Barren County, Kentucky


 * For the progressive bluegrass album see 

Barren County is a located in the  of. It was formed in 1799. As of 2000, the population was 38,033. Its is.

In Barren County was named the "Best Place to Live in Rural America" by  Magazine.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,295 (500 ). 1,272 km² (491 sq mi) of it is land and 23 km² (9 sq mi) of it (1.79%) is water.

is located in the southern part of the county, forming part of its boundary with Allen County. is located primarily within Barren County, along the lake's shoreline.

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (southwest)
 * (west)
 * (northwest)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 38,033 people, 15,346 households, and 10,941 families residing in the county. The was 30/km² (78/sq mi). There were 17,095 housing units at an average density of 13/km² (35/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 94.30%, 4.09% or , 0.15% , 0.41% , 0.03% , 0.38% from , and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 15,346 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,240, and the median income for a family was $37,231. Males had a median income of $29,860 versus $21,208 for females. The for the county was $16,816. About 11.80% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the, including 20.30% of those under age 18 and 19.10% of those age 65 or over.

Culture
Barren County is primarily rural in nature, with agriculture as the primary industry. , the county seat, has numerous manufacturing facilities, and is also a medical and retail hub for the area. is also a popular lodging area for tourists visiting nearby.

Barren County, like most of south central Kentucky, was settled by the, and still bears many cultural aspects that trace back to that heritage. The Scottish heritage is the most evident, as indicated by the name of the county seat, which is named for, and is celebrated annually with the , one of three held each year in Kentucky.

The county is home to all or part of three school districts:


 * Most of the county is served by the Barren County Public Schools, which includes and Middle School in Glasgow, and several elementary schools throughout the county, many of which were formerly also high schools before they were consolidated into Barren County High in the early 1970s.
 * The Glasgow Independent School District serves the city of Glasgow proper, with small areas of overlap outside the city limits. The district includes, Glasgow Middle School and three elementary schools.
 * The Caverna Independent School District takes in and surrounding northwest Barren County, as well as  and the southwest corner of neighboring Hart County. It is served by Caverna High School and Caverna Elementary School, located just inside Barren County between Cave City and Horse Cave. The district os one of only a handful in the  which is located in more than one county.

is the predominant in the county. The is the leading  denomination in terms of adherents, with Glasgow Baptist Church being the largest congregation in the county. ,, , (including ), , , , , and numerous independent churches are located in the county, as well as two  parishes and a sizable  community. No known, or other religions are known to have houses of worship within the county.

Barren is a prohibition or, with the exception of Cave City, which voted in to become "moist" (selling only  by the drink in s of a certain minimum size and which derive 70% or more of their revenue from food). Glasgow voted on November 6, 2007 to also become "moist," after three previous elections to allow full alcohol sales in the city being soundly defeated. (, just to the west, offers full liquor sales.)

Transportation
Barren County is served by, which goes through the northwest part of the county, and the , a former that is designated to be part of the future  corridor. , and  also pass through the county.

service is provided by, whose former main line passes through Cave City and Park City. The Glasgow Railway Company is a short line which owns a branch from Park City (which was formerly called Glasgow Junction) to Glasgow; the line is serviced via an operating lease by CSX.