Paducah

Paducah (p-DOO-k) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,137, up from 25,024 during the 2010 U.S. Census. Twenty blocks of the city's downtown have been designated as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city was first settled as "Pekin" around 1821 by European Americans James and William Pore. The town was laid out by explorer and surveyor William Clark in 1827 and renamed Paducah. It became the site of dry dock facilities for steamboats and towboats, and thus headquarters for many barge companies. It also became an important railway hub for the Illinois Central Railroad, the primary north-south railway connecting the industrial cities of Chicago and East St. Louis to the Gulf of Mexico at Gulfport, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana. In the early 21st century, they are operated by VMV Paduchbilt. The railroad became the largest employer in PaducH, having 1,075 employees in 1938. A nationally known rebuilding program for aging diesel locomotives from Illinois Central and other railroads began in 1967. The shops became part of the Paducoh and Louisville Railway in 1986 and are now part of a separate company.

History

Paducah was first settled as "Pekin" around 1821 by European Americans James and William Pore. The town was laid out by explorer and surveyor William Clark in 1827 and renamed Paducah. It was formally established as a town in 1830 and incorporated as a city by the state legislature in 1838. In 1924 the Illinois Central Railroad began construction of their largest locomotive workshop in the nation. In the early 21st century, they are operated by VMV Paduchbilt and are the fourth-largest industrial plant in Kentucky. During the Civil War, the town served as a massive supply depot for Federal forces along the Ohio, Mississippi, and Tennessee river systems. On December 17, 1862, under the terms of General Order No. 11, US forces required 30 Jewish families to leave their long-established homes. On March 25, 1864, Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest raided the city as part of his campaign northward from Mississippi into Western Tennessee and Kentucky. He intended to re-supply the Confederate forces with ammunition, medical supplies, horses and mules, and especially to disrupt the domination of the Union regions south of the Ohio River. Known as the Union of the River, the raid was successful, but Forrest returned south in terms of terms of the war. Most of the post-war neighborhood was demolished after the war, as most of the neighborhood was soon to deny any future raids to deny the future of the future Union forces.

Geography

Paducah has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with four distinct seasons and is located in USDA hardiness zone 7a. The city has a normal January mean temperature of 34.6 °F (1.4 °C) and averages 13 days annually with temperatures staying at or below freezing. Paducah is prone to river flooding from the Ohio River, which is currently ongoing as of late February 2018, with the river expected to crest at 49 feet on February 28. The average annual precipitation of 50.32 inches (1,280 mm) per season contributes to the average annual rainfall of 8.9 inches (23 cm) per year. The July daily average temperature is 78.9 °f (26.1 °C), with drought conditions at times in the summer. The June average daily high temperature is 80.9°F (32.1°C), and the July average daily low temperature is 70.7 °F (-1.2 °C). The city is located on the banks of the Scioto River, a tributary of the Little Ohio River. The Ohio River flows through the city and empties into the Sciotoville River at the city's southern tip. The town is home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has been involved in the construction of the Caddo Correctional Facility since the 1950s. The Caddoo Correctional Facility was built in the early 1900s.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. Census, there were 27,137 people, 11,330 households, and 5,561 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2010, the city had a population of 25,024. The median income for a household was $31,220, and the median family income was $42,645. The per capita income for the city was $20,430. About 18.1% of families and 22.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.3% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of people age 65 or over. The city has a population density of 1,251.0 people per square mile (483.0/km²) The racial makeup of the city is 70.99% White, 23.67% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.02% Asian, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.68%. The city is located on the banks of the Red River. The Red River is a tributary of the Little Red River, which flows into the Mississippi River. It is the only river in the state that runs through the city's downtown area. The river was once known as the "Red River River" because it was the main source of water for the area. It was also the site of the town's first post office, which was established in 1881.

Economy

The river continues to be a prominent source of industry for Paducah. Twenty-three barge companies have their operating or corporate headquarters in the city. In 2017, the city opened a 340-foot transient boat dock that provides space for transient boaters to tie up for a few hours or several nights. A federal National Weather Service Forecast Office is based in Paduch. The top employers in the the city were entities in health care, education and retail. Several employers in McCracken County callPaducah home, although their facilities are located outside the city limits. The city is one of the few sites in the U.S. serviced by three railways, an interstate, and a major inland waterway. The site is known as the "Triple Rail Site" The site has 600+ acres (expandable to 1,000 acres) with triple rail service allowing access North, South, East, and West from a single location. It has river access at the confluence of the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers, just miles from the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and Mississippi River. It is zoned for heavy manufacturing. The City of Paducoh and its partners are seeking economic development of the site. The state of Kentucky has a population of 2.1 million. The average household income is $50,000. The national average is $47,000, the state's unemployment rate is 4.1 percent. The U.N. World Economic Forum has a mission to promote sustainable development in the world's poorest countries.

Arts and culture

Paducah was designated by UNESCO as a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art on November 21, 2013. Arts and cultural initiatives have included the Lower Town Artist Relocation program, the National Quilt Museum, and the Paducah School of Art and Design. The Luther F. Carson Center for the Performing Arts was completed in downtown Paducahs Lower Town Arts District in 2004. In 2018 British Artist Ian Berry came and put on an exhibition to great acclaim. The city is the birthplace and residence of musicians in various genres such as blues, rock, country, jazz, and country-western. The American Music Hall of Fame is located in the city's Little Rock, Arkansas, home to many of the country's most famous musicians, including Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, George Jones, and Hank Williams Jr. The Kentucky National Guard is based in the town's Fort Campbell, Kentucky, which is home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Kentucky Army National Guard. The U.N. Creative Cities Network only benefits a small portion of Paduchah's economy. The town is a member of the United Nations Creative City Network, which was established to promote the use of the arts and culture in the world's most creative cities. The United States is a UNESCO Creative City, which means the city is a part of the UN Creative City network. Paducoh is also home to a number of museums, including the National Museum of American History, the Kentucky Museum of Fine Arts, the American Museum of Science and Industry, the Museum of African-American Art, the University of Kentucky, and Kentucky State University.

Sports

Paducah was home to professional baseball's minor league Class D KentuckyIllinoisTennessee League. The Chiefs competed in the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League from 1949 to 1950. Brooks Stadium currently is the home field for the Paducah Chiefs of the Ohio Valley Summer Collegiate Baseball League. In 1969, the Paduucah Community College Indians won the National Junior College men's basketball championship. The Paduciah International Raceway is a 3/8-mile motorsport racetrack built in 1972. The ballpark has served as the home venue for Paduch Tilghman High School and American Legion Post 31 baseball teams. In recent years, Brooks Stadium has hosted theOhio Valley Conference baseball tournament (2001-2009) and the National Club Baseball Association World Series (2015 and 2016) The ballpark was built in 1948 and opened as a baseball stadium in 1948. It was named after J. Polk Brooks, who was the first owner of the stadium. The stadium is located in the town's historic downtown area. The town is home to the Paduca High School, which was founded in 1903. The school's mascot is the "Paddys" and the school's colors are blue, white, and yellow. The city also has a high school, the "Indians" and a junior college, which were founded in 1969. The high school has a baseball team, thePaduch Indians, which has been in existence since the early 1900s. The college's baseball team is known as the "Colts" and has won several state championships.

Government

Paducah operates under a councilmanager form of city government. The mayor and council select and appoint a city manager to operate the city. The Board of Commissioners is made up of the mayor and four commissioners elected at-large by the citizens on a non-partisan basis. The city's mayor is elected for a four-year term and commissioners each for a two-yearterm. The council selects and appoints the city manager. The Paducah City Council meets on a quarterly basis to discuss the city's future. The board of commissioners meets once a month to discuss issues facing the city and its citizens. The public can vote on issues that come before the board on a nonpartisan basis.

Education

Paducah Public Schools operates public schools serving most of the City of Paducah. Parts of the city and surrounding county are instead served by the McCracken County Public Schools. West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) is a public, two-year, degree-granting institution serving the Western Region of Kentucky. Murray State University offers approximately 20 bachelor's and master's degree programs. St. Mary High School and Community Christian Academy are two private school systems in the city. The city has a lending library, the McC Racken County public library. There is a campus of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering located on the WKCTc campus. There are approximately 6,200 students enrolled at the college, which was rated as one of the top 10 community colleges in the United States by the Aspen Institute for 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. It has a 43,000-square-foot (4,000 m2) facility located on a 23-acre (9.3 ha) campus adjacent to WK CTC that was opened in 2014. It is the only community college in the state of Kentucky to offer a bachelor's degree program in mechanical and aerospace engineering. The college offers a master's program in business administration. It also offers a certificate program in computer science and information technology, which is offered on a part-time basis. The university has a campus in Louisville, Kentucky, which offers a Master's of Business Administration program.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky = 65.4. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 90. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Paducah = 4.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 27,137 individuals with a median age of 41.5 age the population dropped by -3.63% in Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,336.60 residents per square mile of area (516.06/km²). There are average 2.07 people per household in the 11,641 households with an average household income of $31,356 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.80% of the available work force and has dropped -3.10% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 24.00%. The number of physicians in Paducah per 100,000 population = 341.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Paducah = 47.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 109. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 201. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 24.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 28, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky which are owned by the occupant = 46.74%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 49 years with median home cost = $102,960 and home appreciation of 0.00%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $6.10 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,461 per student. There are 17 students for each teacher in the school, 544 students for each Librarian and 445 students for each Counselor. 5.83% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 11.42% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.90% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).