Shreveport Rebels" from Shreveport
, Louisiana
, were among the Confederates who fought at Columbus. Shreveport remained a Confederate stronghold throughout the war, and the inhabitants there were able to raise money to support the troops fighting elsewhere.
In 1928, a flood deluged the city. The restored Columbus is located above the bluff. Some of the original houses were saved and moved inland.
Hickman County, Kentucky
Hickman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1822. The elevation in the county ranges from to above sea level. As of 2000, the population was 5,262. Its county seat is Clinton. It is the least densely populated county in the state and is a prohibition or...
, 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 229 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Columbus is located at 36°45′37"N 89°6′10"W (36.760176, -89.102840).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 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
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 229 people, 95 households, and 60 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 558.6 people per square mile (215.7/km²). There were 110 housing units at an average density of 268.3 per square mile (103.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.29% White, 17.90% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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...
, 2.18% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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 2.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.80% of the population.
There were 95 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% 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, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 31.6% 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 2.41 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,313, and the median income for a family was $29,844. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $14,500 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 $11,766. About 5.1% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 8.3% of those sixty five or over.
History
During the presidency of Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, a fire in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
prompted Jefferson to propose that the U.S. capital be moved to the more centrally-located city of Columbus. The proposal failed in the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
by a single vote.
In 1878, American railroad legend Casey Jones
Casey Jones
John Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...
got his first job with the railroad here, working as a telegrapher for the Mobile and Ohio Railroad
Mobile and Ohio Railroad
The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobile, Alabama and the Ohio River near Cairo, Illinois...
. He was 15.
Civil War
Columbus's most notable moment in American history occurred in September 1861, during the Civil War, when it was seized by Confederate forcesConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. A large anchor chain was stretched from one side of the Mississippi River to Belmont. Columbus-Belmont State Park
Columbus-Belmont State Park
Columbus-Belmont State Park, on the shores of the Mississippi River in Hickman County, near Columbus, Kentucky, is the site of a Confederate fortification built during the American Civil War...
commemorates the events that ensued. The "Shreveport Rebels" from Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
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 in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, were among the Confederates who fought at Columbus. Shreveport remained a Confederate stronghold throughout the war, and the inhabitants there were able to raise money to support the troops fighting elsewhere.
In 1928, a flood deluged the city. The restored Columbus is located above the bluff. Some of the original houses were saved and moved inland.