Editing Mortons Gap, Kentucky

{{Lead too short|date=November 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Mortons Gap, Kentucky
|settlement_type          = [[list of cities in Kentucky|City]]
|named_for                = a local landowner
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = W.W. Kington House.jpg 
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = The W.W. Kington House, a local landmark
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = File:Hopkins County Kentucky Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Mortons Gap Highlighted 2153616.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Mortons Gap in Hopkins County, Kentucky.
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- 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        = [[Hopkins County, Kentucky|Hopkins]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = Incorporated
|established_date         = 1888<ref name=sos>Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office. "Mortons Gap, Kentucky". Accessed 26 August 2013.</ref>

<!-- 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           = 3.09
|area_land_km2            = 3.07
|area_water_km2           = 0.02
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.19
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.18
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.01

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 728
|population_density_km2   = 237.38
|population_density_sq_mi = 614.86

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 144
|elevation_ft             = 472
|coordinates              = {{coord|37|14|17|N|87|28|25|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 42440
|area_code = [[Area codes 270 and 364|270 & 364]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 21-53616
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0498645
|website                  = {{URL|mortonsgap.ky.gov}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}
'''Mortons Gap''' is a [[List of cities in Kentucky|home rule-class city]] in [[Hopkins County, Kentucky|Hopkins County]], [[Kentucky]], in the United States. The population was 728 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US2153616| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Mortons Gap city, Kentucky| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| accessdate=July 6, 2017}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> down from 863 at the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]].

==Name==
The city is named after [[Virginia]] native, Thomas Morton, who settled the area in 1804 with his wife Elizabeth (maiden name Davis), and children.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Battle|first=J.H.|date=1885|title=Kentucky. A history of the state, embracing a concise account of the origin and development of the Virginia colony; its expansion westward, and the settlement of the frontier beyond the Alleghanies; the erection of Kentucky as an independent state, and its subsequent development|url=https://archive.org/details/kentuckyhistoryo00batt/page/788/mode/2up|access-date=March 6, 2021|website=Archive.org|page=789}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=1986-06-28|title=Mortons Gap Then And Now|pages=5|work=The Messenger|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42531845/mortons-gap-then-and-now/|access-date=2021-03-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=''Encyclopedia of Kentucky''|publisher=Somerset Publishers|year=1987|isbn=0-403-09981-1|location=[[New York, New York]]|chapter=Dictionary of Places: Morton's Gap}}</ref> The city is now spelled without an apostrophe by the city,<ref>"[http://mortonsgap.ky.gov/ Mortons Gap]"</ref> the state land office,<ref name="sos" /> and the [[U.S. Board on Geographic Names]].<ref>[http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/ GNIS Detail]. "Mortons Gap". Accessed 26 August 2013.</ref> The eponymous gap is now traversed by [[U.S. Route 41]].

==Geography==
Mortons Gap is located in southeastern Hopkins County at {{coord|37|14|17|N|87|28|25|W|type:city}} (37.238098, -87.473484).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> Via U.S. 41 it is {{convert|7|mi|0}} south of [[Madisonville, Kentucky|Madisonville]], the [[county seat]], and {{convert|3|mi|0}} north of [[Nortonville, Kentucky|Nortonville]]. [[Interstate 69]] passes east of Mortons Gap, with access from Exit 37, an area which has recently been annexed by the city. I-69 leads north past Madisonville {{convert|43|mi}} to [[Henderson, Kentucky|Henderson]] and south {{convert|2|mi|0}} to the [[Western Kentucky Parkway]]. [[Hopkinsville, Kentucky|Hopkinsville]] is {{convert|28|mi}} south of Mortons Gap via I-69 and the [[Pennyrile Parkway]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city of Mortons Gap has a total area of {{convert|3.0|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.02|sqkm|order=flip|2}}, or 0.63%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 241
|1890= 548
|1900= 885
|1910= 1266
|1920= 1061
|1930= 1068
|1940= 1072
|1950= 1081
|1960= 1308
|1970= 1169
|1980= 1201
|1990= 987
|2000= 952
|2010= 863
|2020= 728
|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|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 952 people, 396 households, and 283 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|987.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 447 housing units at an average density of {{convert|463.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 95.59% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 3.26% [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.11% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.32% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.74% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.21% of the population.

There were 396 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,031, and the median income for a family was $34,276. Males had a median income of $28,333 versus $17,105 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $13,875. About 10.9% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

== The Home of Thomas Morton ==
When Thomas Morton and his young family settled the area in 1804, Thomas bought a large quantity of land in the vicinity of what is now Mortons Gap and built a brick house, the first of [[Hopkins County, Kentucky|Hopkins County]], [[Kentucky]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> This lovely home stood for another 132 years until it was finally destroyed by fire on September 16, 1936. The former Morton home would soon be occupied by the Mortons Gap school, and many decades later it is now home to the Vineyard Worship Center. This historic site is located at 37.24018428546551, -87.47409897503029.<ref name=":1" />

Thomas Morton died 8 May 1845 in Mortons Gap, and is buried in the Old Morton Cemetery which is also located in Mortons Gap. A deed dated 15 April 1848 in Hopkins County, Kentucky indicates Thomas Morton owned land on Flat Creek in Mortons Gap.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morton |first=Thomas |date=15 April 1848 |title=Thomas Morton Estate, Hopkins County, KY Deeds Book 13, pp. 246-247, FamilySearch.org. |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSTN-G9GL-Y |website=FamilySearch.org}}</ref> This deed also indicates said land on Flat Creek was distributed to his heirs.

==Local schools==
In 1936, after the former Morton home was destroyed by fire, the community had the Mortons Gap school built in its location.<ref name=":1" /> This school housed a high school until the high school's consolidation to South Hopkins High School in 1955. An elementary and middle school continued to be served at the same location, until the elementary school was consolidated to form Southside Elementary School and the middle school to form South Hopkins Middle School in the mid-1990s. The former school has been renovated and serves the community as a church.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Hopkins County, Kentucky}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Cities in Hopkins County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1804]]
[[Category:1804 establishments in Kentucky]]