Richmond, Kentucky

Richmond is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Kentucky, United States. It is named after Richmond, Virginia, and is the home of Eastern Kentucky University. The population of Richmond, Kentucky was 31,364 in 2010. Richmond is Kentucky's seventh-largest city (after Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Covington, and Hopkinsville) and the second largest city in the Bluegrass region (after Lexington). Richmond serves as the center for work and shopping for south central Kentucky. Richmond is the principal city of the Richmond–Berea Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Madison and Rockcastle counties.

History
The City of Richmond was founded in 1798, by Colonel John Miller, who was active in the Revolutionary War as a soldier. According to local lore, Colonel Miller was attracted to the area by the uncommonly good spring water and friendly local Native American tribes. That same year, the Kentucky legislature approved moving the county seat from Milford to land that was owned by Colonel Miller. The residents of Milford adamantly opposed the move. This eventually led to a fight between Dave Kennedy (representing Milford) and William Kearly (representing Richmond). The results of this battle was never recorded, but the county approved the move in March 1798. On 4 July 1798, the new town was officially Richmond in honor of Miller's birthplace in Virginia.

During the Civil War, the Union and Confederate Armies waged a pitched battle near Richmond on August 30, 1862. Troops under Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith routed soldiers commanded by Union General William Nelson. Of Nelson's 6,500 men, only 1,200 escaped the battle and almost 4,500 were captured. One historian called this battle "the nearest thing to a Cannae ever scored by any general, North or South, in the course of the whole war."

In 1906, Eastern Kentucky State Normal School was founded in Richmond to train teachers. There were eleven members of the first graduating class in 1909. The college became a four-year school in 1922 and added graduate programs in 1935. In 1965, the institution was renamed Eastern Kentucky University.

In the late 1990s and through the first decade of the 21st century, Richmond has had a commercial and residential boom. Richmond is currently Kentucky's seventh-largest city, moving up four places from its ranking as Kentucky's eleventh-largest city in the 2000 census.

Transportation
The Richmond Transit Service is a public bus system for the City of Richmond. Bus routes run throughout the city and make stops from 6am to Midnight on weekdays and Saturdays. There is also a public bus line that connects Richmond and Berea.

Interstate highways

 * I-75.svg Richmond is served by Interstate 75, which routes north to Lexington and Cincinnati, Ohio; and south to Knoxville, Tennessee. A total of three exits direct motorists from the interstate toward the city.

US Highways

 * US 25.svg US 25 is also known as Lexington Road, Main Street, and Berea Road.
 * US 421.svg US 421 runs concurrently with US 25 through Richmond; it is also known as the Battlefield Memorial Highway,

Kentucky State Highways

 * Elongated circle 169.svg KY 169 is also known locally as Tates Creek Road. The highway goes north to Lexington; a ferry service crosses the Kentucky River at the border of Madison County with Fayette County.
 * Elongated circle 52.svg KY 52 is known as either Irvine Road, leading east to Estill County, or Lancaster Road, when heading west to Garrard County.
 * Elongated circle 876.svg KY 876, also known as the Eastern By-Pass and as the Dr. Robert Martin By-Pass, circles Richmond and serves as a beltway for the city.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.2 square miles (49.9 km²), of which, 19.1 square miles (49.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²)(0.73%) is water.

Demographics
There were 10,795 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. Of all households, 34.7% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 individuals and the average family size was 2.78.

The age distribution, influenced strongly by the presence of Eastern Kentucky University, is: 17.5% under the age of 18, 31.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 13.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,533; and the median income for a family was $36,222. Males had a median income of $30,817 versus $22,053 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,815. About 16.6% of families and 25.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Richmond is served by the Madison County School System. Schools located in Richmond include:

Elementary schools

 * Daniel Boone
 * Glenn Marshall
 * Kirksville
 * Kit Carson
 * Mayfield
 * White Hall
 * Model Laboratory School

Middle schools

 * B. Michael Caudill Middle School
 * Clark-Moores Middle School
 * Madison Middle School
 * Model Laboratory School

High schools

 * Madison Central High School
 * Bellvue Education Center
 * Model Laboratory School

Private schools

 * St. Mark Catholic School (grades PreK to 8)
 * Bluegrass Christian School

Post-Secondary Education

 * Eastern Kentucky University
 * National College of Business & Technology

Law and Government
Richmond operates under a council–manager government. The citizens elect a mayor and four city commissioners which form the Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners is the legislative body of the city government and represents the interests of the citizens when applicable. The Board of Commissioners appoints a city manager who administers the day-to-day operations of the city.

The mayor is elected for a term of four years. Each city commissioner is elected for a term of two years. The term of the city manager is indefinite.

Cityscape
The city has numerous parks, the most prominent being Lake Reba Recreational Complex. Paradise Cove, the city's aquatic center, is located in the complex along with a horse shoe pit, putt-putt golf course, football field, soccer field, baseball and softball fields, and a playground.

The downtown business district consists of many Victorian style structures. The only high rise in the downtown are is Madison Towers.

The majority of the city's high rises are located on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) which include the 20 storey Commonwealth Hall, the 16 storey Keene Hall, the 13 storey Telford Hall, and two 12-story buildings, Todd and Dupree Halls.

A 2,000-seat performing arts center is under construction on Lancaster Avenue. The center will house the only theater in central Kentucky with a “fly system” that allows quick changing of sets suitable for Broadway-type performances.

Economy
The Richmond economy is supported by many diverse entities:
 * Eastern Kentucky University
 * Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD)
 * Intertape Polymer Group - industrial packaging/tape products
 * AGC - a North American flat glass manufacturer, subsidiary of Asahi Glass Co.

Newspaper
The Richmond Register - daily (owned by Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.)

Radio stations

 * WEKY (1340 AM)
 * WCBR (1110 AM)
 * WEKU (88.9 FM)
 * WVLK-FM (101.5 FM)

Notable natives

 * Kit Carson, born near Richmond in Madison County, Kentucky, but raised in Franklin, Missouri
 * Cassius Marcellus Clay, abolitionist and politician; Minister to Spain and Russia, founder of the Republican Party
 * Earle Combs, New York Yankees player, Baseball Hall of Fame member; longtime resident of the area
 * Odon Guitar, a brigadier general in the Union Missouri State Militia in the American Civil War
 * Leigh Ann Hester of the Kentucky Army National Guard, first female in United States military history to be cited for valor in close quarters combat, for action near Salman Pak, Iraq on March 20, 2005; she is the first female recipient of the Silver Star Medal for valor in combat
 * James B. McCreary, United States Senator and two-term Governor of Kentucky
 * Samuel Freeman Miller, United States Supreme Court Justice
 * Fiddlin' Doc Roberts, American old-time fiddler (April 26, 1897 - August 4, 1978)
 * Samuel Hanson Stone, Kentucky politician, born near Richmond