kids encyclopedia robot

Winchester, Kentucky facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Winchester, Kentucky
Main Street
Main Street
Motto(s): 
Rich in History and Ready for the Future
Location of Winchester in Clark County, Kentucky.
Location of Winchester in Clark County, Kentucky.
Country United States
State Kentucky
County Clark
Area
 • Total 9.25 sq mi (23.97 km2)
 • Land 9.15 sq mi (23.70 km2)
 • Water 0.10 sq mi (0.27 km2)
Elevation
994 ft (303 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 19,134
 • Estimate 
(2022)
19,142
 • Density 2,090.92/sq mi (807.31/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
40391-40392
Area code(s) 859
FIPS code 21-83676
GNIS feature ID 0506924

Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 19,134 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located roughly halfway between Lexington and Mt. Sterling.

History

It was named after Winchester, Virginia.

Geography

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.

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, Winchester has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1800 130
1810 538 313.8%
1830 620
1840 1,047 68.9%
1860 1,142
1870 1,616 41.5%
1880 2,277 40.9%
1890 4,519 98.5%
1900 5,964 32.0%
1910 7,156 20.0%
1920 8,333 16.4%
1930 8,233 −1.2%
1940 8,594 4.4%
1950 9,226 7.4%
1960 10,187 10.4%
1970 13,402 31.6%
1980 15,216 13.5%
1990 15,799 3.8%
2000 16,724 5.9%
2010 18,368 9.8%
2020 19,134 4.2%
2022 (est.) 19,142 4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census 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

Winchester's top 10 employers in manufacturing, service, and technology (2016)
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

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

Arts and culture

Beer Cheese Festival

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

Historic sites

Education

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

High school

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

Higher education

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

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

Transportation

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.

Notable people

  • Armstead M. Alexander (1834–1892), congressman from Missouri
  • Chilton Allan (1786–1858), congressman from Kentucky
  • Yeremiah Bell, safety for the New York Jets NFL team
  • Rex Burkhead, running back for the Houston Texans NFL Team
  • George French Ecton, second African-American state legislator in Illinois
  • John E. Fryer, psychiatrist whose speech in 1972 as "Dr. Henry Anonymous" helped to get homosexuality removed as a mental disease from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
  • Matt Ginter, Professional Baseball 1999–2010 (11 years)
  • William Harrow (1822–1871), Union general in the Civil War
  • Joel Tanner Hart (1810–1877), sculptor
  • Joseph Jackson (screenwriter), film representative and most successful writers for Hollywood talking films. entered films in 1918 as publicity representative.
  • Preston Knowles, basketball player for the University of Louisville
  • Homer Ledford (1927–2006), instrument maker and bluegrass musician
  • Matt Long, TV's "Jack & Bobby", "Mad Men", "Helix".
  • Nettie George Speedy (1878–1957), journalist of Chicago Defender, founder of Chicago Women's Golf Club, the first woman to sit on the trustee board of Lane College, and the Pioneer of African American golf.
  • Claude Sullivan, sports broadcaster
  • Allen Tate (1899–1979), poet associated with the Agrarians, a group of Southern poets, and most noted for "Ode to the Confederate Dead"
  • Helen Thomas, White House press correspondent
  • Frank L. Winn, U.S. Army major general
  • John S. Winn, U.S. Army brigadier general

In popular culture

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

Sister cities

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Winchester (Kentucky) para niños

kids search engine
Winchester, Kentucky Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.