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Oldham County, Kentucky facts for kids

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Oldham County
Oldham County courthouse in La Grange
Oldham County courthouse in La Grange
Flag of Oldham County
Flag
Official seal of Oldham County
Seal
Map of Kentucky highlighting Oldham County
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Map of the United States highlighting Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Kentucky
Founded December 15, 1823
Named for William Oldham (1753–1791), American Revolutionary War colonel
Seat La Grange
Largest city La Grange
Area
 • Total 196 sq mi (510 km2)
 • Land 187 sq mi (480 km2)
 • Water 9.2 sq mi (24 km2)  4.7%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 67,607 Increase
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 4th

Oldham County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state and commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,607. Its county seat is La Grange. The county is named for Colonel William Oldham. Oldham County was a prohibition or completely dry county until January 2005 as the result of a 2004 'moist' vote, permitting sales of alcohol in restaurants that seat at least 100 patrons in which 70%+ of total revenue is derived from sales of food. After a vote in late 2015; Oldham County has become a completely wet county.

Oldham County is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Oldham County is the wealthiest county in Kentucky and 47th-wealthiest county in the U.S. and ranks as the most educated county in Kentucky While the causes for this are complicated, areas east of Louisville have long been popular with wealthy residents, initially as summer residences and eventually as year-round suburban estates and bedroom communities. Oldham County lies northeast of the best known of these areas, Anchorage, just outside Louisville's pre-merger East End.

History

Oldham County was established on December 15, 1823 from parts of Henry, Jefferson, and Shelby Counties. It was the 74th Kentucky county, and was named in honor of Col. William Oldham of Jefferson County, a Revolutionary War officer.

Initially, it was mainly a rural county with small, scattered developments in places like Westport which was founded in 1800 and served as the county seat early on. When the Louisville and Frankfort Railroad Company introduced rail lines in the area in the 1850s, many new towns and communities sprang up. Eventually the railroad ceased operating as a form of public transportation, but the more rural nature of the county continued to draw residents away from the metropolitan areas in Jefferson County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 196 square miles (510 km2), of which 187 square miles (480 km2) is land and 9.2 square miles (24 km2) (4.7%) is water. It is the 13th smallest county in Kentucky. The county's northern border with Indiana is formed by the Ohio River.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Graph of Oldham County population.
Graph of Oldham County population over time
Historical population
Census Pop.
1830 9,588
1840 7,380 −23.0%
1850 7,629 3.4%
1860 7,283 −4.5%
1870 9,027 23.9%
1880 7,667 −15.1%
1890 6,754 −11.9%
1900 7,078 4.8%
1910 7,248 2.4%
1920 7,689 6.1%
1930 7,402 −3.7%
1940 10,716 44.8%
1950 11,018 2.8%
1960 13,388 21.5%
1970 14,687 9.7%
1980 27,795 89.2%
1990 43,455 56.3%
2000 46,178 6.3%
2010 60,316 30.6%
2020 67,607 12.1%
2021 (est.) 68,685 13.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2021

As of the census of 2000, there were 46,178 people, 14,856 households, and 12,196 families residing in the county. The population density was 244 per square mile (94/km2). There were 15,541 housing units at an average density of 82 per square mile (32/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.62% White, 4.21% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,856 households, out of which 44.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.50% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.90% were non-families. 14.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.17.

The age distribution was 27.40% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 33.10% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 7.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.90 males.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Oldham (Kentucky) para niños

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