Editing Fulton, Kentucky

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Fulton, Kentucky
| settlement_type    = [[list of cities in Kentucky|City]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Downtown Fulton-South Fulton.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Downtown Fulton
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = File:Fulton County Kentucky Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Fulton Highlighted 2129566.svg
| mapsize            = 260px
| map_caption        = Location of Fulton in Fulton County, Kentucky.

<!-- Location -->| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Kentucky]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Kentucky|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Fulton County, Kentucky|Fulton]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_21.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 18, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 7.72
| area_land_km2      = 7.49
| area_water_km2     = 0.23
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.98
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.89
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.09

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 2357
| population_density_km2 = 314.62
| population_density_sq_mi = 814.73

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 110
| elevation_ft       = 361
| coordinates        = {{coord|36|30|33|N|88|52|44|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code        = 42041
| area_code          = [[Area codes 270 and 364|270 & 364]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 21-29566
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0492615
| website            = {{URL|fulton-ky.com}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 2022
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| population_est     = 2301
}}

'''Fulton''' is a [[List of cities in Kentucky|home rule-class city]] in [[Fulton County, Kentucky|Fulton County]], [[Kentucky]], United States.  The population was 2,357 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2129566|access-date=2021-12-18|website=data.census.gov}}</ref> down from 2,445 at the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]]. It was once known as the "Banana Capital of the World", because 70% of imported bananas to the U.S. used to be shipped through the city.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.prx.org/pieces/16882 |title=Piece " Banana pudding in Fulton, Kentucky |publisher=PRX |date=December 1, 2007 |access-date=April 16, 2013}}</ref> Fulton is part of the [[Union City, Tennessee|Union City]]-[[Hickman, Kentucky|Hickman]], [[Tennessee|TN]]–[[Kentucky|KY]] [[Union City micropolitan area|Micropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
A post office was established in the community, then known as "Pontotoc", in 1847. The post office was renamed "Fulton" in 1861.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Lac2FUSj_oC&pg=PA111 | title=Kentucky Place Names | publisher=University Press of Kentucky | year=1987 | access-date=28 April 2013 | author=Rennick, Robert M. | pages=111| isbn=0-8131-2631-2 }}</ref> It was formally incorporated by the [[Kentucky Assembly|state assembly]] in 1872.<ref>Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office. "Fulton, Kentucky". Accessed 26 July 2013.</ref> Fulton Station was located on the Paducah and Gulf Railroad, which stimulated growth in the county.<ref>{{cite book| last=Collins| first=Lewis| title=History of Kentucky| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F5FQAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA281| year=1877| page=281| publisher=Library Reprints, Incorporated| isbn=978-0-7222-4920-8}}</ref>

In the late 19th century, [[Ben M. Bogard]], later the founder of the [[American Baptist Association]] in [[Texarkana, Texas]], and long-time pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], served as a pastor in Fulton, where he was part of the [[Landmarkism|Landmark Baptist movement]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1593| title=Benjamin Marcus Bogard (1868–1951)| publisher=encyclopediaofarkansas.net| access-date=August 4, 2013}}</ref> In the first decade of the 20th century, the [[Southern Baptist]] clergyman [[Monroe E. Dodd]] began his long ministry at a church in Fulton. For many years afterward, he was the pastor of First Baptist Church of [[Shreveport, Louisiana]].

===Banana Capital of the World===
The United Fruit Co., now [[Chiquita]], began shipping [[banana]]s from South America by steamship to [[New Orleans]]. The bananas were loaded onto railcars on top of {{convert|162|lb|adj=on}} blocks of ice for the trip north. Fulton had the only [[ice house (building)|ice house]] on the route north to [[Chicago]]. The bananas were re-iced with blocks from the Fulton Ice Plant, now closed. Empty railcars were pulled up to the side of the ice house, and the large blocks of ice were loaded end up, covering the entire box car. The bananas were laid on top of the ice to continue their journey. At one point, more than 70% of the bananas that were consumed in the US passed through Fulton.
<ref>{{cite web| url=https://thebananafestival.com/history/| title=Why Bananas in Kentucky and Tennessee?| publisher=thebananafestival.com| access-date=June 20, 2023}}</ref>

From 1962 through 1992, Fulton held the annual International Banana Festival. The largest [[banana pudding]] in the world at {{convert|2000|lb}} was part of the banana parade. Since the early 21st century, the festival has been revived, including a contest for the largest banana pudding.

==Geography==
Fulton is located in the southeast corner of Fulton County at {{coord|36|30|33|N|88|52|44|W|type:city}} (36.509156, -88.878768).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> Its southern border is the state line, across which is the city of [[South Fulton, Tennessee]]. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Fulton has a total area of {{convert|7.6|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|7.4|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.2|sqkm|order=flip|1}}, or 2.95%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web|title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Fulton city, Kentucky|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2129566|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213052040/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2129566|archive-date=February 13, 2020|access-date=May 24, 2016|work=American FactFinder|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1880 = 826
| 1890 = 1818
| 1900 = 2860
| 1910 = 2575
| 1920 = 3415
| 1930 = 3502
| 1940 = 3308
| 1950 = 3224
| 1960 = 3265
| 1970 = 3250
| 1980 = 3137
| 1990 = 3078
| 2000 = 2775
| 2010 = 2445
| 2020 = 2357
| estyear = 2022
| estimate = 2301
| estref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Jesse Whitesell House.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Jesse Whitesell House and Farm|Jesse Whitesell House]]]]

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Fulton Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2129566&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-07|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|1,476
|62.62%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|641
|27.2%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|4
|0.17%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|15
|0.64%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|3
|0.13%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|174
|7.38%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|44
|1.87%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 2,357 people, 1,004 households, and 646 families residing in the city.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,775 people, 1,225 households, and 753 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|983.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,388 housing units at an average density of {{convert|491.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 67.35% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 29.41% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.25% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.68% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.86% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.44% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.44% of the population.

There were 1,225 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 21.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,345, and the median income for a family was $27,625. Males had a median income of $26,029 versus $21,696 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,260. About 22.4% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 37.2% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
The city of Fulton uses the Commission Plan form of government, which is composed of a mayor elected to a four-year term and four commissioners elected to two-year terms. The executive and legislative authority of the city are exercised by the city commission, and administrative responsibilities are the province of the city manager.

==Transportation==
===Rail===
{{see also|Fulton (Amtrak station)}}
[[Amtrak]], the national passenger rail system, provides service to Fulton. Fulton is one of only four cities in [[Kentucky]] with passenger rail service by Amtrak. The station is unmonitored and served by the ''[[City of New Orleans (train)|City of New Orleans]]'' route running between New Orleans and Chicago.

==Sports and recreation==
Fulton was longtime home [[minor league baseball]]. The [[Fulton Railroaders]], played as members of the [[Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League]], between 1911 and 1955. In 2005, the "Fulton Railroaders" nickname returned, as today Fulton hosts the [[summer collegiate baseball]] team, currently playing as members of the Ohio Valley League. The current Railroaders play their home games at Lohaus Field.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=Fulton, Kentucky Encyclopedia|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fultonrailroadersbaseball.club/|title=Fulton Railroaders Baseball|website=fultonrailroadersbaseball.club}}</ref>

==Education==
Fulton has a [[public library]], a branch of the Fulton County Public Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111202017/https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 January 2019 | title=Kentucky Public Library Directory | publisher=Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives | access-date=5 June 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.fulton-ky.com/ City of Fulton official website]

{{Fulton County, Kentucky}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Cities in Fulton County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Union City, Tennessee micropolitan area]]