Georgetown

History

Native peoples have lived along the banks of Elkhorn Creek in what is now Scott County for at least 15,000 years. At the time of European encounter, the historic Shawnee people occupied this area.

Anglo-American exploration can be dated to the late colonial period and a June 1774 surveying expedition from Fincastle County, Virginia, led by Colonel John Floyd. For his military service, he was granted a claim of 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) in the area by the state of Virginia. He named it Royal Spring but did not settle it. John McClellan was the first English colonist to settle the area and established McClellan's Station there in 1775, but the compound was abandoned following an Indian attack on December 29, 1776.

In 1782, the Baptist preacher Elijah Craig led his congregation to the site from Orange County, Virginia, and established a new settlement which he called Lebanon. This was incorporated by the Virginia legislature in 1784. At the time, Virginia claimed this territory under its colonial charter. Craig established some of the first mills west of the Appalachian Mountains along the Royal Spring Branch, where he also manufactured cloth and paper. He also founded a distillery in 1789, as well as a school called the Rittenhouse Academy. This eventually developed as Georgetown College.

The city's name was changed to George Town in honor of President George Washington in 1790. When Kentucky became the 15th U.S. state in 1792 and formed Scott County, George Town became the county seat. Its name was formally changed to Georgetown in 1846.

The county developed an agricultural economy, as it was part of the fertile Bluegrass Region. Planters cultivated tobacco and hemp, and raised blooded livestock, including Thoroughbred racehorses, and cattle and sheep. During the Civil War, Kentucky stayed in the Union. Georgetown was raided by Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan twice, once on July 15, 1862, and the second time on July 10, 1864.

Following the war, the town became a railroad hub, connected to the Cincinnati Southern, the Louisville Southern, and the Frankfort & Cincinnati. The last was considered the "whiskey route" and carried much of the region's bourbon to markets along the Ohio River.

20th century to present

Throughout the 20th century, Georgetown has been in transition from an economy based primarily on agriculture, to one mixing manufacturing, small business, and the family farm. During the 1960s, the construction of Interstate 75 placed the city on one of the nation's busiest highways. The selection of Georgetown as the site of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in 1985 has resulted in the greatest period of growth in the city's history.

The historic Ward Hall, now home to The Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, is located just outside Georgetown. Ward Hall was the summer home of Junius Ward. The home represents the height of the Greek Revival period of architecture in Kentucky and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

The Georgetown business section has a historic district known as the Oxford Historic District. It is also listed on the NRHP.

Geography

Georgetown is located north of Lexington in the Bluegrass region of the state. Major highways that run through the city include Interstate 75 and US Routes 25, 62, and 460. Numerous state highways run through the city. I-75 runs to the east of downtown, with access from exits 125, 126, 127, and 129. Via I-75, downtown Lexington is 16 mi (26 km) south, and Cincinnati, Ohio is 69 mi (111 km) north. US 25 runs through the center of town, leading south to Lexington and north 22 mi (35 km) to Corinth. US 62 runs along the southern and eastern part of the city as a bypass, leading northeast 21 mi (34 km) to Cynthiana and southwest 11 mi (18 km) to Midway. US 460 runs east−west through the town, leading east 17 mi (27 km) to Paris and west 18 mi (29 km) to Frankfort, the state capital.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.85 square miles (41 km2), all land.

Climate

Georgetown has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with warm summers up to 30 °C (86 °F) and moderately cold winters as low as −4 °C (25 °F). Precipitation is relatively well spread (although the late spring and summer months are typically wetter), with an average of 45.28 in (1,150 mm).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Georgetown had a population of 37,086. The median age was 33.1 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 10.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.1 males age 18 and over.

99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 13,979 households in Georgetown, of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.9% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 14,800 housing units, of which 5.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 29,098 people 10,733 households, and 7,452 families in the city. The population density was 1,836.4 per square mile (709.0/km2). There were 11,957 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 87.5% White, 7.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.3% of the population.

There were 10,733 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.09.

The age distribution was 27.9% under 18 and 8.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 31.7 years. The median income for a household in the city was $51,692. The per capita income for the city was $24,376. About 13.9% of the population was below the poverty line.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Sports

Georgetown is home to Toyota Stadium. Toyota Stadium hosts Georgetown College's Football Team. The city used to host Lexington SC, of the USL Championship before they moved to Lexington SC Stadium.

Education

Georgetown College is a private liberal arts college located in the downtown area of Georgetown. Baptist Seminary of Kentucky is a seminary in Georgetown.

Public education in Georgetown and Scott County consists of a preschool center serving special needs and economically at-risk students aged 3–5, nine elementary schools (grades K–5), three middle schools (grades 6–8) and two high schools (grades 9–12). These schools are all part of the Scott County Schools system. Plans had been in progress for an additional high school and middle school within the city limits during the 2010s due to the expanding population. The district chose not to build a new middle school, opting instead to expand one of its three existing middle schools, but opened a new high school and a new elementary school in 2019. Elkhorn Crossing School, which had been a detached campus of Scott County High before the 2019 opening of Great Crossing High School, provides some sophomores and juniors at both high schools with a curriculum that integrates academic and career-based disciplines.

Public schools located within Georgetown and Scott County include:

Private education in Georgetown and Scott County includes St. John elementary and middle school, Providence Christian Academy elementary and middle school, and Keystone Montessori elementary school.

Georgetown also has a lending library, the Scott County Public Library.

Media

Georgetown's newspaper, the Georgetown News-Graphic, prints on Tuesday and Friday. Residents of the area commonly subscribe to this locally geared newspaper in addition to the larger Lexington daily newspaper, the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Z-Rock 103.3 FM WXZZ Georgetown is a 24/7/365 classic rock/new rock radio station.

Infrastructure

Healthcare

Georgetown has one hospital, Georgetown Community Hospital, operated by LifePoint Health.

UK HealthCare and Baptist Health Lexington have regional campuses in Georgetown. Georgetown also has many nursing facilities, including Signature HealthCARE of Georgetown, Windsor Gardens Retirement Community, Dover Manor Nursing Home, and Ashton Grove Assisted Living.

Notable people

William E. Applegate (1851–1928) – thoroughbred bookmaker, breeder, racer and track owner. Born in Georgetown.

Mike Ayers (1948– ) – former football coach for East Tennessee State University and Wofford College

Benjamin Franklin Bradley (1825−1897) – politician, representative to the Confederate States Congress from Kentucky. Born in Georgetown.

Mary Cyrene Burch Breckinridge (1826–1907) – wife of Vice President John C. Breckinridge. Born in Georgetown.

Stephen G. Burbridge (1831–1894) – U.S. Army major general during the Civil War. Born in Georgetown.

Benjamin T. Cable (1853–1923) – politician, US Representative from Illinois. Born in Georgetown.

J. Campbell Cantrill (1870–1923) – politician, US Representative from Kentucky. Born in Georgetown.

James E. Cantrill (1839–1908) – politician, Lt. Governor of Kentucky, judge

Jean Murrell Capers (1913−2017) - Ohio state judge and Cleveland City Council member. Born in Georgetown.

Patricia Cooksey (1958– ) – jockey and horse racing commentator

Joe Cowley (baseball) (1958– ) – former Major League Baseball pitcher, who threw a no-hitter

Elijah Craig (1738−1808) – early Baptist preacher, educator and entrepreneur; worked on protecting religious freedom with James Madison of Virginia

Sister city

Georgetown has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:

Tahara, Aichi, Japan