Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

Muhlenberg County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 31,839. The county is named for. Its county seat is

Geography
Muhlenberg County is part of the region of. According to the, the county has a total area of 1,242 (479 ). 1,230 km² (475 sq mi) of it is land and 12 km² (5 sq mi) of it (0.98%) is water.

Geographic features
The two primary geographic features of Muhlenberg County are the and.

Green River
The 300-mile-long Green River is a tributary of the. It provides a commercial outlet for goods (primarily ) to be shipped from the county to the major trade centers along the. Muhlenberg County and the Green River will forever be linked in the minds of many by the song "Paradise" about a (now defunct) coal-mining town in Muhlenberg County.

Lake Malone
Spanning 788 acres near the small town of Dunmor in southern Muhlenberg County, Lake Malone provides a locale for water recreation such as swimming, boating, and fishing. Lake Malone and the surrounding hardwood forest form.

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (west)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 31,839 people, 12,357 households, and 9,057 families residing in the county. The was 26/km² (67/sq mi). There were 13,675 housing units at an average density of 11/km² (29/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 94.19%, 4.65% or , 0.13% , 0.13% , 0.19% from , and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 12,357 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.70% were living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.60% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,566, and the median income for a family was $33,513. Males had a median income of $29,952 versus $18,485 for females. The for the county was $14,798. About 15.50% of families and 19.70% of the population were below the, including 26.00% of those under age 18 and 17.00% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Muhlenberg County has been a major -producing region for many years, and although the use of coal for energy generation has waned in recent years, the coal-mining industry continues to provide a significant number of jobs in the region. Other major employers in Muhlenberg County include:


 * The Paradise Fossil Plant in
 * in
 * in
 * Muhlenberg Community Hospital in
 * Muhlenberg County Board of Education in
 * The Department of the Army,  Regional Training Center & Kentucky UTES

Chamber of commerce
In January, the chambers of commerce from and  merged to form the Greater Muhlenberg Chamber of Commerce. The new, unified chamber is comprised of over 155 local businesses.

Incoming industries
's new Thoroughbred Energy Plant, a coal-burning power generation facility expected to bring 450 permanent jobs to the area, is to be located in. The plant was projected to begin electricity generation sometime in, but a dispute over Peabody's air quality permit has halted construction plans.

On, , frozen food company announced plans to locate a facility in. The company will renovate the facility vacated by food distribution company in, and is expected to create 200 permanent jobs by.

Schools
Public schools in Muhlenberg County are under the purview of the Muhlenberg County Board of Education. They include:

Elementary (K-5)

 * in
 * in
 * in
 * in
 * in

Middle (6-8)

 * in
 * in

High (9-12)

 * in
 * in

Postsecondary
The Muhlenberg Campus of is located in.

Libraries
There are two public libraries in Muhlenberg County: Harbin Memorial Library in and Central City Library in. Both locations provide residents with free access to high speed service.

History
There were once eight schools in Muhlenberg County, however in, the school board consolidated the middle and high school students into just two middle and two high schools. ,, , and half of became  and , while the other half of , , , , and  (which housed some middle school students) became  and. The eight distinct schools continued to house elementary school students.

In, the school board began consolidating the badly-deteriorating elementary schools, closing and transferring students to  and the expanded , and closing  transferring those students to. Consolidation continued in with the closure of. Students from Drakesboro spent a year at until the opening of the newly-constructed  in  (and subsequent closing of Hughes-Kirkpatrick.)

Media

 * established in 1955, Central City
 * established in 1955, Central City
 *  established in 1909, Central City
 *  established in Greenville now located in Central City
 * radio station in Greenville
 * 100,000 watts studios in Central City and Owensboro with tower and transmitter at in

Sites and events of interest

 * in Dunmor
 * Muhlenberg County Rail to Trails, 6 mile converted railroad track running between and
 * shop in
 * Duncan Cultural Center museum in
 * Four Legends Fountain in
 * Cruise-In in
 * Muhlenberg County Agriculture and Convention Center in
 * Paradise Park in, includes:
 * Coal Mines Shotgun House
 * Birthplace
 * Paradise Park Museum
 * Springridge School

Notable natives

 * ( of the ) was born in.
 * of the was born in the now-defunct community of Brownie, near.
 * Actor was born in Depoy near
 * of the women's basketball team is from.
 * , former, is from.
 * , the second-ever recipient of an transplant, was a native of