Calhoun is a home rule-class city in

McLean County, Kentucky McLean County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,152. Its county seat is Calhoun and its largest city is Livermore. McLean is a prohibition or dry county. McLean County is part ...

, United States. The population was 725 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of McLean County. It is included in the

Owensboro metropolitan area The Owensboro Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Kentucky, anchored by the city of Owensboro. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 109,875. In th ...

History

Present-day Calhoun was first known as "Rhoadsville" after the German-born

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

n Captain Henry Rhoads (1739–1809), who laid out the town from 1784 to 1785 near the Long Falls of the Green River. His brother Solomon then erected a fort to protect the settlers and the transit around the falls.Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names''
pp. 45–46
University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 22 July 2013. Around the time John Hanley acquired Rhoads' lands in a 1787 lawsuit, the site was renamed and was alternately known as "Fort Vienna" and "Vienna Station". The post office established in 1849, however, was called "Calhoon" after Rep.

John Calhoon John Calhoon (April 13, 1793October 15, 1852) was a United States representative from Kentucky. He was born in Henry County, Kentucky in 1797. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced. Calhoon was a member of the Kentucky House o ...

of Kentucky, and the town was chartered by the

state assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

in 1852 under this new name. At some later point, presumably out of confusion with the more famous

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

and

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

John Calhoun of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, the spelling of the town was changed. In 1854, it beat out the settlement of Rumsey on the other side of the river to become the seat of the newly formed McLean County.

Geography

Calhoun is located in central McLean County at (37.538633, -87.259414), on the north bank of the Green River, the longest river entirely in the state. The Army Corps of Engineers' Lock and Dam #2 on the river is at Calhoun. Calhoun is bordered to the south, across the river, by the community of Rumsey.

Kentucky Route 81 Kentucky Route 81 is a 39.961-mile (64.331 km) state highway in Kentucky that runs from U.S. Route 431 in South Carrollton to Kentucky Route 2831 and Kentucky Route 81 in Owensboro via Bremen, Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is ...

passes through Calhoun as its Main Street, leading north to

Owensboro Owensboro is a home rule-class city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States, of which it is also the county seat. It is the fourth-most populous city in the state. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest ...

and south to Central City. Kentucky Route 256 leaves the center of Calhoun as 1st Street and leads northwest to

Beech Grove Beech Grove is a city in Marion County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 14,717. The city is located within the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Beech Grove is designated an "excluded city" under Indiana ...

Kentucky Route 136 Kentucky Route 136 (KY 136) is a state highway in northwestern Kentucky. It has two disconnected sections, one that goes from the Ohio River near Sloughs Wildlife Management Area to the Green River near Rangers Landing via Henderson, and th ...

crosses the northern end of Calhoun, leading northwest to Beech Grove as well and southeast to Livermore. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Calhoun has a total area of , of which , or 2.39%, are water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Calhoun has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2000 Census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 836 people, 357 households, and 210 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 395 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.80%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.60%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.12% Native American, 0.24% from other races, and 0.24% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population. There were 357 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.77. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 28.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,438, and the median income for a family was $32,386. Males had a median income of $31,500 versus $16,719 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $22,520. About 11.8% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

2010 Census

The 2010 census reflected a decline in the city's population to 763. These lived in 317 households, with 184 of those being families. Seventy-four families had children under the age of 18. The average household size was 2.15, and the average family size was 2.85. In 122 households, there was one individual. Racially, 754 of the 763 were white, four were Native American and five were of more than one race. Two white individuals identified as Hispanic or Latino, with origins in Mexico. The city's median age was 46.4 years. Males were 44.2, while females were 49.3, reflecting greater longevity. For age 85 and above, there were 19 males and 38 females.

Notable people

* Glover H. Cary (1885–1936),

congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...