Editing Stanford, Kentucky

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Stanford, Kentucky
| settlement_type    = [[List of cities in Kentucky|City]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = StanfordKY-Commercial-District.JPG
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Historic Commercial District
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = File:Lincoln County Kentucky Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Stanford Highlighted 2173110.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location in Lincoln 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  = [[Lincoln County, Kentucky|Lincoln]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 1775

<!-- 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     = 11.58
| area_land_km2      = 11.49
| area_water_km2     = 0.09

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 3640
| population_density_km2 = 316.83
<!-- 2018 est. -->

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 935
| coordinates        = {{coord|37|31|53|N|84|39|24|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 40484
| area_code          = [[Area code 606|606]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 21-73110
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2405519<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405519}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|www.stanford.ky.gov}}
| 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     = 3644
| area_total_sq_mi   = 4.47
| area_land_sq_mi    = 4.44
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.04
| population_density_sq_mi = 820.56
}}

'''Stanford''' is a [[List of cities in Kentucky|home rule-class city]] in [[Lincoln County, Kentucky|Lincoln County]], [[Kentucky]], United States. It is one of the oldest settlements in Kentucky, having been founded in 1775. Its population was 3,487 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]]<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2173110&tid=DECENNIALSF12010.P1| title=Total Population: 2010 Census DEC Summary File 1 (P1), Stanford city, Kentucky| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| website=data.census.gov| access-date=February 13, 2020}}</ref> and an estimated 3,686 in 2018.<ref name="USCensusEst2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2018.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=November 13, 2019}}</ref> It is the [[county seat]] of Lincoln County.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> Stanford is part of the [[Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area]].

== History ==
[[Image:Lincoln County Courthouse (Stanford, Kentucky).jpg|thumb|left|250px|Lincoln County Courthouse]]
Stanford was founded in 1775 by [[Benjamin Logan]] as "[[Saint Asaph|St. Asaph]]"; the early settlement was also known simply as "Logan's Fort".<ref name='gaz'>{{cite web|url=http://www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/ky-stanford.html |title=Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer: Stanford |access-date=2009-01-17 |publisher=[[University of Kentucky]]}}</ref> The site of the fort is about one mile west of the [[courthouse]] at the center of town. The name "Fort Logan" is still used to this day by local businesses, including the Fort Logan Hospital and Standing Fort Collectibles. The main street was built on what was originally a [[American bison|buffalo]] trail.<ref name='kleber'>{{cite book | last = Kleber | first = John E. | title = The Kentucky Encyclopedia | publisher = The University Press of Kentucky | year = 1992 | location = Lexington KY | isbn = 0-8131-1772-0 }}</ref>

The name "Stanford" may have come from "Standing Fort", a name given to Fort Logan because it survived multiple attacks by British-led [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] during the American Revolution. Alternately, it may have been named for [[Stamford, England]].<ref name='gaz'/> Although it was one of the smaller pioneer forts, it never fell to an attack.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}}

In 1781, the original settlement expanded when Benjamin Logan donated part of his own land as the site for a courthouse. The county court continued to meet at Fort Harrod (now [[Harrodsburg, Kentucky|Harrodsburg]]) until 1785, when [[Mercer County, Kentucky|Mercer County]] was established. By 1786 Stanford had received its [[charter]], making it one of the first towns in the former (1776–1780) Kentucky County, Virginia, with a formal charter. In 1787 the courthouse opened in a building made of logs. It has been expanded and upgraded over time, but the courthouse remains on the same site. Unlike most courthouses in Kentucky, it has never suffered from a fire or other major loss of records. Lincoln County has all its original records and archives dating from November 1789, making it one of the more complete archives in Kentucky. Among its original land deeds kept on [[vellum]] are deeds granting land to both [[Daniel Boone]] and [[Simon Kenton]].

The first recorded church in Stanford was a [[Presbyterian]] church built in 1790, reflecting the staunch Presbyterian beliefs of the Logan family. The building still stands and is now part of the Harvey Helm Memorial Historic Library and Museum on Main Street. Other denominations, including [[Baptist]] and [[Methodist]], were not established in the area until the 1830s. The current Presbyterian Church in Stanford has stood on the same site since around 1850.<ref name='kleber'/>

A small local library was first established in the 1830s. The library was renamed in 1970 in honor of Harvey Helm, a native son who became a Kentucky statesman and member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] between 1909 and 1917.<ref name='kleber'/>

The first school was built sometime in the 1850s, as the Male Academy. It was established in a building that is now the Fox Funeral Home on West Main Street. The corresponding Female Academy was built in the 1870s. The Stanford School was founded in 1900, and after much expansion, still serves, now as the Lincoln County Student Support Center.<ref name='kleber'/>

Largely untouched by the [[American Civil War]] (the nearest conflict was the [[Battle of Perryville]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} away), Stanford grew significantly in the post-war period. In the late 1860s, the town gained its own newspaper, the ''Stanford Banner'', which is still publishing as the ''Interior Journal''. The city continued to grow, especially after the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] built a station and line into the town in late 1865. Now the railroad line has closed, and the tracks were removed in 1988, leaving only a small spur line that connects to [[Mount Vernon, Kentucky|Mount Vernon]], {{convert|24|mi}} to the southeast. However, the railway depot has been restored, and Stanford is notable as the location of the first automobile garage in Kentucky, which opened in 1905.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}}

==Geography==
Stanford is located in south-central Kentucky in the southernmost extent of the [[Bluegrass region]] along the Southern [[Knobs region|Knobs]] in northern Lincoln County. [[U.S. Route 27]] passes through the east side of the city, leading northeast {{convert|8|mi|0}} to [[Lancaster, Kentucky|Lancaster]] and {{convert|43|mi}} to [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]], and south {{convert|32|mi}} to [[Somerset, Kentucky|Somerset]]. [[U.S. Route 150]] passes through the northern side of the city, leading northwest {{convert|10|mi|0}} to [[Danville, Kentucky|Danville]] and southeast {{convert|24|mi}} to [[Mount Vernon, Kentucky|Mount Vernon]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Stanford has a total area of {{convert|10.8|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.1|sqkm|order=flip|2}}, or 0.85%, are water.<ref name=Gazetteer>{{cite web| url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_21.txt| title=U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: Kentucky| website=U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division| access-date=February 13, 2020}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1800 = 66
| 1830 = 363
| 1840 = 263
| 1860 = 479
| 1870 = 752
| 1880 = 1213
| 1890 = 1385
| 1900 = 1651
| 1910 = 1532
| 1920 = 1397
| 1930 = 1544
| 1940 = 1940
| 1950 = 1861
| 1960 = 2019
| 1970 = 2474
| 1980 = 2764
| 1990 = 2686
| 2000 = 3430
| 2010 = 3487
| 2020 = 3640
| estyear = 2022
| estimate = 3644
| 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>
}}
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 3,430 people, 1,417 households, and 919 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1114.5|/sqmi|/km2}}. There were 1,522 housing units at an average density of {{convert|494.6|/sqmi|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the city was 89.97% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 8.10% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.09% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.09% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.20% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.55% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.37% of the population.

There were 1,417 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.85.

22.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,087, and the median income for a family was $32,550. Males had a median income of $28,583 versus $20,975 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $13,811. About 15.9% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 27.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Stanford has a [[public library|lending library]], the Lincoln 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>

==Notable people==
* [[Marv Foley]], baseball player
* [[Anthony Gale]], commandant of the [[United States Marine Corps]]
* [[Basil Hayden]], All-American athlete and collegiate basketball coach
* [[Harvey Helm]], [[United States House of Representatives|congressman]] and statesman
* [[Laura Kirkpatrick]], the runner-up of the [[America's Next Top Model, Cycle 13|thirteenth cycle]] of ''[[America's Next Top Model]]''
* [[California Joe Milner]], miner and frontier scout
* [[Lovell Rousseau]], Union Army Major General of Volunteers, [[United States House of Representatives|congressman]] 
* [[Richard C. Saufley]], [[naval aviation]] pioneer
* [[William Lewis Sublette]], fur trapper, pioneer, and mountain man, who along with his five brothers after 1823 became agents of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company (and later one of its owners)
* [[William Whitley]], early pioneer
* [[Thomas J. Wright]], artist and filmmaker, known for his work on the television series ''[[Night Gallery]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|United States}}
* [http://www.stanfordky.org Stanford official website]
* [http://www.stanfordky.org/History.html Official History of Stanford]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050727082314/http://www.lincolnky.com/tourism/tour.htm Lincoln County website – History of Stanford]

{{Lincoln County, Kentucky}}
{{Kentucky county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Stanford, Kentucky|*]]
[[Category:Cities in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Cities in Lincoln County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1775]]
[[Category:County seats in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Danville, Kentucky micropolitan area]]
[[Category:1775 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies]]